SAUDI Electronic Trading Company (Setra), a specialist in setting up data centre infrastructure and one of the leading solutions providers in the electrical and mechanical sectors, has been involved recently in several major projects in the kingdom such as the Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University (PNU) and the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD).

The PNU is the largest women-only university in the world, while the KAFD will house the largest community or professionals working within the financial sector and related business, hosting the headquarters of the Capital Markets Authority, the stock exchange, banks, and financial institutions.

Setra is currently working on building data centres for Bank Al Jazeera in Riyadh and Jeddah, and STC Awal, and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). It is also involved in the supply and installation of low current systems at the new National Guard hospital in Riyadh, says a company spokesman.

All these projects have earned a name for Setra, he says, adding that Setra’s data centres are designed, supplied, installed and maintained according to the specific requirements of customers.

Another source of Setra’s reputation is its rich database of customers. Setra is the qualified and approved vendor with all the major utility authorities in the kingdom, such as ministries and other governmental organisations, banks, healthcare, hospitality firms and educational institutions, he says.

In addition to the above projects, Setra is currently working on more than 65 projects, 45 of which are expected to be completed in 2012. It is expected to start working on 15 projects within three months.

“The increase in project numbers has led to the company’s market growth each year. Most of the sectors in the Saudi market are booming and Setra is riding high registering a growth from 18 per cent to 20 per cent each year,” he says. “Several companies, international and local, were affected by the financial recession that took place globally. However, Setra maintained its position in the business and was able to handle all its projects.”

Setra has adopted several tactics to sustain its market share. It launched effective advertising campaigns for the existing products, and also introduced new services and products such as NEC, Rittal and 3M. It has also created a new customer relationship management programme for managing the company’s interactions with its customers, he says.

Setra is expecting huge opportunities over the coming years, thanks to many emerging sectors like railways, mining, transportation and education.

To tap these opportunities, the company has opened two showrooms in Riyadh and Jeddah, and created three new business units. The first one is dedicated to the healthcare sector (nurse call systems); the second is Setra Specialised Solutions for safety equipment, guard tour systems, and ID card printers; and the third business unit is for various telecommunications systems including IP telephony, interactive voice service, voice response centres and voice mail.

Setra currently is planning to open new branches and offices in the emerging industrial cities like Yanbu and Ras Al Khair. Moreover, the company is expected to achieve ISO 9001 certification in the next few months.

Established in 1996 in Riyadh, Setra has grown considerably over the years and expanded its presence to Jeddah, Al Khobar, Madinah and Jubail to cover the most important areas of Saudi Arabia.

Setra has five sister companies in the kingdom as well as 27 affiliates across other GCC countries, Jordan, Algeria, Iraq and Lebanon.

Setra’s sectors of activities include:

• Data centre integrated solutions, including the electrical works for HVAC, networking, fire safety and security systems, raised floor and ceiling, leak detection systems, environment monitoring systems and civil works;

• Standby power solutions including AC and DC power systems such as UPS, chargers, batteries, voltage stabilisers and generators;

• Low current solutions including low current cables, fire alarms systems, fire-fighting, video security systems, access controls systems, public address systems, MATV systems, healthcare systems;

• Specialised solutions including ID car printing equipment, intrinsically safety equipment, guard tour system and call recording machines; and

• After sales services, including preventive maintenance, remote monitoring services, warranty services and spare parts.

“Setra is a vision-guided company, driven by its values. Its projects portfolio reflects the level of its expertise and credibility. Its performance and professionalism position it as a leading position within its business sectors,” the spokesman concludes.