From One Crane to a Kingdom’s Projects: Inside the Strategy of ACT Group’s Mohammed Hassan Alnaimi

Reliability, relationships and a widening service range are shaping the next phase of one of Saudi Arabia’s established heavy-lift companies.

Every major project has a moment when something very heavy has to move, safely and on schedule. For nearly four decades, Arabian Consolidated Trading Group (ACT Group) has built its reputation on being the company that makes that moment go smoothly. Today, Mohammed Hassan Alnaimi, the Group CEO, is guiding ACT from a crane-rental specialist into a broader industrial partner for the Kingdom.

A company that started with lifting

ACT Group was founded in Saudi Arabia in 1986. It is headquartered in Jubail, close to the industrial heart of the Eastern Province, with offices in Riyadh, Dammam, Yanbu and Dubai. Its core business is mobile crane and heavy equipment rental. The fleet reaches cranes with lifting capacities of up to 1,200 tonnes and also includes forklifts, telehandlers and generators.

Those machines serve some of the most demanding sectors in the region: oil and gas, petrochemicals, construction and infrastructure. In these fields, equipment is only part of what clients buy. They also want planning, safe execution and a supplier that shows up when the schedule is tight.

Four leadership priorities

Under Alnaimi, ACT’s direction rests on four ideas that appear again and again in the company’s public activity.

• Operational reliability. Projects depend on equipment being available, maintained and ready.
• Customer satisfaction. Repeat clients are the best measure of service quality.
• Long-term partnerships. The company builds lasting ties with manufacturers and industry partners rather than one-off deals.
• Business development. New services and new markets are added where the group’s existing strengths apply.

Fleet renewal with a global network

ACT’s equipment strategy relies on strong manufacturer relationships. The company has bought Liebherr cranes since 1987 and in December 2023 ordered 18 new Liebherr cranes in the 100 to 150-tonne range. In January 2024, ACT representatives travelled to Tadano’s manufacturing facilities in Japan after the delivery of 18 rough-terrain cranes.

Ordering in large batches and visiting manufacturing sites in person shows a hands-on approach to growth. It keeps the fleet modern, supports servicing and parts availability, and positions ACT to meet rising demand from construction and industrial projects.

More than rental

The group now offers a wider range of services that reflects how large projects actually run:

• Logistics and transportation
• Industrial maintenance
• Industrial waste management
• Rig-moving services
• Manufacturing solutions and trading of industrial products

Its sister company, Arabian Consolidated Industrial Cleaning (ACIC), supports shutdown and turnaround services for petrochemical facilities. For a client, having more of these services under one group can mean simpler coordination and fewer points of failure.

A workforce for the long run

People are central to the plan. ACT reported a Saudisation rate of 25% within ACT Cranes in 2023, with close to 400 Saudi employees across its divisions. Across the group, roughly 1,000 people support a fleet of around 250 cranes. Developing skilled Saudi operators, riggers and technicians is a long-term investment, and it aligns the company with national goals for local capability in industry.

Looking ahead

Saudi Arabia’s construction and industrial sectors continue to expand, and the demand for dependable heavy equipment and logistics grows with them. ACT’s combination of a large fleet, trusted manufacturer partnerships, a growing service range and a developing local workforce gives it a clear base for that growth.

In Alnaimi’s role, strategic planning, commercial development and collaboration with industry partners come together. The company that began with a single focus on lifting now aims to be a long-term partner on the Kingdom’s biggest projects.

About ACT Group: Arabian Consolidated Trading Group is a Saudi industrial group founded in 1986 and headquartered in Jubail. Its core business is crane and heavy equipment rental, with services including logistics, industrial maintenance, waste management and rig moving.

Mohammed Hassan Alnaimi — CEO, ACT Group
Instagram: @alnaimivp
LinkedIn: Mohammed Hassan Alnaimi