EASTERN Morris Crane Company has been formally established in Saudi Arabia as a joint venture between Morris Material Handling Ltd of the UK and H.A. Al-Zamil & Brothers Company.
Although Morris has been producing EOT cranes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for three years, it was doing so as a subsidiary of Zamil. Zamil had been Morris’s agent for 10 years, selling hoists and kits to Saudi crane builders; three years ago Morris began taking on crane building contracts in Saudi, under the wings of Zamil.
According to Morris chief executive Mike Maddock there are already 500 Morris cranes in Saudi Arabia.
A new factory in Damman, measuring 65m by 50m, was officially opened on 8 February. The factory is owned by Zamil and leased to Eastern Morris Cranes (EMC). EMC is 51% owned by Zamil and 49% by Morris Material Handling Ltd. Joint ventures in Saudi Arabia must be majority owned by a Saudi national.
Zamil is a diversified industrial and manufacturing conglomerate with interests ranging from building products through to industrial components.
