What are the essential leadership traits when it comes to constructing pre-engineered steel building systems (PEB)? First of all, the leader must be completely customer-centric. Secondly, it must collaborate with the customers on the project requirements.
Thirdly, it must be managing customers’ timelines through project planning and seamless coordination with project disciplines. Fourthly, it must provide on-site support to assure safe and error-free erection of the project along with cost-effective solutions through innovative engineering.
The last and most important feature is that the leader must offer on-time delivery with the highest product quality.
Led by an exemplary leader in the form of Samir Kasem, Chief Executive Officer, Alghanim Industries’ Kirby Building Systems has been doing all of these for the last four and a half decades again and again proving their leadership mettle.
Samir shares, “With our five state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities spread across five continents to fulfil our customer requirements, we are among the largest manufacturers of steel buildings in the world.”
Samir’s career with Alghanim spans over 28 years, during which time he has managed multiple and diverse groups within the organization including Automotive, Engineering, Manufacturing, Retail and FMCG. Prior to joining Alghanim Industries, Samir was with General Motors of Canada Limited, where he served in several management and technical positions related to design engineering, sales engineering, manufacturing, and quality control.
Samir has an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business, Western University, Ontario, Canada and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Kettering University, Michigan, USA. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program (AMP), Harvard Business School.
In an interview with Insights Success for its exclusive edition ‘Most Innovative Smart Building Solution Providers of India-2022,’ Samir spoke about Kirby Building System’s past, present and future. Highlights of the interview are given herein.
Please tell us about the saga of your reputed firm Kirby Building Systems.
As pioneers and global leaders in the field of pre-engineered steel building systems (PEB) outside the United States of America, we have contributed significantly to the industry and learnt many things in the course of manufacturing over 65,000 buildings, across 70 countries. The most important of which is our credo: Customer First.
Kirby offers one of the most comprehensive Pre-engineered steel buildings-PEB product portfolios globally, with applications in major market segments including heavy industry, infrastructure, high-rise buildings, warehouses, factories, oil and gas and leisure structures.
The company maintains a strong reputation for delivering customer-designed and cost-effective solutions for steel buildings that are manufactured to the highest quality standards, and a commitment to providing top-class service to its customers. Our commitment to excellence provides unmatched product quality, coupled with speed, safety, and superior sales services.
We at Kirby offer a worry-free solution to our clients. We go that extra mile through our systems, process, and our internal orientation to ensure that commissioning a Kirby project is a seamless and effortless experience for our clients.
What are the Brand Kirby USPs, and how you are positioned as the leading PEB solution provider?
Kirby Building Systems is one of the largest pre-engineered steel building (PEB) companies in the world and is a 100% subsidiary of Kuwait- based multinational and multi-billion dollar business conglomerate – Alghanim Industries, one of the largest privately-owned companies in the Middle East.
Kirby pioneered the PEB technology first in Middle East in 1976 and later in India in 1999. Its product list consists of pre-engineered steel buildings (PEB) applicable for factories, warehouses, metro rails, supermarkets, aircraft hangars, sports stadiums, auditoriums, etc. Other products include structural steel, sandwich panels, storage solutions, Kirby Roof (KR), Kirby Wall (KW), Kirby Deep Decking Panel and Kirby Standing Seam Panel (KSS-600).
Kirby has a total of five manufacturing facilities located in Kuwait, Ras-Al-Khaimah (UAE), Vietnam and India, with a total capacity of about 400,000 MT per annum supported by over 4,000 employees.
The company operates 70 sales offices located across six geographical regions, namely the Gulf Cooperation Council, the rest of the Middle East, the Indian Sub-Continent, Africa, Eastern Europe, and South East Asia.
Kirby has more than 300 certified builders globally for providing erection of steel buildings along with other trades up to turnkey projects. Kirby has manufactured more than 65,000 buildings across the world.
Please tell us about your brand’s vision, mission, and values.
Our vision is to be recognized as the global leader in the design, manufacture, supply, and erection of Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings (PEB) and Structures.
While our mission is ‘Kirby will achieve this vision by consistently delivering high-quality products to our customers, accompanied by personalized service and a commitment to excellence.’
We wish to be Partners in Our Customers’ Success. At Kirby Building Systems, we understand the complex challenges that our customers face as they conceptualize, plan, and execute their building projects. We also know how important it is to get it right the first time. As a leader in the industry, our experienced and dedicated team provides clients with innovative and proactive engineering solutions, adding value from start to finish.
We work with clients globally and have an extensive presence in the Middle East, Far East, South East Asia, the Indian sub-continent, Africa, and Europe. With an annual capacity of over 400,000 MT and nearly 40 years of experience in PEB design and manufacturing, Kirby has a proven track record of managing projects of any size or scope.
We see ourselves as partners in our customers’ success, with a distinct and important role to play. Whether we are customizing engineering designs, creating precision drawings, providing efficient project planning, manufacturing quality systems, or using SAP to track inventories and meet deadlines, our goal is always the same: to exceed our customers’ expectations, every time. At Kirby, we provide more than just steel structures; we deliver complete building solutions.
Our 2025 Milestone/Goal is to establish new global benchmarks in the design and manufacture of steel building solutions, both in PEB and Structural Steel, while consistently providing our customers with exceptional customer service.
Furthermore, our values are,
Straight-Talking: We encourage open debate where the best ideas win.
Customer Centric: We put our customers at the center of our focus and initiatives with the objective of providing them with unmatchable levels of services and products.
Teamwork: We actively share information and ideas, enthusiastically working to make those around us better.
Diversity And Respect: The diversity of our workforce is an asset and we treat everyone with dignity and respect regardless of status, gender, education, ethnicity or religion.
Empowerment: We empower people to make decisions with a bias for action.
Employees As Core Assets: We believe that our employees are our most valuable resource, and do whatever it takes for their continuous training, development, and motivation.
Meritocracy: The rewards and career advancements of our people are based on their performance and capabilities, not on their wasta (influence).
Please tell us about Kirby’s Core Philosophy and how it is aligning its quality policy with its CSR initiatives.
Our corporate philosophy goes hand in hand with our values. We work hard to ensure that every employee of the organization understands our customers’ business and product expectations from the product and works to enhance the customer experience.
At Kirby, we believe in creating a great product with a competitive price. More importantly, we strive to be friendly and open to customers so that they love doing business with us. Kirby senior management directly gets involved in key projects to ensure trust and build long-lasting relationships.
Guided by the principle of Customer Centricity, Kirby Building Systems has not only maintained high-quality products and services but also demonstrated innovation in customer service. By continuing to follow our core values, we are on course to realize our vision to be the most successful and admired pre-engineered steel building company in the world.
Environment Health and Safety: Kirby Building Systems is committed to utilizing continually improving its practices to achieve ‘Zero Harm’ performance. We demonstrate this commitment to excellence by operating our facilities in a world-class manner, in order to avoid or mitigate adverse health, safety and environmental impacts.
Kirby has established – measurable performance targets and reports progress on a regular basis. All levels of the Kirby management and its employees ensure that our commitment to health, safety and the environment are rigorously maintained.
The goal of Kirby’s environment, health, and safety (EHS) policy and management system aims are to:
- Develop, implement, and manage policies and work activities at all our Kirby facilities.
- Protect employees, contractors, visitors, property, and the environment.
- Comply with applicable EHS regulatory requirements at each location.
- Audit EHS activities at regular intervals at each facility to monitor its effective implementation and take corrective actions, wherever required.
- Create a proactive EHS culture through awareness, education, and motivation, to achieve continual improvement in EHS performance.
Quality Policy: Kirby Building Systems Quality Management System complies with all applicable requirements contained in ISO 9001:2015 Certified (the Middle East and Africa), ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, OHSAS 18001:2017 (India) and ISO14001:2004, OHSAS 18001:2007 (South East Asia) and covers the design, fabrication and supply of pre-engineered steel buildings and structural steel works for various projects, encompassing all operations at its facilities.
The quality policy shown below describes Kirby Building Systems’ overall commitment to excellence with regard to quality. This quality policy is reviewed regularly by management for continued suitability.
Kirby Building Systems aims to become the market leader in its business operation by providing high-quality pre-engineered steel building systems and structural steel products that meet or exceed customers’ requirements and expectations, in line with the requirement of ISO standards.
Kirby Building Systems remains focused on understanding customers’ needs and expectations and transmitting those needs into continuously improved products and services with the active participation of its employees.
Kirby Building Systems management is responsible for ensuring the Quality Policy is understood, implemented, and maintained at all levels of the company. This is accomplished through one-to-one and/or group training of employees.
Kirby believes in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and places great importance on supporting local charitable, educational, and cultural causes. Through the years, it has made many meaningful contributions to the communities in which it operates.
Kirby recognizes that education is one of the building blocks of any nation and supports all education initiatives. The company has worked closely with, and volunteered with organizations that promote education, such as INZAJ -Kuwait, a not-for-profit group that empowers young people to own their economic success.
In addition, Kirby organizes annual blood donation campaigns across all of its manufacturing facilities, as a way to give back to the community.
Some of the company’s other CSR activities include:
- Events organized during Annual Family Day,
- Implementing environmental conservation initiatives at the plants, as per the guidelines of the local Pollution Control Board,
- Establishing a sewage water treatment plant (STP) for recycling of used sewage water
- Conducting regular checks on noise/air/water pollution, ventilation, and illumination at plants,
- Converting open lands near Kirby plants into green lands and also maintaining green landscapes at plants,
- Offering regular health check-ups for Kirby employees,
- Hosting of annual ‘Family Days.’
Please give us a list of awards/recognitions that accurately highlight Kirby’s position in the market.
Kirby Awards and Recognitions:
- His Highness the AMIR’s award for outstanding factories
- Construction Week India Awards in 2014, 2015 and 2017 for the ‘PEB (Pre-Engineered Building) Project of the Year’.
- Kirby Hyderabad and Haridwar plants are regularly winning the British Safety Council Award as a Winner or Merit basis from 2013 onwards.
- Kirby India was awarded with the Global Logistics Excellence Award in 2017 and 2018 under the category – Logistics Infrastructure Achiever of the Year.
- Kirby India has been conferred with Business Excellence & Research Group’s (BERG) Icons of Spaces Award under two different categories – Commercial Project of the Year 2017 for Phoenix Spaces, Hyderabad and Industrial Project of the Year 2017 for Cipla Ltd, Sikkim respectively.
- Kirby Building Systems – India, was awarded the prestigious D&B Infra Award for three years – 2013, 2015 and 2017 as the “Best PEB Project – Industrial Buildings (Implementation Excellence)”, for the project of Renault-Nissan Automotive India Private Limited in 2013, Toshiba-JSW Power Systems in 2015 and Alstom Bharat Forge in 2017 respectively.
- Kirby Building Systems, one of the world’s largest suppliers of pre-engineered steel buildings, left an indelible mark in the EPC industry by winning the prestigious EPC World Awards in 2011, 2013 and 2014 as “Outstanding Company in Pre-Engineered Buildings” from EPC World Media.
