Antonio Marcegaglia |
Diversified
Italian industrial group Marcegaglia is looking
at possible
investment opportunities in Qatar mainly through
a joint venture, its chief executive Antonio
Marcegaglia has said.
Although Marcegaglia’s core
business is steel fabrication, the company which
had generated a turnover of more than 4.2bn euro
in 2008,
is looking at construction and infrastructure
industries for a possible joint venture in Qatar.
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“There is no exact plan as of now. But my visit
here is to focus more on what fits best in our strategy,
combining with the interest of the Qatari business
community,” Marcegaglia told Gulf Times last
night.
Marcegaglia has already set up a base in Qatar through its own subsidiary - Marcegaglia
Gulf.
Marcegaglia Gulf became operational in early 2007.
It is mostly a trading and commercial activity now
and focuses on the country’s construction sector.
“But we want to develop our business in Qatar
and in the region in line with our plan to become more
international. Qatar’s rapidly expanding economy
provides us good opportunities. We may consider direct
investment in the country at a later stage,” Marcegaglia
said.
Marcegaglia also intends to develop into the
Gulf region from its Qatar base.
He hailed the “growing relationship” between
Qatar and Italy, especially in the field of energy.
Qatar now supplies liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Italy
at the Adriatic Reagasification Terminal in the north
of the country.
“We are a customer of the Qatari gas that comes
through the Adriatic Terminal,” Marcegaglia said.
Marcegaglia is a leading industrial group worldwide
in steel processing, with a yearly output of 5.3mn
tonnes.
It is a family owned and managed group.
The group has operations worldwide with 6,500 employees,
51 sales offices, 210 representations and 50 manufacturing
plants covering 6mn sq m, where 5,500km of carbon and
stainless steel products are manufactured every day,
serving more than 12,000 customers.
Founded in 1959, the group is headquartered in Gazoldo
degli Ippoliti, Mantova, and is organised into seven
business areas - steel, building, home products, engineering,
energy, tourism and services.
Marcegaglia hosted prominent members of the Qatar business
community at the Four Seasons here last night.
He also held talks with members of Qatar Chamber of
Commerce & Industry and Qatari Businessmen Association.
Today he will meet HE the Minister of Economy and Finance
Yousef Hussein Kamal and other dignitaries.
--------------------------
 Antonio
Marcegaglia, Operation Qatar
source:
www.gulf-times.com
 Italian group eyes Gulf opportunities via Qatar contacts
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