World leading Irish technology will soon be coming to the ambulances across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a result of a multi-million dollar contract signing between Irish innovator ACETECH and Bassam Trading Company, a leading distributor in Saudi Arabia for major global manufacturers in the healthcare sector.
With Bassam Trading Company being a major supplier for the Saudi Ministry of Health, the $2.4 million dollar contract with ACETECH, a globally leading supplier of software and vehicle intelligence technology for emergency service fleets, will see the installation of their technology to optimize Fleet Performance and enhance patient and paramedic safety within the Emergency Vehicles.
Backed by Enterprise Ireland, the Irish government’s agency for trade and innovation, ACETECH design innovative cloud-based fleet performance software, specialist modules for safety, eco-friendliness and asset protection and intelligent control systems for healthcare providers and government bodies. These solutions integrate seamlessly with emergency service vehicles to help them perform better than ever before.
Marking the single biggest contract to date in Saudi Arabia for the Irish company, ACETECH also announced the intention to open an office in the capital, Riyadh, to service the implementation of the contract requirements. After entering the market in the country over six years ago with their innovative solutions, the office will also represent a further expansion to the ACETECH regional offices joining the existing network of offices based in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to support the company’s growth ambitions which already sees their technology operating with local partners in those markets.
The contract signing between ACETECH and Bassam Trading Company was formally conducted at a recent signing event in the capital witnessed by Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, held to coincide with his first visit to Saudi Arabia this month.
The event formed part of the overall trade mission program to the country led by Leo Varadkar to boost Irish-Saudi trade collaboration even further with the aim of supporting Irish companies to access export and partnership opportunities, establish strategic connections with local partners in the market, and reinforce existing relations. The trade mission, organized by Enterprise Ireland, also marked the largest single international trade mission undertaken since 2019 for the Government of Ireland in a sign of the growing importance of the Middle East region to Ireland.
Commenting on the contract to service Ambulance vehicles in Saudi Arabia, ACETECH CEO Eric Gallagher said, “We are delighted to be making this announcement of the adoption of the ACETECH solutions within the Ambulatory Services of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This multi-million contract further solidifies ACETECH’s decision to set up an entity within KSA in support of the Government’s drive to Vision 2030 Transformation. The ACETECH Global team are excited to take this next step with all our clients in KSA and further our commitment to ensuring both patient and paramedic safety through our innovative monitoring and control solutions.”
Welcoming the contract for ACETECH, Eamon Sikafi, Senior Market Advisor for Enterprise Ireland said, “Through this contract, ACETECH will be supplying world leading Irish technology to help optimize and boost performance of the emergency vehicles in Saudi Arabia which will contribute to their important lifesaving work. Enterprise Ireland is actively involved in the healthcare market in Saudi Arabia with many client companies such as ACETECH working with local partners to provide leading healthcare and medtech solutions into the market, a process made easier due to the large number of Irish-trained, Saudi-based health professionals and the number of healthcare decision makers who have trained at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.”
In data captured by Ireland’s Central Statistics Office, overall Irish exports of goods to Saudi Arabia grew in 2020, primarily due to increases of exports to €163.4m in Medical and Pharmaceutical Supplies. Saudi Arabia is an important market for Irish companies which is increasingly witnessing greater collaborations with Saudi local partners which last year saw an increase of six per cent in total exports by Irish companies.
