SKM Air Conditioning LLC: Conquering the harshest of places

When Eng. Abdul Karim Al Saleh was appointed the CEO of SKM Air Conditioning LLC, he took hold of its reins as a strategist, who is armed with business and technical knowledge to tackle challenges, and continues to steer the brand towards success.
"As the CEO of an industrial company, I love anything to do with industries and sales. It's my passion, and I love it. I enjoy being in an atmosphere where you are often faced with challenges and have to plan several strategies to overcome those obstacles. When I have meetings with the team, I see everyone on the same level and encourage ideas and discussion from all," said Eng. Al Saleh.
With an ambitious growth plan underway, SKM Air Conditioning LLC is slowly but surely conquering various parts of the globe, with a recent foray into Saudi Arabia.
"We aim to be an international player, rather than a local company. This was our mission from the start, but over the years, it has become more focused. We take on prestigious projects, not for the revenue or profit, but for the challenge," said Al Saleh.
Recently, the group had successfully built customised cooling units at the Holy site of Makkah in Saudi Arabia.
"Our Haj project is one of those that is very prestigious. It required a specialised unit and a lot of technical and custom-made alterations to fit the customer's needs. In addition to that, we had to fulfil a bigger role - of completing the project within a short period of time and ensure results that would let customers experience comfort and feel like a VIP. We were very excited to be a part of this vision," he exclaimed.
"With temperatures soaring, SKM were required to complete the project within a short period of time, as the location for Haj is always busy. The feeling of being able to satisfy millions of people in this short time is incredible. And this is what keeps me going.
It takes a lot to see a plan evolve and come to life; you need to think about how to make your employees adopt your strategy and vision, so this is what keeps me moving forward, and I enjoy it," he added.
Competitive edge
SKM has had the opportunity to develop quality products and solutions through its R&D facility and engineering set-up in the region and is equipped to cater to different ambient conditions.
Furthermore, it has an ISO 17025-accredited laboratory that places a strong focus on the performance testing of electrical appliances, specifically for Package Air Conditioners, Air Cooled Packaged Chillers, and Non-Ducted Air Conditioners.
"It also has full capability to support requirements for testing, inspection, verification and certification services for HVAC products that require ESMA, SASO and all other international and regional certifications. We backed that up with our spare parts and service centre for all aftersales requirements from our clients.
"SKM's journey to excellence has been quite outstanding, as it was also awarded the Dubai Quality Appreciation Award in April 2019, which is a testament to the fact that they focus highly on performance and quality. With that said, we have ensured that we are the number one choice to customers as a one-stop shop when it comes to all air conditioning requirements," said Eng. Al Saleh.
Future plans
"SKM has set its long-term vision to be a leading air conditioning equipment manufacturer and air conditioning solutions provider in the Middle East region, but also to be a global player as well. We have started an aggressive expansion plan in Africa and in the near future in Europe as well. That will follow with other plans for the rest of the world."

Since its establishment in 1974 by the late Mubarak Al Hassawi, SKM has been providing a full range of air conditioning product portfolio of all tonnages, the small non-ducted split units, ducted concealed units, VRF units, packages, fan coil units, AHUs and chillers for residential, commercial and industrial markets. It also specialises in customised air conditioning products and solutions tailored to client requirements, especially for oil & gas and EPC projects.