Case Study / Partnership
The technology was already proven and the company had domestic references. The problem was the procurement channel at a Middle East state-owned enterprise. Aramco does not accept proposals from unverified overseas suppliers. Which department is responsible, and how technology is assessed, is not published.
Remotely, contact does not happen at all. Emails go unopened and LinkedIn messages go unanswered. We started at the point where nothing further could be done from Korea.
We reviewed state-owned enterprise technology demonstration programmes across the Middle East and narrowed down where this technology could actually go. Aramco was set as the target.
We rewrote technical validation material prepared to Korean standards to match local assessment criteria. What was emphasised in Korea and what the local side looks at were not the same.
Our Dubai-based team identified the responsible department, made contact directly and set up the meetings. This is the stage that cannot be done remotely.
We negotiated the scope and terms of the demonstration and submitted the proposal. We were on the ground with the client throughout the negotiations.
The client won a product PoC with Saudi state-owned energy company Aramco. Entering a state-owned enterprise's demonstration programme means more than a single sale. In the Gulf, a validation record with a state-owned energy company works as a precondition for every proposal that follows.
For entry into a Middle East state-owned enterprise, technology is only a necessary condition. What is missing is always the channel. Half of what we did on this project was not explaining the technology, but creating the room in which to explain it.
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