Investment opportunities worth SAR8 billion ($2.13 billion) set the tone for a high-impact debut of Heavy Equipment Connect Forum & Expo (HEC) 2026 in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Held under the patronage of the Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim Al Khorayef at Dhahran International Exhibitions Centre in Dammam, HEC 2026 is Saudi Arabia’s only dedicated exhibition and conference focused exclusively on the heavy equipment and construction machinery ecosystem.
The two-day event was inaugurated by Khalil bin Salamah, Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Industrial Affairs, in the presence of senior officials.
Organised by the National Industrial Development Center (NIDC) in co-ordination with the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, this year’s edition underscored Saudi Arabia’s accelerating industrial ambitions in line with Vision 2030.
The event promoted localisation, innovation, and investment, supporting the kingdom’s industrial objectives while connecting global expertise with national opportunity.
The kingdom’s inaugural heavy-equipment expo ended on a strong note, drawing senior government officials, global manufacturers and investors along with senior policymakers, global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and industry leaders under one roof.
During the event, NIDC unveiled 16 investment opportunities covering manufacturing activities – ranging from finished equipment to core components and spare parts – and aimed at expanding private sector participation in the sector.
Addressing the gathering, Bin Salamah said the forum comes at a pivotal time as Saudi Arabia’s heavy equipment market continues to expand, driven by rising demand from large-scale projects across construction, infrastructure, mining and energy.
The kingdom, he stated, has emerged as the largest regional market for heavy equipment, supported by policies focused on industrial localisation, strengthening supply chains, and attracting high-quality investments in line with the National Industrial Strategy.
At the two-day forum, major sessions explored Saudi Arabia’s evolving investment landscape, government support programmes, giga-projects, supply-chain development, workforce and skills, sector innovation, and the rapidly expanding rental and leasing market for heavy equipment, said the event organisers.
Running alongside the forum, the HEC exhibition hosted more than 100 regional and international exhibitors, showcasing the latest in construction, lifting, power, and smart equipment technologies.
Among the top names at the expo were Saudi Diesel Equipment Company (SDEC), a leading provider of power, construction and lifting equipment and commercial trucks in Saudi Arabia, which showcased a wide range of products from its principals including Develon excavators, wheel loaders and dumptrucks, Bobcat forklifts and generators, JAC commercial trucks, Daewoo commercial vehicles, Tonly off-highway dumptrucks, Mahindra backhoe loaders, DY cranes, Everdigm concrete pumps, as well as PEAX rental solutions.
Leading British brand JCB unveiled its powerful the 520X excavator (see Excavators feature, Page 80), alongside its backhoe loaders and tandem rollers, while German-Swiss tower crane manufacturer and rental company Wolffkran showcased its lifting solutions and support technologies.
Held on a grand scale, the exhibition boasted a 30,000-sq-m outdoor display zone, a 10,000-sq-m indoor exhibition hall, and a 5,000-sq-m live demonstration area, offering visitors a hands-on look at next-generation machinery in action.
“The Heavy Equipment Connect Forum & Expo is more than an industry gathering – it is a platform for action that supports the kingdom’s industrial strategy,” remarked Khalid Al Homoud, the Executive Vice President of NIDC.