Megalift Denzai JV set up in Africa

Signing ceremony to mark the establishment of Megalift Denzai in July 2024. Pictured left to right are Choukri Bouraiou, Megalift, and Kohki Uemura, Denzai. Photo: Denzai

Heavy lifting and transport specialists Denzai and Megalift have established a joint venture company in Algeria.

The new venture is jointly owned by Tokyo, Japan-based Denzai KK’s new subsidiary, Denzai Algeria SARL, and Algeria’s largest heavy lifting and transport company, Megalift SARL. It will be called Megalift Denzai SARL and based in the country’s capital, Algiers.

Chairman of the new 50:50 venture will be Kohki Uemura, Denzai KK chief executive officer, while the CEO will be Choukri Bouraiou, Megalift CEO.

Denzai said it had been looking for years for an opportunity to enter the African market. Work there will include heavy lifting projects, specialized heavy transport, wind power transport and installation. Plans are already afoot to expand activities across north Africa and beyond, all the way south.

Winning a share

Commenting on the move Kohki Uemura, Denzai CEO, said, “Algeria is a resource-rich country with some of the world’s largest natural gas and oil reserves. It is in North Africa, an ideal location for wind power generation.

“Through this JV, Denzai Group’s technical planning capabilities and abundant equipment will be combined with Megalift’s local network and experience to provide high-value-added integrated construction services for the construction and large-scale renovation of natural gas and oil-related plants in Algeria and wind power generation in the North African region. We strongly hope to leverage the growth potential of Africa for the growth of both companies.”

For his part Choukri Bouraiou, Megalift CEO, said, “Megalift is an Algerian company well known locally for supplying heavy lifting and transport services, with a large fleet of equipment and a wide client portfolio. We have several projects underway and aim to strengthen our business hand in hand with Denzai, which is one of the global leaders in this field.”

Bouraiou said the quickly emerging local market is served by a small number of suppliers. “We trust that Megalift Denzai SARL joint venture will allow both companies to offer better services and ensure solid business relationship with the local and regional markets and certainly help covering existing and future large-scale projects. This collaborative approach will help us overcoming challenges, accessing new business opportunities and build a strong market position to create a new success story in Africa.”

Denzai is in the midst of an expansion period, having recently established itself in the US territory of Guam, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. It now has more than ten subsidiaries around the world.