Zamil Extends Global Reach
Tuesday, 3rd April 2012
With several ongoing projects within Saudi Arabia and abroad, Zamil Steel's pre-engineered steel buildings (PEBs) division continues to play the role of a leading supplier of PEBs and related services.
The company's PEB factories in Saudi Arabia and overseas have a total capacity to produce around 360,000 tonnes of steel buildings and steel structures per year, that are ideal for a diversity of sectors such as industrial, commercial, residential and military.
'Zamil Steel lately completed several expansions to existing facilities. These expansions have increased our production capacity to a sufficient level that will enable us to serve our market demands as well as our business outlook for the upcoming few years,' says George E Kobrossy, director for corporate marketing and business development. The overseas production facilities are located in Egypt, India, the UAE and Vietnam. The company's Dammam production facilities have capacity of 114,000 tonnes per year.
The PP10 project, which is nearing completion 'During 2011 we successfully maintained a steady growth in our manufacturing output throughout the year and we exceeded our production targets for the same year. By the end of 2011, Zamil steel added substantial numbers to the previous milestone of 60,000 buildings designed, manufactured and shipped to more than 90 countries worldwide. These projects were sold through a large international network of dedicated sales and representative offices, certified builders, agents and distributors,' noted Kobrossy.
'In view of the growing demand for our products, we are foreseeing that our production output in 2012 will exceed the output achieved in 2011. As such, our aim is to increase our global presence for our products portfolio to include over 100 countries in the upcoming two years.' Among significant developments at Zamil Steel PEBs division in recent years was the introduction of new panel types such as the Standing Seam Roof System (MaxSeam), which is a registered double seam fastener roof system.
The company introduced radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to support supply chain management and developed more advanced in-house software to enhance efficiency in the customer service department. It also resorted to automated spray painting to further cut production costs and increase overall productivity.
Marketplace Appeal
To boost its marketplace appeal, the division developed a new dedicated team that provides value engineering and optimised solutions. The company has participated widely in local and international exhibitions and forums in an effort to achieve better exposure and reach new markets.
A clear span structure installed by Zamil Steel for a factory in Vietnam 'Our strategy is to increase our market share, develop and penetrate new markets and achieve more global coverage with the help of a strong network of certified builders, sales offices, agents and strategic alliances. Our goal is to increase our market share in traditional markets and to increase our global coverage to reach over 100 countries in the next two years.' said Kobrossy.
Discussing current capabilities and plans, Kobrossy said: 'As an industry leader, Zamil Steel excels in engineering, manufacturing, sales and project management and offers clients a diverse range of products. The company also utilises state-of-the-art engineering and manufacturing software and machinery in the design, estimation, shop detailing and manufacturing of each of its products. With such a base, the company is now focusing on exceeding our traditional line of business of only supplying steel buildings to the extent of providing our clients with 'Total Building Solutions'. This can save our clients unnecessary coordination and efforts during the execution of their projects.' The PEB industry in the GCC region seems to have promising days ahead, according to forecasts. 'Zamil Steel continues to monitor closely the steel business industry and we have noticed recently a gradual market recovery in a variety of segments; therefore, we anticipate a healthy and steady growth in the demand for steel buildings in the GCC region,' noted Kobrossy.
Zamil Steel has been busy with projects both locally and overseas. Kobrossy provided examples of several ongoing projects including the power plant PP10, which is being converted to a combined cycle plant that will have annual capacity of 3,500 MW and is located on the outskirts of Riyadh. Zamil Steel will complete its part of the project before the end of June.
The Hoya Glass Disk Factory in Vietnam The company also secured a sizeable 'open web steel joists' project in Riyadh.
Zamil Steel is building a repair maintenance building for Aramco's bus services project in Dhahran and a hypermarket, for Abyat Mega Stores Company in Dhahran, with total weight of around 1,100 tonnes and a total area of 15,750 sq. m.
Abroad, the company is implementing a project for Pequiven Moron Fertiliser in Moron, Carabobo state, Venezuela. Zamil Steel has been contracted to build a granular urea storage, a bagging and loading facility, a transformer yard, a compressor shed and a refrigeration compressor house.
The company completed several prestigious projects recently including two for Saudi Arabia's minerals development company Maaden. Other completed projects were the Hoya Glass Disk factory in Vietnam, a fertiliser plant in Venezuela, a Unicoil mill in Jubail, the Al Hokair hypermarket and shopping mall in Riyadh, a Kawasaki factory in the Philippines and a factory in Burma.