Gulf Construction Online - TPI is a one-stop shop for cladding solutions

Cladding & Curtain-walling

TPI is a one-stop shop for cladding solutions

01 May 2009

Tiger Profiles and Insulation (TPI) has grown from a manufacturer of cold roll-formed sheets to a full-fledged one-stop shop that provides comprehensive metal cladding solutions. Buoyed by the success it has enjoyed in the market, the UAE-based company is now eagerly pursuing expansion plans.

From its modest beginnings in 1994, TPI now caters to the metal envelope construction industry, accommodating the market needs for the design, engineering, manufacturing, supply and installation of a complete range of cladding products and solutions.
Operating from its three plants – two in Sharjah and one in Abu Dhabi, TPI produces roof panels, wall panels, floor decking panels, steel and aluminum profiled sheeting, partitioning, composite sandwich panels, concealed fastener wall panels, pre-insulated partitions and cold store panels, standing seam systems (T-Seam), and cold-formed sections, both standard and customer specific, with all the required accessories.
The cladding members of this product family include a combination of the T-Seam standing seam system and some of TPI’s polyurethane (PU) products that are manufactured with the use of N-pentane blowing agents that are consistent with the United Nations’ Montreal Protocol of 1987, addressing chemicals that affect the ozone layer, as well as mandates set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to meet the requirements of Title VI of the Clean Air Act (Section 602), says TPI’s executive director Bernard Nasr.
“The N-pentane utilised by TPI has been officially recognised to have zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) and zero global warming potential (GWP),” he adds.
The insulated cladding products manufactured by TPI include composite sandwich panels, and concealed fastener wall panels.

T-Seam
T-Seam is a versatile and cost-effective standing seam system. “Ideal for use on new buildings as well as retrofit applications, T-Seam solutions are engineered to handle the effects from thermal movements, and are recognised for their design flexibility, high performance, ease in maintenance, durability and resistance to corrosion and its reliability,” he explains.
Produced in the factory or on site, T-Seam panels, which can be manufactured in lengths of up to 100 m in a single panel, are easily fixed to the structure without penetrating the sheets, while allowing for the safe contraction and expansion of the sheets, thus eliminating the risk of water leakage and rust.

Sandwich panels
TPI manufactures sandwich panels using rigid polyurethane with external and internal sheets of steel, alu-zinc and aluminium of different thicknesses, coating and colours. The polyurethane used by TPI has an overall density of 35 to 38 kg/cu m, closed cell contents of greater than 90 per cent, thermal conductivity of 0.021 W/m deg K and compressive strength. The sandwich panels produced by TPI are available in a range of customised as well as standard insulation with a thicknesses ranging from 50 mm to 150 mm.

Concealed architectural panels
Consisting of a double-metal skin, factory-injected with polyurethane foam with a special conceal-fix joints, these highly durable external skins can be supplied in a variety of finishes including micro-ribbed, V-ribbed, flat, shallow-ribbed and a combination of micro and flat-ribbed.
Durability and quality are key to its strategy for success and are areas in which the company never compromises, according to Nasr. “TPI’s manufacturing facilities operate in line with its stringent quality policies that include ISO 9001, ISO 18001 and Ohsas 14001. At the end of the day, cheap products provide poor results – quality products ensure a quality lifespan.”

Solacoat & Solasteel
Besides its product line, TPI exclusively distributes a heat reflecting coating product range – SolaCoat, a new insulation option for its panels. An Australian product supplied by CoolShield International, SolaCoat is a revolutionary, water-based paint that provides a radiant barrier insulation coating that reduces temperature, Nasr explains.
“Solacoat is one of the most efficient and cost-effective forms of heat insulation available. Winner of two Silver Gaia Big 5 2008 Awards in Dubai in 2008, the Solacoat line is characterised by waterborne acrylic emulsion-based products, with a special membrane additive that aids in rejecting the infrared rays from the sun,” he says.
As the exclusive distributor of SolaCoat in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, TPI offers clients the option of applying this paint to a single-skinned panel to keep heat out of air-conditioned areas, or to a composite sandwich panel to provide maximum insulation from external heat to the air-conditioned air within the insulated area.
Meanwhile, in collaboration with its Australian supplier CoolShield International, TPI developed Solasteel, the first commercially-available heat-reflecting coating to be applied on metal sheets and coils before they are formed into roof/wall/floor tiles, panels and a range of metal building products.
Solasteel, the pre-coating which won the only Gold Gaia Big 5 2008 Award at the Big 5 in Dubai last year, is one of the most economic and highly efficient forms of built-in insulation available in the metal construction industry today, Nasr claims.
Similar to Solacoat in that it is a high-heat-reduction coating, this product line is capable of ensuring a much lower heat build-up in buildings. University tests reveal a solar reflectivity of 74.1 per cent, he says.
“Solacoat and SolaSteel are stand-alone products that virtually eliminate the need for insulation and have a longer gloss retention ratio than existing pre-coated solvent-based polyester material,” Nasr states. “Fully capable of lowering energy costs by up to 45 per cent, this range of cladding products is environment-friendly and is certified to increase points for Leed and Green Star ratings.”
TPI’s clients are spread across the Middle East and Asia. The company is currently appointing agents and distributors to cater to overseas clients, and is also in the process of identifying suitable locations for planned expansion schemes.
TPI prides itself on catering to the individual needs of all its clients. “Highly-efficient staff are on hand to advise clients on optimal solutions. We provide a wide choice of cladding materials for different applications, but we also ensure that these materials are suitable for each client’s individual requirements,” Nasr concludes.