Gulf Construction Online - Far East wins boost Zamil global profile

Steel

Zamil Steel’s factories in Vietnam ... located at Noi Bai in Hanoi and Dong Nai (below).

Far East wins boost Zamil global profile

01 July 2012

DAMMAM-HEADQUARTERED Zamil Steel Company is a striking example of a regional firm that has made a global impression, having clinched contracts against stiff competition from international rivals.

The steel buildings industry giant, which this year celebrates 35 years of success, has left its footprint worldwide, thanks to its overseas manufacturing network that encompasses facilities in the UAE, Egypt, India and Vietnam.

The company has gained a reputation as one of the most reputable steel building providers in the Asean region as well as in other Asia-Pacific countries. One of the latest major project successes that highlight its international stature is a SR60-million ($16 million) contract secured in Indonesia by its Vietnam operation.

Zamil Steel Vietnam, the company’s Asia Pacific regional office, has recently bagged a prestigious contract from PT Caterpillar Indonesia, a heavy machinery and equipment manufacturing company in Tanjung Uncang, Batam Island, to fabricate and supply pre-engineered steel buildings (PEBs) for its new facility.

The scope of the agreement includes the design, manufacture and supply of more than 7,900 tonnes of PEBs for Caterpillar Batam’s new $150-million facility dedicated to the production of a wide range of mining truck chassis and bodies for shipment to mining customers throughout the Asia Pacific region.

Zamil Steel Vietnam started making the first shipments last month (June), with the final batch due in October.

“We are honoured to secure this agreement as the supplier of steel building materials for the Caterpillar Batam facility, despite the strong competition,” says Nawaf Al Zamil, Zamil Steel’s vice-president. “Our company’s capability to meet the FM Global standards of this project, along with our capacity for fabrication of materials suitable for heavy-duty crane construction, contributed to our success in the selection process.”

“As always, we will do everything necessary to guarantee client satisfaction throughout the project – from design, fabrication and supply to final erection in terms of product quality and delivery schedules,” he adds.

Zamil Steel Vietnam has earned a reputation as industry leader in Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific region by ensuring the satisfaction of world-class companies operating in the area who require their providers to meet stringent project requirements, he says.

This significant project offers the company new opportunities for growth, according to Adib Al Issa, general director of Zamil Steel Vietnam. “As markets tend to go eastward, we are quite confident that Zamil Steel’s foothold in the region and the demand for its products will continue to grow with more economies on the upswing, translating into more opportunities for the company to leverage its competencies in steel buildings and structures, to serve many sectors in the construction industry.”

Other international projects that Zamil Steel has secured include a warehouse project for Humana Georgia in Georgia and a ceramic factory expansion for Royal Ceramics, in Eheliyagoda, Sri Lanka.

In the Gulf region, its portfolio of ongoing projects range from family compounds and building complexes (such as the Information Technology and Communications Complex – ITCC – in Riyadh) to power plants (electrical substation in Shah, Abu Dhabi, UAE).

Zamil Steel continues to build on the expertise gained since its inception in 1977 in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. A sector business of Zamil Industrial Investment Company (Zamil Industrial), the company has grown into a highly recognised global leader of total steel buildings and steel structures solutions in five continents.

Through the years, Zamil Steel has evolved into a highly diversified provider of steel buildings and steel structures as well as other steel components, and in the process has gained international recognition as a premier provider of such product lines.

Zamil Steel’s project for Abyat Mega Stores Company in Dhahran.

The company cites a number of factors that have contributed to its reputation and success, including:

• Manufacturing capacity: Zamil Steel has undertaken several expansion initiatives over the past few years – including placing its factories in strategic locations across the Middle East, India, Africa and Asia – which have brought its overall manufacturing capability to more than 500,000 tonnes per year (tpy). Its Dammam facilities alone have the capacity to produce 114,000 tpy of PEBs and around 150,000 tpy of transmission towers, structural steel and other related products.

Parallel with the expansion of its manufacturing capacities and capabilities, Zamil Steel has further developed its sales and services network to comprise 62 offices worldwide, supplemented by a vast network of certified builders that provide professional support to its client portfolio.

To support its expansion, the company has increased its engineering capabilities (quantity and quality) in order to provide customers with comprehensive packages and smart total solutions for various types of steel building projects all over the world.

• Overseas activities: In addition to the 264,000-tpy capacity of its Dammam factories, Zamil Steel’s overseas facilities located in Egypt, India, the UAE and Vietnam have a capacity to produce 240,000 tpy of steel buildings. These factories mainly produce PEBs and structural steel for various countries, particularly in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Asia-Pacific, and more recently South America.

• Distribution network: Zamil Steel, which is capable of exporting worldwide, has supplied more than 60,000 buildings to over 90 countries.

“The demand varies from one country to another based on different factors. The list of countries is currently growing, as we intend to expand our distribution network to cover 100 countries in the near future,” says a spokesman for Zamil Steel.

• Equipment profile: As an industry leader, Zamil Steel has developed highly sophisticated facilities over the years. Its factories are equipped with state-of-the art machinery, equipment and tools including layout stations, shearing, auto-welding lines, full welds, CNC (computer numerical control) gas cutting, saw cutting, shot blasting, multi-coat painting systems, cold roll forming machines, drilling machines, and sandwich panel lines, among others.

“This is applicable in all our factories located in Saudi Arabia and globally, and the equipment is being utilised for our various products, including PEBs, structural steel, towers and galvanising, process equipment, open web joists and steel matting, insulated panels and pre-fabricated houses,” he says.

• Quality products: Zamil Steel uses top-of-the-line materials available in the steel industry that conform to international standards in the manufacture of PEBs and other steel products.

“Our materials are procured ahead of time to ensure the required specifications can be met from our inventory, thus enabling us to meet our delivery commitments for projects without compromising on the quality of materials or services,” says the spokesman.

Some of these products include high-grade hot rolled steel plates and steel sections that are used for primary members; galvanised iron (GI) and black steel hot rolled coils used for secondary members; GI and Galvalume coils having either a bare finish or pre-painted finish for use in manufacturing roof walls and panels, flashing and trims, gutters and downspouts, among other components, in addition to the procurement of various types of bolts, fasteners and other accessories.

• Suppliers network: Zamil Steel procures all required raw materials and items from reputable steel mills and reliable sources from different countries. It either sources them locally or through a number of countries such as Japan, Australia, Korea, Taiwan and China and Europe that produce high-quality steel products.