Shaw ... focused.
Dorma business in Mideast trebles
Firmly focused on its 2020 vision, Dorma has seen itself grow manifold in the region. Globally, it recently acquired Rutherford Controls International Corporation to strengthen its foothold in the Americas.
01 January 2013
Dorma has seen its business in the Middle East triple in recent years and as it presses ahead with its 2020 vision by growing both organically and through acquisitions worldwide, the global specialist in access solutions and services is poised to further enhance its offerings to the region.
“Today with four units and five branches, we have a turnover approaching $100 million,” says Ben Shaw, Dorma’s regional director for the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa.
Shaw has been with Dorma in the Middle East since the company’s launch in the UAE, and has seen his Dubai-based operation grow from a handful of staff to a current workforce of 365 people in the last 15 years.
“Our major expansion came in 2003-04 and within five years, we had tripled our business in the region,” he says.
Dorma’s top market in the region is Saudi Arabia with other key markets being the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar. The company is optimistic of a 23 per cent growth in the Middle East this year, primarily fuelled by projects in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.
“We expect the construction market of Saudi Arabia to show positive growth trends in the coming years given the rising population and a booming economy,” says George Philip, area marketing director MMA (Mediterranean, Middle East, Africa) of Dorma Gulf.
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Philip ... optimistic. |
“The recent slew of project announcements in the UAE is showing renewal of the momentum (with realistic growth), and the focus on refurbishment and interiors is on the rise.
“We have an optimistic outlook on the Qatari construction market fuelled by a growing population and increasing economic activity. Given Dorma’s recent acquisition in the Kuwait market and subsequent market growth in commercial and residential buildings, we see good signs for Dorma to benefit from its strengthened presence there,” he adds.
The company is now poised to expand its footprint in the region, with the opening of a “World of Access” showroom at the end of next month (February) on the Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, UAE. “This will be part of our strategy laid down in our 2020 road map and will be a drive to become even more engaging with customers as well as our employees,” says Shaw. “The showroom will be dedicated to events and consultations for architects and interior designers.”
The 280-sq-m showroom is the second ‘World of Access’ showroom worldwide, with the first having been opened in New York, US, last September.
Commenting on the move to set up Dorma’s first “World of Access” showroom in the region as well as its rebranding, Philip says: “Dorma has been well known as a brand, for its high quality products and its presence in almost all parts of the world. With the new corporate branding, we want to complete the 360 degrees experience by opening up touch points at all stages of a lifecycle of a product.
“We want the customer to feel the product and see it come to life. In February 2013, the Middle East will see how Dorma turns products into experiences, a transaction into a relationship, and a customer into a lifelong friend.”
This unique concept has already started getting accolades. The concept was entered in the newly created category ‘Architecture and Interior Design’ in the German Design Award programme. The basis for scoring was 18 different criteria including functionality, aesthetics, innovation and brand equity. Unlike other design competitions, a company cannot submit a product for the award on its own initiative. It first has to be nominated by the German Design Council before participation becomes possible. The Dorma showroom concept was given a ‘Special Mention’ due to its unique design.
“We will project our values of ‘hassle-free, ‘holistic’, ‘design and aesthetics’ and ‘quality and innovation’ here. This new language will help architects and designers, who have a passion for design, engineers who have an obsession for technology, and all our customers who would like to be enticed to inspiring experiences, to get these with interaction in the Dorma showroom. Hence the apt name ‘The World of Access’.
“The 280-sq-m showroom is located on Sheikh Zayed Road, ensuring easy accessibility. As far as the layout and the products are concerned, we would like to keep it under wraps! It’s a surprise gift to all our customers in 2013!”
Looking towards 2013, Shaw remains upbeat despite what he calls a recent lull. “The 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar will obviously help but with massive projects currently under way such as the King Abdullah Financial District in Saudi Arabia, we will have a good year,” Shaw states. “We are also looking at establishing ourselves in other countries as either start-ups or through acquisition.”
Dorma has some expansion plans in the Middle East, where it intends to open an office each in Morocco, Jordan and Egypt.
Shaw is looking to an exciting future not just in this region but worldwide for a company which is still privately owned and has a projected turnover by 2020 of $2 billion.
According to Shaw, Dorma’s 2020 vision combines the company’s values, strategy and mission into a plan that will see the company grow organically in areas or cities with populations in excess of one million.
“We are aggressively planning for the future and this will see us growing organically as well as through acquisition,” says a confident Shaw. “We will target companies that offer related products that we currently do not have. Additionally, we are investing heavily in research and development and the next bauma exhibition in Munich, Germany, in April (15 to 21) will see a rebranding of the company.”
In terms of acquisitions, Dorma has recently taken over the Canadian company Rutherford Controls International Corporation (RCI) through Dorma Americas, taking an important step toward the implementation of its 2020 strategy.
This acquisition extends Dorma’s portfolio of electro-mechanical access control products and systems (compliant with American ANSI standards) while strengthening its presence in the North American market.
Dorma offers a total package around the door, from door hardware to glass fittings through to automatic doors and moveable walls, covering security, time and access control, backed up by a competent team of service and maintenance engineers. Its products conform to EN standards for Europe, ANSI standards for North America, and AS standards for Australia and have obtained certification from third-party certification bodies such as Certifier and UL.
“At Dorma, innovation is the lifeblood of the organisation where some of its products launched in recent times include CS 80 Magneo, a sliding door operator powered by Linear Magnetic Drive Technology (LMD). It comes with a sheer wave of a linear DC motor which enables safe, reliable whisper-free and wear-resistant operations,” he says.
To cater to growing demands of architects and designers, Dorma has come up with Almax automatic doors which will easily move 1,000 kg with infinite control, thus satisfying the needs for bigger, wider and taller openings. In addition, the company has in its portfolio ‘Top Hat’ application revolving doors with an all-glass look, embedded with the control system housed in a small canopy that is hardly visible.
Dorma has also introduced M9000 series of locks as per ANSI standards and the sleek narrow stile 9600/9700/9800 series of exit devices, based on the workhorse heavy-duty 9000 series exit devices. With this, the company has recently reached an industry benchmark, with these devices crossing 15 million cycles, which is 30 times more than the industry standards, he says. Several of Dorma products have been awarded in the ‘Best in Class’ category at the Red Dot Design Award competition in the last few years.
Projects
Dorma established its regional office in Dubai in 1997 and over the years has been involved with several prestigious projects.
Its landmark projects include the Burj Khalifa, Meydan Racecourse, Dubai Metro, Dubai Mall and Burj Al Arab, all in Dubai; Emirates Palace Hotel and Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), both in Abu Dhabi; Qatar Convention Centre in Qatar; King Abdullah Financial District (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia); and Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Alexandria, Egypt), amongst others.
