Gulf Construction Online - ‘Fantastic’ response to Installux’s new series

Glass & Metal

The 70 series of profiles for sliding windows and doors (below).

‘Fantastic’ response to Installux’s new series

01 October 2014

INSTALLUX Gulf is building on the strengths of its French parent company, which has seen significant growth since its vertical integration into aluminium extrusion in 2010.

Aluminium systems provider Installux took over the Barcelona production unit of one of its suppliers and created IES (Installux Extrusion Services) in July of that year. This unit, which has an annual output of 8,000 tonnes per year, has recently purchased its own premises which will allow it to install a second extrusion line.

“This marks a strategic move in Installux’s plans to grow its extrusion business, and its vertical integration” says Basim Al Saie, general manager of the Bahrain-based Installux Gulf, the regional office of Installux.

Installux, which operates one of the most modern vertical coating lines in Europe, has upgraded its thermal break system and invested in a new high-capacity Decoral wood finish line, he adds.

To ensure its growth in the market, Installux continues to invest in research and development (R&D) which has resulted in a number of new-generation products, which not only boast environment-friendliness and energy efficiency but also keep pace with the design trends in the industry, says Al Saie.

In the region, Installux Gulf has released three new series – the Espace 70 casement, Comete 70 heavy-duty doors, and the 32 Galaxie sliding series and is set to launch the Univers 70 UCW unitised curtain-walling system.

“The 70 and 32 are based on the 70TH and the 32TH, which incorporate thermal break and enjoy great success in the European market since their launch a few years ago. We have basically taken the TH models and cloned it into a non-thermal break system for the Gulf region,” says Al Saie.

The 70 and 32 series, which use the same accessories and tooling as their 70TH and the 32TH counterparts, have a modern design and feature concealed drainage and can accommodate a glazing thickness of up to 55 mm for the hinged versions and 32 mm for sliding windows and doors. They offer a U-value of 1.4 W/sq m K for the hinged and 1.6 W/sq m K for sliding units.

The series have slim profiles, in line with today’s market trends for greater transparency and hence wider expanses of glass. They can be used to create sliding windows up to 3 m high.

The profiles have a width of 70 mm – wider than any system available on the market for a non-thermal series, according to Al Saie – which allows the integration of concealed door closers, hinges and concealed electromechanical locking systems for casement windows and doors.

The 70 and 32 series were soft launched in the Gulf region in May and the response was “fantastic”, according to Al Saie.

“We have installed our first project – a private villa in Bahrain – which has been a big success and are currently doing a number of projects,” he adds. The official launch of these products will be held early next year, when Installux Gulf also intends to launch its new unitised curtain-walling system.

The Univers 70 UCW has a number of features and can include sun louvres and openings up to 3 m high and 1.5 m wide. The system can incorporate stone and composite sheet cladding within each module and will be available in standard formats, with horizontal lines or as four-sided structural glazing.

Various door and window profiles ... from Installux.

Installux Gulf now also has a blast-resistant certified curtain-walling system following a test undertaken in the UK for a project in Kuwait. The system has been certified by an independent UK test laboratory, says Al Saie.

Meanwhile, the company – which operates throughout the region out of Bahrain – is expanding its workforce to cover its growing market in the GCC states, which are all showing strong signs of sustained growth, he adds. Installux Gulf has carried out projects in the Gulf, Lebanon, northern Iraq, Iran and the Indian sub-continent.

“We have enjoyed a good relationship with our clients, thanks to our continued commitment to our core values which focus on high-quality services, technical competence and integrity, which has ensured that we are recognised in the market as a dependable partner for the long term,” he says.

He continues: “One thing I feel passionately about is the quality of projects, and it is sad to see end-users suffer as a result of price wars among contractors leading to pressures on subcontractors to make up for low margins. This, in the end, results in projects that have inferior products and quality in most cases; this was not how many projects started in the first place!”

Al Saie believes that the building codes in the region need to be revised as they are inadequate, weak and narrow in their scope and do not encompass energy efficiency and conservation and green technology.

“Developers factor in the short-term costs rather than looking at the long term. The current construction practices in most GCC are not sustainable. We are wasting our natural resources, by using them to generate ever expanding demand for electricity to cool homes, and buildings which are energy inefficient,” he emphasises.