Gulf Construction Online - Talco is poised to penetrate new markets

Saudi Arabia

Talco’s facilities are equipped with six advanced extrusion lines.

Talco is poised to penetrate new markets

01 May 2022

Leading aluminium extrusion company Al Taiseer Aluminium Company (Talco) is looking to expand its global reach even further while catering to demand in its domestic market, where it is supplying some of the niche mega projects such as Neom, The Red Sea Project and Roshn housing developments.

These ambitions are underpinned by its ability to supply aluminium profiles for diverse construction and industrial sectors and its strong environmental focus as Talco is the first company in the Middle East to be Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certified silver level, Faisal Al Fheed, Sales and Marketing Director, tells Gulf Construction.

This apart, it conforms to various international standards including European standards (EN), American standards (AAMA), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Qualicoat, Qualanod, ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) and EPD declaration, he adds.

“Last year was an extraordinary one for aluminium. Thankfully, the aluminium industry has been rapidly recovering from the impact of Covid-19, which has reflected on our business positively. During 2022, we're expecting a sharp rebound in demand and major growth in industrial activity,” Al Fheed says.

In 2021, Talco exported 40 per cent of its production and is now working on penetrating new export markets to deliver its high-quality products all around the globe, he states.

Over the past four decades, Talco has continued to significantly expand its markets, seeking to be less dependent on any single one. It is the targeted extruder by the global system providers and design houses, especially from Europe and America, Al Fheed points out.

To enable its global growth, Talco has evolved its structure and prepared strategic plans and future policies to advance its goals.

“The company is aiming for expansion and investments with a focus on exports while maintaining high production quality standards and incorporating new technologies as they become available,” he adds.

The Saudi company produces the aluminium profiles used for façades and architectural systems, as well as for industrial, engineering and, more recently, military and defence applications, for different mega projects in the region and worldwide.

“Talco manufactures products of extruded aluminium from different alloys according to the needs and specifications required by customers with precision, efficiency and perfection. It has six advanced extrusion lines from SMS Germany with annual production capacity of 60,000 tonnes,” Al Fheed explains.

Talco procures billets from the domestic supplier Ma’aden and other international suppliers such as Alba and Hydro to secure its requirement of raw material, while also utilising recycled billets sourced inhouse from its re-melt facility.

Its facilities include highly advanced powder coating lines (four vertical and two horizontal) that are able to process polyester powder, super-durable powder, Durasol, and metallic finishes.

Its anodising and electro-colouring facilities ensure consistency and uniformity of distribution on surfaces of colours ranging from silver, champagne, bronze to black and gold.

“We also offer a flash anodising finish, which is the first of its kind in the Gulf region and the Middle East, in terms of its quality and cost,” he points out. “The anodising lines give a consistent layer on the entire inner and outer surface of the treated aluminium, and after anodising, the materials are transferred automatically to the powder coating. This type of finishing – which is AAMA-certified and guaranteed for 35 years – is recommended in harsh climatic conditions and a humid coastal locations.”

Talco also offers the unique Kynar PVDF coating with multi-layers to protect aluminium surfaces. Kynar coating is a chemical-resistant, thick-film barrier coating primarily used on chemical processing equipment due to its low weight and low thermal conductivity.

In addition, it is also equipped with three wood decorative coating lines that serve the local and international markets.

“Talco is distinguished by its high-quality products that comply with international standards and, therefore, has been able to gain a foothold in any market. Furthermore, Al Taiseer has initiated R&D to explore dynamic and competitive performance in new industries and has innovated a new programme to reduce the environmental impact of its products, in line with its commitment to sustainability,” Al Fheed says.

These sustainability initiatives will contribute to the company’s overall success, he adds. Talco takes its responsibility to the environment beyond legal and monitoring requirements, he emphasises.

“We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and carbon emission and are continually improving our environmental performance as an integral part of our business strategy and operating methods, with regular review points. As a result, Al Taiseer is the first company to be C2C certified-silver level in the Middle East,” he points out.

Talco continues to supply various projects, both domestic and global, through its clients such as fabricators, system providers, design houses, and traders.

Commenting on the aluminium industry in the region, he says: “The Gulf’s aluminium sector has become a prominent aluminium producer over the past decade, driven by the surge in construction activities in the region including an increasing number of residential projects, manufacturing facilities, and other commercial buildings.

“The region has become the hub of aluminium industries, which encouraged new smelters to emerge to meet the huge demand domestically and globally.”

In line with this growth, Al Taiseer Group of Industries is looking to offer a diversity of products and create an integrated industry, which will be one of its kind in the region, Al Fheed reveals.