Gulf Construction Online - ZAC opens new $3m technology centre

Saudi Review

ZAC opens new $3m technology centre

01 MARCH 2001

Zamil Air Conditioners' (ZAC) new 30,000-sq ft laboratory, the Air Conditioning Technology Centre (ATC) has been officially opened at the company's headquarters in Dammam's First Industrial City.

The ATC was commissioned and built by ITS (Intertek Testing Services), a global leader in testing, inspection and certification services based in Courtland, New York, US. The laboratories, which cost more than $3 million to build, are the most modern and the only such facilities of their kind in the Middle East, making ZAC the only manufacturer in the region capable of guaranteeing local and international certifications of its products, the Saudi company said.

ZAC vice president Abdulla Al Zamil said at the opening ceremony: ''Today is a very proud day for all of us at ZAC, all of us who had a vision of being forerunners in our industry here in the region. And today, I am proud to say we did it - we truly are the leaders. As an integral part of the product engineering department, the addition of the ATC has greatly enhanced R&D (research and development) efforts, offering quick turnaround times for performance testing to accelerate product development schedules. New technology, new systems and new models will be out in the market in record time.''

Among the list of dignitaries at the unveiling were Ted Rees, president of the US' ARI (Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute), Khalid Al Khalaf, president of Saso (Saudi Arabian Standards Organisation), government officials and other VIPs.

The ATC will function as a guarantor of international and local certification programmes including Saso, the ARI, Aham (the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers), ETL Testing Laboratories of the US and others.

Consultants and engineers will now be able to request results of the tests performed on products as a guarantee of the units' compliance and performance rating, ensuring published product specifications conform with simulated lab tests.

''Global standards are changing every day,'' said Al Zamil, ''and we strive to be able to successfully monitor standards and keep up to speed with our up-to-the-minute insights.''

The company said the new technology centre positively enhanced ZAC's globalisation efforts.

''Products for different markets require the lawful certification of that particular market and with the facilities in place for compliance with specific requirements, ZAC is on par with some of the world's biggest manufacturers of air-conditioning solutions,'' said a company spokesman.

Standards conform to Ashrae (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers) and Ansi (American National Standards Institute).

ZAC manufactures a full range of air-conditioning systems including the Classic and the Cooline ranges. It produces 440,00 room air-conditioners, 60,000 mini-split systems and 36,500 air-conditioning systems per year. It exports to 30 countries in the Middle East, Europe, America, Africa, Australia and the Far East.