Gulf Construction Online - Only the best for trustworthy Gutal Trading

Al Abbar Group

Only the best for trustworthy Gutal Trading

01 October 2003

Gutal Trading says it has become synonymous with customer trust and satisfaction through representing only the best manufacturers in both the glass and aluminium construction and furnishing product categories.

This Dubai-based specialist in glass and aluminium products represents, on an exclusive basis, several world-renowned companies and caters to all the emirates of the UAE. It has supplied its materials to several projects in the UAE, including those executed by Al Abbar Aluminium.

The guiding business philosophy of the company, which was established in 1982, is to render to its customers the best services available in the industry in terms of product pricing and quality, according to a company spokesperson.

In 1996, the company started Gutal Trading (India) in Mumbai, which three years later began representing Glaverbel all over India.
Elaborating on the operations of Glaverbel, he says: ''As heir to the great Belgian glassmaking tradition, Glaverbel is the European branch of the Flat Glass Company, which covers all the flat glass activities of Asahi Glass, the world's largest glassmaking group. It operates in the fields of raw and processed glass (float, coated, patterned and laminated glass and mirrors in large dimensions for the building industry, glass and mirrors for furnishing and interior decoration, fire-resistant glass and glass for railway carriages and certain other sectors of industry).

''Glaverbel has production sites throughout greater Europe, from Spain to Russia, with 15 float plants and around 200 production units. Through its international network of agents, the group has a commercial presence all over the world. Besides, its philosophy of progress through empowerment of people and unhindered communication forms the basis of its human resources and employment policy. Currently, Glaverbel employs around 17,000 people and its annual sales amount to more than Euro1.9 billion ($2.16 billion).

''Thanks to its policy of sustained research, it is the European leader in advanced glass technologies (coated glass and glass with complex structures). Nearly 40 years of research and pioneering experimentation underpin Glaverbel's leadership in coated glass, which has always set itself demanding R&D goals in order to produce the very best coated glazing. Evidence for this can be seen in its range of coated glass products, currently the broadest choice of architectural solutions available in the market.''

Coatings are nearly invisible combinations of metals and oxides applied to the base glass to endow it with aesthetic, insulating (low-e) and/or solar/control properties. Three types of complementary technologies are used to produce two types of coatings, hard and soft, each of which performs differently. Hard or pyrolytic coatings are applied to the hot glass (online during the float process) at 600 deg C using two types of technology: sputtering a liquid mixture and distribution of a gas mixture (chemical vapour deposition). These two processes yield hard coatings with differing characteristics, giving rise to several ranges of products. Hard coated glass is especially easy to process.

Soft coatings are applied to the cold glass offline using a magnetic vacuum sputtering process. Manufactured in a special unit called magnetrons, these coatings make it possible to produce a vast range of high performance products.

Boasting solar control and or low-emissivity properties, coated glass is designed to meet multiple requirements in such varied sectors as architecture, automotive, domestic appliances and horticulture. In terms of thermal insulation, the U-value can reach 1.1 for a double glazing unit with a low-emissivity coating (4-15-4 composition, with gas).

In terms of solar control, the purpose of the coatings is to optimise the passage of light into buildings while at the same time reducing heat throughout as far as possible. Enhanced thermal insulation combined with solar control helps reduce energy consumption, both in winter (heating) and summer (air conditioning).

In addition, the aesthetic qualities of coated glass - featuring neutral or coloured reflections - blend perfectly with current trends in architecture. Glaverbel coated glass in the architectural segment include Stopray, Stopsol and Sunergy. Glaverbel continues to pursue its R&D policy in order to develop new functions and even better products.

With www.MyGlaverbel.com, the Glaverbel Group is offering a new approach and an insight into its world of glass for architectural and decorative applications. MyGlaverbel.com provides general information on glass and gives a full description of Glaverbel products as well as performance figures. The site also features hundreds of photographs of projects from around the world using Glaverbel products, illustrating their many applications.