Gulf Construction Online - Pioneering spirit

Al Abbar Group

Pioneering spirit

Over the past two decades, the Al Abbar Group has expanded rapidly in the construction sector and now includes companies which are leaders in the fields of aluminium, glass and stainless steel architectural products.

01 October 2003

In business, building and maintaining a reputation is one of the most important and challenging aspects of creating a successful operation.

Industrial pioneer Rashid Al Abbar is certainly no stranger to such demands. As chairman of the Al Abbar Group (which comprises Al Abbar Aluminium, Al Abbar Architectural Glass and Al Abbar Stainless Steel), he has overseen more than 17 years of solid progress for a multi-faceted industrial giant which has left its footprint firmly on some of the UAE's most important and technically-complex construction projects.

''I founded the Al Abbar Group in 1986 although my family had been in the glass business since 1956,'' says the personable Al Abbar. In fact, it was the success of a project undertaken by the family business at the Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai in 1983 which set the scene for Al Abbar's move into bigger things.

''The quality of glass supplied to that project was highly commended throughout the industry and from that point I decided to set up a company specialising in quality products and services,'' he explains.
A 1986 start-up ensured that the Al Abbar Group was well placed to take advantage of a massive construction boom in Dubai from 1991, one which has, apart from some minor downturns, carried on relentlessly since.
''The demands of the market changed post-1991,'' reflects Al Abbar, pointing out that with the boom came higher value contracts and increasingly stringent quality specifications.

The forward-thinking Al Abbar, like many industrial leaders in Dubai, is thankful for the open policies of the Dubai government which have spurred unprecedented economic growth, though he is also quick to recognise that companies must also think to the future, innovate and evolve.

Al Abbar is certainly not one to rest on former glories, constantly setting himself and his group fresh challenges to keep ahead of the competition. In a fast-paced business environment such as Dubai where many construction projects are now awarded on a fast-track basis, he ensures that the group can compete and remain cost-efficient, no matter what the constraints, and even if it means being more selective in the projects it bids for.

''The market in Dubai is now so big so we have had to be more selective,'' he says. Though that is not to say Al Abbar has not made inroads into international markets.
''I had a vision in 1986 that the Al Abbar Group would be recognised internationally, and I believe that has happened, especially with Dubai being the focus of a construction boom,'' says Al Abbar.

''Two years ago I looked at expanding our aluminium business into the GCC markets and our glass division - which already meets all international standards - supplies Europe, India as well as Middle East markets. Indeed, 25 per cent of our processed glass is exported,' he says. 'We expanded our glass division in 2001 as a result of the booming glass industry in Dubai and overseas and the division is now ready for a contract of any size and to any known specification,'' he says.

The chairman's dedication and achievements are well recognised within the group and the country.
''Rashid Al Abbar has aligned himself and the group with the growth of the UAE, and he has worked hard to make the vision of the country's leadership come true,'' says Pradeep Sharma, general manager of Al Abbar Architectural Glass (AAG).

''As well as being a figurehead, he's also a hands-on worker, being involved onsite, in the plants, with the designers and salesmen,'' he adds.
As well as witnessing satisfying growth in the aluminium and glass divisions, Al Abbar says that the stainless steel sector is also looking good.

''A key challenge now will be to keep the company running at our current output capacities, and this is sometimes difficult in a cyclical industry such as construction,'' he says. ''The size of some of the projects on which we have been involved - such as the Burj Al Arab and Dubai International Airport contracts - can also be a major challenge, especially if you have a number of projects - and therefore consultants - running at once,'' he adds.

Pointing to a mixture of skilled staff (''they run the company, not me''), state-of-the-art equipment and the occasional splash of luck, this ambitious chairman is evidently clear about the future and comfortable about the past as the group moves forward.