Gulf Construction Online - IMCC rides high on the back of mega projects

Kuwait

The Avenues first phase ... one of IMCC’s projects.

IMCC rides high on the back of mega projects

01 December 2007

With impressive names such as the 360 Degrees Kuwait mall project and The Avenues Mall in Kuwait in its portfolio, Industrial Metal Center Company (IMCC), a leading regional specialist trader and stockist of semi-finished ferrous and non-ferrous metals and steels, is now looking at making major strides in the building construction markets of most of the Gulf countries.

The company has already successfully penetrated other markets in the region, with contracts that have included work for the Armenian Embassy building and ambassador’s residence in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, among others.
“One of our latest successes in the local market is the Avenues Mall in Al Rai, Kuwait’s largest mall to date, which is being done in two phases. For the first phase of the project, we have installed 2,300 m of finely crafted 19 mm glass balusters, six glass-clad bridges and nine panoramic housing of elevators along with a total of 7,000 sq m of glass works. We have also installed about 300 rolling shutters customised to various makes and sizes for different department stores in the mall,” says Giragos Kuyumjian, managing director of the company.
“Following our success with Phase One, we have now been engaged to provide the same works for Phase Two but with new additions such as the architectural canopy in the parking zone, two pylons and two internal and external kiosks made of stainless steel and full glass structure.
“We have also bagged the prestigious contract for 360 Degrees Kuwait project and are currently preparing the shopdrawings for this exclusive landmark in the shopping and entertainment area, which is being built near the upmarket Sixth Ring Road. There are also other projects in the pipeline that we shall make known once the project starts execution”, adds Kuyumjian.
Established in 1974, with only a handful of employees, IMCC has since grown to become a market leader in innovative architectural and structural installations, and is currently staffed with more than 200 employees. The company specialises in architectural, ornamental and structural installation and decorative fabrication metal works such as stainless steel, brass and bronze, copper, wrought iron, acrylic and other metallic alloys. It also manufactures and installs rolling shutters, overhead doors, hollow and fire-rated steel doors, and gates automation system.
IMCC has installed various stainless steel and glass products for prestigious buildings in and around Kuwait that range from government institutions to hotels and resorts, to department stores and car showrooms, and to banks and residential places. These products include a variety of staircases, brass or bronze column cladding, handrails in a combination of stainless steel and glass, stainless steel and glass canopies, or simply the shiny shopfronts or attractive signages gracing building entrances.
The company’s forte, however, is its craftsmanship in executing wrought iron works in gates, railings and staircases of buildings with intricately-designed infills such as leaves, flowers and many other shapes.
Its project portfolio includes Kuwait Hilton Resort Hotel, Kuwait University, Kuwait International Airport, Burgan Bank, Bader Al Mulla Brothers Chrysler and Mitsubishi car showroom, Al Fanar Commercial Center, Minister of Defence residence and Ministry of Public Works, Bayan Palace, Kuwait Government’s official guest palace, to name a few.
IMCC is well-renowned for its diverse activities in the building construction sector. It has been awarded the exclusive distributorship right of Dekodur laminate products by Dekodur-Germany, which are suited for interior decorations, walling and cladding system for office, shops, malls and other such applications as they are available in virtually unlimited finishes and designs and colours of metallic surfaces. The company also deals in perforated and expanded metal sheets that are suitable for partitions, ceilings, garden furniture, chair, counters in various unlimited types of perforation and embossings.
However, that is not all. As part of efforts to excel in its field of expertise and keep innovating, the company has become a pioneer in offering waterjet cutting services in the Kuwait market.
“This activity, which has helped carve a name for itself in precision cutting services – contributes about a fifth to aggregate sales of the company. These services are offered to make signages out of glass stone, steel and other alloys,” he points out.
IMCC currently has two factories in Kuwait – one in Subhan that turn pieces of metals into elegantly-crafted architectural masterpieces and the other in Amghara Industrial Area where it fabricates various kinds of doors. These spread over a total area of 6,000 sq m of covered space and 7,000 sq m of open space.
The company has also invested heavily in human resources and state-of-the-art machineries as well as in training its personnel. Committed to ensuring high quality services to clients, IMCC has been importing state-of-the-art machineries from Europe, America and Asia, with materials used for every project also sourced from these countries. It also uses the right machines, cutting-edge technologies and know-how in manufacturing its products and has an in-house inventory of advanced CNC machineries such as Amada from Japan, Trumpf Trumatic from Germany and Salvagnini from Italy among others.
The main markets of the company include North and South America, Europe, Eastern and Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa and Oceania.