RMD Board, a relatively new manufacturer of wall panels, will launch wall coverings with a marble and granite finish at next month’s Big 5 Show.

A division of JRD International that was established in September 2011, RMD Board is a Dh300-million ($81.67 million) manufacturing plant of composite polypropylene boards based in Jebel Ali in Dubai, UAE. Headquartered in Dubai, JRD International is a leader in rigid plastic packaging technology and provides solutions to a wide range of industry sectors including dairy, beverage and poultry products.

Last year, the company officially launched itself on the market at The Big 5 show, where it unveiled its innovative range of products.

“The Big 5 is the biggest platform that brings the entire industry together under one roof. We received tremendous response at the event and met about 700 to 800 prospective clients,” says Kiran Apsingekar, head of business development.

“Since we are new to the market, we are more interested in quality rather than quantity at this point. So, even though we made very good contacts at The Big 5 show, we are concentrating more on the product quality rather than increasing sales.”

RMD Board is committed to being a ‘total solutions provider’ for its many and varied customers throughout the world, according to Apsingekar.

RMD Board has a state-of-the-art manufacturing unit cum corporate headquarters spread over a sprawling 40,000-sq-m area in Dubai. “Using latest generation technologies from across the world, JRD’s Dubai plant is the centre of excellence that has propelled RMD board division on the path to sustainable growth and development,” he says.

“The plant has created 700 job opportunities and is going to support thousands of indirect employment through the strengthening of its supply chain. This plant will service the GCC region as well as Africa and CIS,” he adds.

“By next year, the plant will reach a processing capacity of 110,000 tonnes per annum of polypropylene. That will make it the largest single-site manufacturing plant of rigid extrusion of polypropylene in the world and will reflect our belief and commitment to the UAE and the GCC economies,” says Anupam Lunavat, managing director of JRD International.

The company plans to reach a global production of half a million tonnes per annum by 2016.

JRD plans to invest Dh1.5 billion ($400 million) in seven manufacturing plants of polypropylene boards involving 70 production lines in seven countries within the next seven years.

RMD Board rolls out more than 300 types of environment-friendly decorative wall panels that are expected to change the way people design their interiors and some aspects of the exteriors. Sporting contemporary and enduring aesthetics, the wall panels are available in exquisite world-class designs and textures, including mirror finish.

“Some of the other features of the product include excellent sound absorption: there is no need for additional carpeting or covering. The panels are also light weight, enabling easy and fast installation, have adequate load-bearing capacity, do not require plastering or finishing, are suitable for wall covering, false ceiling application, electrical fittings and are resistant to temperature extremes,” says Apsingekar.

These first-of-their-kind wall panels have been rated ‘fire testified for C Class’ by Thomas Bell Wright International Consultants – Dubai, endorsing their safety features for application in the construction and fit-out sectors.

The fire certified for C Class classification puts the RMD wall panels under International Building Code 2009 Section 803.1.1 interior wall and ceiling finish materials, in accordance with their flame spread and smoke-developed indexes (SDI).

RMD Board will be exhibiting at Stand C111 in the Maktoum Hall at The Big 5.