KUWAIT-BASED Kirby Building Systems sees Saudi Arabia as a key market in the region and is gearing up to reinforce its presence in the kingdom as a leading regional manufacturer of pre-engineered steel building (PEB) and steel structures.

Kirby Building Systems’ newly-appointed general manager for MEA (Middle East Area) operations Wael Elqadah says: “We are looking at Saudi Arabia closely as it is a strategic market, particularly since the downturn in the Dubai market.  The kingdom offers ample opportunities in the construction sector.”
As part of its strategy to increase awareness of its capabilities and its products, Kirby Building Systems is conducting a series of technical seminars throughout the region. The first leg of the series entitled Steel Solutions is taking it to all the provinces of Saudi Arabia. Following road shows at the Carlton Al Moaibed in Dammam and the Sheraton in Riyadh last month (April 5 and 6, respectively), the company will now stage the next seminar in Jeddah this month (May 4).
Commenting on the events in Dammam and Riyadh, Elqadah says: “These seminars brought together several EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractors, consultants and certified builders from the northern and central regions of the Saudi Arabian construction industry, to whom Kirby put forward the technical and commercial aspects of its entire product range.”

At the event, Elqadah provided an in-depth presentation of Kirby’s Middle East operations and showcased several of its major projects in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the region. The road show, which also included Abu Dhabi (April 12), will also take Kirby Building Systems to Istanbul, Turkey (May 7), Libya (May 19), Muscat, Oman (May 26), Dubai, UAE (May 27), Cairo, Egypt (May 29) and Sudan (July 6). The company expects some 75 to 100 delegates at the seminars, which will be held at five-star hotels.
Kirby specialises in the design and manufacture of custom-engineered, high-quality PEBs and steel structures for industrial, commercial, warehousing, health-care, education, airports, oil and gas and petrochemicals applications. The company has recently improved the efficiency and production capacity of its open web joists (OWJs) line, and launched its innovative curved built-up members.
OWJs are secondary truss members made of hot-rolled or cold-formed grade 50 steel, fabricated from crimped angles welded onto top and bottom chords.
“Manufactured to the highest quality standards under tight quality control conditions, OWJs are lighter than regular floor beams, are low cost and can be easily erected at site. This product is suitable for long roof and floor spans, provide large column-free space, allowing passing of ducts and services through its web openings and conforms to SJI (Steel Joist Institute) specifications,” Alaeddin Jarrar, director engineering and sales support, points out. Curved built-up members, he says, enhance the architectural and aesthetic appeal of buildings. “These pure steel members made from hot-rolled plates are manufactured to the highest accuracy and quality, and can be easily fixed at site. They do not require additional lead time and come as an integrated part of the building structure. The minimum radius for such members is 10 m and they can have tapered depths along their curved pass, giving flight to the imagination of architects and opening a new era for PEB and steel structures in the region,” he adds.
The OWJs and curved built-up members offer designers and consultants high flexibility and hence greater freedom to design.
“Kirby is customer-driven and these capabilities enable us to offer a comprehensive service to clients to meet their various requirements,” he adds.
The company has also developed its skill set to support the logistics in executing its projects.
“Transporting odd-shaped structures can be a challenge. However, with our in-house supply chain management, it is easy to cater to the requirements of markets around the region. This apart, our project management team is well organised and co-ordinates with the engineering, manufacturing, sales and erection teams to ensure that all components are manufactured and shipped together, facilitating site erection,” says Julian Mark Pettigrew, director project management group.
Kirby’s marketing division participates in a number of regional exhibitions. It recently participated at Buildex in Dammam and Muscat after a successful participation in the Gulf Industry Fair in Bahrain in January this year.
According to Kirby’s MEA marketing manager Ashish Gurnani, all these exhibitions have proved successful for Kirby, having generated several enquiries. “Kirby’s participation in these events portrays the company’s proactive approach to showcase the engineering capabilities and increase awareness of the quality of its products and services,” he adds.
Kirby has three offices in Saudi Arabia, in Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah.
Among the projects that Kirby has executed in Saudi Arabia are Al Rajhi Warehouse Complex, Jeddah; Panda Distribution Centre, Riyadh; Nissan Showroom, Dammam; Al Zahid Showroom, Jeddah; Giant Stores, Jubail; Othaim Shopping Centre, Riyadh; Al Faysal Ceremony Hall, Jeddah, and others.
Over the past year, Kirby successfully maintained its leadership in business in a difficult year by improving its processes to ensure efficient customer service with the help of two key measures – through implementing SAP systems and adopting operational excellence strategies such as 5S techniques, which have also helped cut costs.
Kirby Building Systems, which has its headquarters in Kuwait’s Mina Abdullah Industrial Area, has five manufacturing plants – in Kuwait, Ras Al Khaimah (UAE), Hyderabad and Haridwar (both in India) and in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) – giving it a total annual capacity of 425,000 tonnes. Kirby is present in more than 70 countries and has a network of over 250 builders, which have carried out more than 50,000 projects.