INTERNATIONAL Building and Trading (Ibteco) had to work round the clock to fix the boundary wall stone cladding at the King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH).

It supplied material for a total area of 4,000 sq m at a contract value of BD49,000 ($130,000). Work started in February last year (2010) and was completed in May.

Managing director Hassan Al Sayyid says: “We were faced with time constraints on this prestigious project, which enjoys a prominent location. To meet the challenging deadline, we worked 24 hours a day on the site.”

Ibteco started operations in Saudi Arabia in 1986 and in 2001 spread its operations to Bahrain. It is now planning to open branches in Saudi Arabia and set up an office in Qatar.

The company’s scope of activities covers fabrication and supply of steel buildings, in addition to building materials and scaffolding supplies, construction services, woodworks and décor.

The firm has been involved in several projects, which include showrooms for Gulf Plastic and Hyundai for which it was the main contractor; and subcontracts for the structural frame of Sukoon Tower and steel fabrication for Bahrain City Centre.

After an excellent performance in 2009, Al Sayyid says that Ibteco achieved good results last year despite the global financial downturn. “We hope to achieve better results this year,” he says.

Over the past year, the company has seen a significant growth in its capabilities and product range. It developed a new system for low-income housing projects, and started manufacture of scaffolding systems, structural steel, and woodworks and decoration.

Ibteco, which has a 6,000-sq-m warehouse, has around 350 employees on its rolls including staff and workers on site.