SALAM Enterprises Company has supplied and installed healthcare furniture from Herman Miller, one of the leading brands in the field of healthcare solutions, at the King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH).

The project, valued at about BD280,000 ($742,700) which was completed and handed over in 2010, has entailed provision of furniture planned to suit the client’s layouts,” says Hossam Gomaa, Salam Enterprises’ key account manager.

“Our clinical strategists worked to determine layouts for optimal work flow. Our materials, finishes and textiles, while not restricting creativity, will meet clean ability and infection-control standards. The components are customised to support existing technology being used for day-to-day work processes and staff requirements. In addition, the open frame used allows lay-in cabling and unmatched cable management and capacity,” he says.

The furniture and fittings at the medical facility combine the proven flexibility, comfort, and durability of Herman Miller’s Ethospace system with unique components designed specifically for clinical requirements.

Highlighting some of the environment-friendly aspects of the user-friendly Ethospace nurses stations, Gomaa says: “The stations are up to 51 per cent recyclable at the end of their useful life. The steel components are 100 per cent recyclable. Wall frames are finished with an autophoretic coating free of all volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and designed to last through many reconfigurations. The wood content in the work surface substrates is made of more than 90 per cent reclaimed wood, as attested by Scientific Certification Systems. This wood content is made primarily of sawdust generated by other wood process operations.”

Gomaa ... meeting challenges.

One of the challenges faced by Salam Enterprises while implementing the project, according to Gomaa, was the coordination with the main contractor, consultants and subcontractors as well as the end-users on various requirements and priorities, such as in laying of electrical and other utilities outlets, as well as the integration of the workstations with the partitioning system and structural elements.

“However, with the flexibility afforded by Herman Miller healthcare products used in this project and our highly-trained team and Herman Miller’s support team along with the various other parties involved, we managed to overcome all challenges and resolve all concerns while satisfying the various priorities put forward by the client,” he says.

Salam Enterprises, a member of the regional Salam International Investment Company. As a leading turnkey interior solution provider in the GCC, Salam Enterprises has inherited a rich legacy of offering superior quality of products and services with high integrity from its parent company Salam International. “As a full-fledged corporate turnkey interior solution provider, we offer a wide range of products that are carefully selected for design excellence. We handle all aspects of interior design and office furniture systems and offer flooring solutions, supply and installation of wall coverings, cladding, partitioning systems and hospitality fit-outs and products,” Gomaa says.

Herman Miller ... leading brand in the field of healthcare products.

Apart from the KHUH, Salam Enterprises other healthcare projects include completed projects such as Royal Bahrain Hospital and German Orthopedic Hospital as well as KIMS, which is an ongoing project at the moment. Salam Enterprises Bahrain has also successfully completed a few telecommunications projects, which comprise a headquarters building for Zain in Tanzania, and an ongoing headquarters building project for Saudi Telecommunication in Bahrain, popularly known here as Viva telecom.

Despite the economic downturn, 2010 was a successful year for the company, which Gomaa attributes to the efforts of its team members, partners, suppliers and support of its parent company. “In fact, it was much more successful than the year before, as the company introduced more furniture and interior products from different manufacturers to offer a one-stop shop for our clients,” says Gomaa. “We are now planning to provide our client with additional products and services in order to be their first choice.”

For 2011, Salam Enterprises expects to improve its market position with further success and remarkable achievements. For this, the company plans to leverage its relations with sister concerns within its holding companies – Salam International; forge relations with prestigious international principals and suppliers; empowering its staff and personnel; sustaining environment; employing quality production standards and ethical dealings; and generating innovative ideas.
Speaking of quality management, Gomaa says the company has now started the implementation process of ERP (enterprise resource planning) and CRM (customer relationship management) systems throughout the company divisions/subsidiaries to further enhance its policies, procedures and processes and consequently better serve its customers.