GIVEN its booming domestic market and the increasing awareness of the benefits offered by its products, Canam Asia is positioning itself to tap the local and regional market potential through a more aggressive sales drive that entails opening additional offices in the region.

The Dammam-headquartered specialist in roofing and flooring systems claims to be the only company in the region that custom designs, fabricates and supplies open-web steel joists as well as composite floor decks and roof decks. It has an industrial licence to manufacture composite and non-composite open steel joists, composite Hambro joists and composite and non-composite decking panels. In addition, it is the only company in the region that has an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certification for its steel decks, says Dr Wafik Ajam, technical and marketing manager.

Canam Asia offers a full range of composite and non-composite roof decks.

Elaborating on the advantages of using open-web joists (OWJs), he says: “Open-web joists are ideal for floors and roofs in all types of buildings, whether steel or concrete. They offer substantial savings due to their high load-bearing-capacity-to-weight ratio. When utilising Canam’s OWJs, large column-free areas can be created, allowing increased flexibility for floor plans.

“In addition, the mechanical and electrical systems can be routed through the open web steel joists, thereby eliminating the need for extra height inside the buildings and reducing the overall cost.”

Dr Ajam says that the company has seen continuous growth since the company launched operations in 2002. “Last year, Canam Asia managed to maintain its growth levels despite the global economic crisis,” he says.

He adds that thanks to the company’s commitment to high-quality products, on-time delivery and customer satisfaction, Canam Asia has been able to rise above all challenges posed by the market.

With prospects being good for the construction sector in the region, Canam Asia is reaping the benefits of a resurgent market where there is increasing awareness of the advantages of using its flooring and roofing of open-web joists and decking, he says.

Dr Ajam continues: “The Saudi market is particularly secure and provides confidence that the construction sector will continue to thrive. Canam Asia believes that the market will continue to build an increasing number of high-rise towers, schools, universities and residential buildings over the coming years.”

Against this backdrop, Canam Asia is concentrating on increasing its output and sales, adding new customers, and maintaining their loyalty.

Canam Asia also intends to open new sales offices in the other Gulf countries, boosting its existing network in Saudi Arabia (that currently includes offices in Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah), Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The company has more than 120 employees.

“Canam Asia products meet the steel building needs and are manufactured in our plants to ensure consistently high standards of quality at competitive prices,” says Dr Ajam.

Canam Asia is a joint venture between Zamil Industrial of Saudi Arabia and the Canadian Canam Group. It has manufacturing facilities in Dammam and Ras Al Khaimah (UAE), which started production in November 2002 and January 2007 respectively.

The Ras Al Khaimah facility has been built to allow the company to increase production capacity at short notice, if required. Canam Asia’s Dammam factory has a manufacturing floor area of 6,350 sq m with a 1,620-sq-m office space plus a 2,500-sq-m warehouse with a storage capacity of around 4,000 tonnes and an open storage area of 7,000 sq m.

Its products are manufactured in three independent areas – joists and girders over an area of 3,400 sq m, Hambro over an area of 1,200 sq m and decking over a 1,750-sq-m area.

Among its recent assignments in Saudi Arabia are the Thuraya School and an aircraft hangar in Jeddah; an aircraft hangar, a National Guard project, Imam Mohammed ibn Saud University, Princess Nora University, CITC Tower and ITCC Tower, all in Riyadh; and Dareen Mall in Dammam.

The company has also been involved in many interesting projects such as the Sumitomo project in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia, Doha International Airport in Qatar and Dubai International Airport in the UAE, and various malls, universities and towers.