CANAM Asia is returning to The Big 5 show this year with the aim of educating the Gulf market about the benefits of its latest flooring and roofing products.

The company, a joint venture between Zamil Industrial of Saudi Arabia and Steel Plus, an affiliate of the Canadian Canam Group, will be promoting three main products: its open web joist, Hambro composite floor system, and composite and roof metal decking.

“While these products have been used in North America and Europe for a number of years, they are considered new products in the Gulf market,” says Dr Wafik Ajam, the company’s engineering manager.

Canam Asia is 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, he says.

Open-web joists are ideal for floors and roofs in all types of buildings – whether steel or concrete, says Dr Ajam, adding that they offer substantial savings in weight and cost.

“These joists can be economically used for long, column-free spans due to their high load-bearing-capacity-to-weight ratio, offering more open interior space. Moreover, the truss-like configuration of the joists allows the passage of pipes and ducts through them, thereby eliminating the need for extra height inside the buildings and reducing the overall cost,” he says.

Canam Asia also offers a full range of composite steel decks and non-composite roof decks. “It is the only company in the region having a UL (Underwriters Laboratories) certification for its steel deck,” Dr Ajam points out.

Thanks to the versatility and the high quality of its products, the company has earned a good reputation in the market, which in turn has helped it win some prestigious projects throughout the region. Some of these assignments include Dubai International Airport (Dubai), Abu Dhabi Financial Centre (Abu Dhabi) and Logistic Stores (Sharjah), all in the UAE; New Doha International Airport and an amphitheatre, both in Doha, Qatar; Royal Opera House (Muscat) in Oman; US Navy Milcon in Bahrain; and aircraft hangars and the CITC Towers in Saudi Arabia.

Commenting on the company’s return to The Big 5 show this year, Dr Ajam is optimistic about its participation, and has been generally pleased with the turnout as the visitors come from diverse backgrounds – “and that is valuable”.
Apart from its expectations of The Big 5, he says participating in exhibitions held in the GCC is part of Canam Asia’s marketing strategy.

Since launching operations in 2003, Canam Asia has seen steady growth and today has 110 employees on its rolls. The company has its head office and a 17,000-sq-m factory in Dammam’s First Industrial City in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province as well as a fabrication facility in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, with a network of six area sales offices in Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE, and Doha, Qatar.

Dr Ajam says Canam Asia has this year managed to match the sales levels attained during 2010. As for the years ahead, he is optimistic of achieving the same figures as those reached during the region’s construction boom days.

The company has adopted a cautiously optimistic approach since 2009, and has been trying to consolidate its assets and expanding prudently, while according top priority to product enhancement and customer satisfaction.

Dr Ajam expects the GCC’s construction sector to perform well with Saudi Arabia in particular seeing year-on-year growth, and hence continuing to be the main market in the region.

Canam Asia will be exhibiting at Stand 8 A336 at The Big 5 show.