THE UK-based Wade has carved a niche for itself in the Middle East with its innovative range of standard drainage products as well as custom-made solutions to suit the project’s requirements.

Over the past 35-plus years in the region, the company has supplied to a diverse range of projects, both big and small. While the drainage requirements of several of these projects, including hotels, hospitals, villas, banks, health and sports centres, have been addressed generally with standard products, the company has also risen to the occasion when called upon to provide bespoke solutions.

“When a specifier or client has a requirement for something out of the ordinary, Wade has provided solutions,” says a spokesman for the company. “An example is the floral gratings, which were designed for the Royal Guard of Oman (RGO) Mosque in Muscat, Oman. These gratings of satin-finish nickel bronze can be used with a range of cast iron drains or traps, or installed in frames or channel.”

In contrast, very different requirements have been accommodated at a dairy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and a medical complex in Bahrain with stainless steel mesh gratings.

In recent years, Wade has introduced laser-cut, superbly finished gratings and access covers of stainless steel to connect to cast iron floor drains or for use with stainless steel channels. Projects supplied with these solutions include the Qatar National Bank and Kingdom Centre in Riyadh.

The company continues to innovate and late last year applied for a patent for a new design for a mitred channel grating of stainless steel. This latest innovation is designed for use where a drainage channel is required to follow a right-angled change of direction. The grating comprises laser-cut components, including mortises and tenons that are assembled, then welded to produce a strong, rigid and level product. A highlight of this new design is the appearance of continuous strips of metal running through the corner. The grating fits snugly in the channel and, to suit site requirements, may be loose or discretely secured.

“Production of this product will start this year,” says the spokesman.

Wade’s portfolio of products comprises nickel bronze gratings and access covers (cleanouts), which are particularly suited for applications that are heavily trafficked. They have been used in projects at airports in Bahrain, Dubai and Doha, taxi and bus stations in Beirut, at King Faisal University in Riyadh and Dhofar University in Salalah, and various shopping malls throughout the Gulf region.

The company offers different grades of products for various environments. According to the spokesman, AISI stainless steel grade 304 is standard, which is suitable for general use in and around buildings including most coastal locations. “In applications such as swimming pools or those having an aggressive atmosphere, grade 316 is recommended and is available on request,” he says.

This apart, for applications in highly corrosive environments – including where exposure to seawater may be anticipated – an even higher grade is required and here Wade offers gullies of cast nickel bronze or gunmetal.

Although hotels and camps for illegal immigrants are poles apart in terms of luxury, they are similar in that they cater for many people. For such applications, Wade offers its grease converters to prevent blockage of pipes and drains. “This is a modern, hygienic and environment-friendly product whereby micro-organisms convert grease permanently to bio-degradable products without the use of toxic chemicals,” explains the spokesman.

Drainage is also a major consideration on roofs and Wade offers a range of balcony, parapet and roof outlets with versions already installed at villas in Bahrain and Oman, Al Faisal Tower and Al Khor Hospital in Qatar, and the National Theatre in Bahrain.

Wade has been able to make significant inroads into the region’s market, thanks to the support of its local representatives in the region over the past three decades. “Representatives with sound product knowledge are essential to provide support at the design stage for the increasing number of local specifiers, while contractors frequently need prompt service to deal with matters on site,” says the spokesman. “Wade is pleased to have appointed as distributors highly respected, well established concerns throughout the region, some of whom have been promoting the company for more than 25 years,” he says.

Based in the UK, Wade manufactures under a quality management system which complies with ISO 9001. This certification was acquired as long ago as 1987 and is testimony to a commitment to quality that places Wade at the forefront in responding to worldwide demand for higher standards of hygiene and safety in and around buildings, the spokesman concludes.