UNIVERSAL Building Materials Merchants Company (UBM), Saudi Arabia’s leading supplier of mechanical and door hardware products, is expanding its presence in the kingdom and the GCC region with new facilities, innovative concepts and business ventures.

The measures are being taken in line with its five-pronged growth strategy that is designed to help it achieve ambitious turnover levels.

One of the key initiatives it has taken recently to facilitate its customers is the opening of its Specification and Design Centre.

Commenting on the facility, the company’s CEO Raghunath Sadasivam says: “Apart from empowering our customers by providing design solutions, the facility will be an ideal forum for the design and engineering fraternity to work on newer concepts and introduce global best practices like energy conservation, green space, environmental protection, water conservation etc and contribute to the enhancement of the construction industry in Saudi Arabia.”

The 500-sq-m Specification and Design Centre has mechanical, electronic and communications engineers on hand to assist designers incorporate water and energy conservation products.

UBM’s Specification and Design Centre ... empowering clients.

In addition, last December the company introduced the new-concept Porta showroom, a unique boutique for the finest door handles, levers, locks and fittings available from Europe and North America. The Porta showroom has brought together some of the world’s best-known door hardware brands including Baldwin from the US which has a legacy for producing door ornaments/jewellery for special clients including the White House; Rocky Mountain Hardware, a US-based manufacturer of handcrafted architectural hardware; and Martin Pierce, a Los Angeles-based designer whose portfolio of items are based on nature.

Other manufacturers represented include Dorma, a market leader in door controls, movable walls, and glass fittings and accessories, whose origins go back over 100 years; Brassart, a British manufacturer of solid brass architectural hardware and homeware; Frank Allart, a specialist in architectural hardware in a variety of materials and finishes; Mandelli, an Italian manufacturer of high-quality door handles and accessories; and Ghidini, an Italian producer of handles and accessories.

The Porta showroom allows specifiers to meet with clients in an environment where both the technical and aesthetic aspects of the products can be presented.

The opening of the new showroom in Riyadh was a strategic move that addresses its goal of targeting the residential market more vigorously. Other key drivers in its five-point roadmap for further success include the introduction of new and green technology, focusing on Saudiisation and manpower training, opening up new outlets and investing in the latest technology.

In line with this plan, UBM has recently opened three new retail trade counters increasing total number to 16 in the kingdom and intends to six more over the coming year. Also on the cards are plans to launch operations in Qatar and Bahrain.

However, perhaps the most striking project on the anvil is the company’s plan to enter into the manufacturing of master key cylinders in Saudi Arabia, details of which will be revealed shortly.

“We want to get beyond trading and into solutions and eventually local manufacturing,” Raghunath says.

This growth strategy is underpinned by its sound reputation and fundamentals and a strong product portfolio. With more than three decades in the door hardware and mechanical products business, UBM has continued to grow, thanks to its commitment to offering the highest levels of quality material and workmanship in every project.

Raghunath says the company has seen business grow from strength to strength over the past few years in line with the region’s sustained economic growth. “In a challenging business environment, with a high-end solution, UBM has managed to grow its revenues this year that spans across all the divisions of the company in comparison with last year.”

This growth comes on the back of a strong local market. “Saudi Arabia is rightly seen as one of the most important markets within the GCC’s construction sector, with huge investments in infrastructure, oil and gas, housing and commercial projects,” he says. “In its budget announcement for 2013, the kingdom has pledged 37 per cent of its expenditure for education and housing projects.”

With its new strategies and expansion of services, UBM aims to be a total solutions provider to the construction industry, right from engineering design to delivery of products and related services.

Established 1979, UBM has been specialising for more than three decades in door hardware and mechanical products. It has branches located throughout Saudi Arabia including in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar, and a central warehouse in Riyadh. It employs 144 people.

The company’s leadership position in the building materials market segment is due to the fact that it pools quality products from renowned manufacturers; ensures stock availability; employs highly-trained product specialists; and offers excellent after-sales service.

UBM has contributed to most of the major projects in the kingdom as well as in the GCC, and can provide special solutions to meet the requirements of specific projects. For instance, for the Prince Salman Cancer Institute, UBM has proposed anti-bacterial coated door hardware.

Over the past year alone, the company has been involved in several key projects including the Information Technology and Communication Complex (ITCC); King Fahd Medical City (KFMC); Qassim University; housing projects in Jubail for the General Organisation for Social Insurance (Gosi) and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic); Jabal Omar and Umm Al Qura University in Makkah; King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah; Ministry of Health hospitals in Al Kharj, Taif; staff housing at King Faisal University, Al Hasa; and Dammam University.

It has also supplied to projects at Education City in Qatar.