Dubai-based National Concrete Products Company (NCP) supplied concrete blocks and paving tiles for the Mazaya Centre project.

A member of the Al Ghurair Group of companies, National Concrete Products was established as a manufacturer of concrete blocks in 1976 and since then it has manufactured and supplied more than 100 million concrete blocks to various projects in the UAE.

In 1994, NCP commissioned a new fully computerised German plant, which is one of the most sophisticated of its kind in the world.

With the commissioning of this plant, NCP's production capacity was tripled to over 12 million blocks per year.

The company also diversified its product range to include insulated styrol blocks, lightweight blocks and inter-locking paving stones.

NCP was the first concrete blocks and paving tiles manufacturing company in the UAE to obtain the ISO 9002 certificate of approval for its quality management system from TUV CERT, says a company spokesman.

NCP's mixing plant is a fully automatic computerised unit with a capacity of over 50 cu m per hour. It has two state-of-the-art Teka mixers: a 2,250/1,500 litres for back mix and the other 750/500 litres mixer for face mix which is used for interlocking paving tiles to obtain the highest-quality surface finish.

All ingredients are batched by weight for maximum accuracy with computerised devices for free water and chemical measurements.

The company uses only the best available material in the UAE, complying with BS standards, the spokesman points out. Cement used is supplied by National Cement Company, said to be one of the best cement manufacturers in the UAE, where all types of cement is produced, strictly to BS and ASTM specifications, he adds.

''Various natural and crushed, coarse/fine aggregates are used to suit customers' requirements and product type. For all these materials regular in-house and independent laboratory tests are carried out.

''All incoming aggregates and sand are checked daily for grading and, on a quarterly basis, a full range of tests are carried out at an independent laboratory to assess compliance to BS Standards. For all of its supplies to the Dubai market, tests are carried out by the Dubai Municipality for each production lot, and certificates of compliance are issued before deliveries are made,'' he says.

The spokesman continues: ''Furthermore, NCP carries out - in its own laboratory - an in-house testing scheme on a daily basis, which ensures that target strengths and quality are reached for all types of products. The company employs over 50 experienced and qualified personnel.''