REYNAERS Aluminium is all geared up to cater to the massive demand in the construction sector of Saudi Arabia, where an estimated $960 billion worth of projects are reported to be planned or under way.

The aluminium systems provider is taking concrete steps to gain a competitive edge in the market. Among such measures is its return to Saudi Build this year, following its successful participation last year which helped it to evaluate the various market segments in Saudi Arabia.

“This year, Reynaers aims to showcase some of its latest product offerings like the PuRity range of handles which is likely to attract much attention with its fresh design and functionality,” says Ali Khalaf, managing director of Reynaers Middle East, the regional office of the Belgian manufacturer.

This series combines next-generation material and mechanical properties with the superior Italian design capabilities of designer Leo De Carlo, who previously worked in the studios of Philippe Starck. De Carlo has studied both Reynaers’ culture and recent project successes to capture the essence of his observations in the PuRity design.

Khalaf says PuRity gives Reynaers’ systems a unique touch of style that enhances their aesthetic qualities, thus making its windows and doors a sheer pleasure to use. The new handles can be used on most openings, including standard windows and doors, including sliding and lift-and-slide doors. The handles are available in three standard colours (sapphire black, moonlight white and lithium), while six additional colours are offered on demand (gold, obsidian, renaissance gold, Polaris, eclipse and Belgian chocolate).

“PuRity is much more than a great design. It is manufactured from Pura, a new material with extraordinary qualities. Reynaers has obtained the exclusive right internationally to use Pura in its handles. The handles are manufactured under Reynaers’ innovative Biov (bioecologic ion overlay) process resulting in a non-toxic variant of stainless steel from which the chrome particles have been removed,” says Khalaf.

PuRity handles ... fresh design.

The combination of the material and its surface treatment makes the handles non-corrosive, hypoallergenic, anti-bacterial (optional) and 100 per cent recyclable. It is also easy to clean with pure natural resources.

On the systems front, Reynaers will exhibit some of its popular products offerings including the CS 38-SL doors and windows series, and the CS 68-FP 30 and the CS 77-FP 30 fire-proof variants. The competitive ES 45Pa will also be on display.

Some of the sliding systems preferred in the Middle East such as the CP 45Pa featuring a minimal profile width and the CP 155 catering to extra-large height requirements of customers will also be showcased. Also promoted will be the company’s curtain-walling solutions such as the CW 50-SC and the CW50-SL with the BS 100 as well as its luxury Alu wood systems.

Reynaers Aluminium is a leading European provider of innovative and sustainable architectural aluminium solutions including window and door systems, curtain-walling, sliding systems, sun screening, conservatories, skylights, screens and systems to incorporate blinds and ventilation grids. Established in 1965 and headquartered in Duffel (Belgium), Reynaers Aluminium has offices in more than 30 countries worldwide.

The company has been consistently deploying various initiatives to gauge the dynamics of the aluminium systems sector in the region in order to identify the appropriate channels and position its marketing mix for the different market segments in Saudi Arabia.

“Well-formulated strategies have been formulated to assess the requirements of this very active construction sector,” says Khalaf.

He says Saudi Arabia forms one of the most important markets for Reynaers Middle East – where it has been operational for some time now – and the period 2012-2013 has shown exponential growth in terms of the projects acquired and executed.

“Saudi Arabia is somewhat different from the rest of the markets that Reynaers
Middle East serves, given its geographical expanse, diverse population and varied projects base,” comments Khalaf. “We have divided our target market into three main regions of the kingdom namely, the East, West and Central regions – each with a dedicated area sales manager, who is responsible for the business development of his territory.”

He continues: “We felt it was important to carefully segment this particular country in our portfolio of 10 markets that Reynaers Middle East is currently serving. This is because we have witnessed contrasting needs from one region to another. While the Central region – predominantly Riyadh – is purely a project-based market with high-rise towers and commercial buildings, the Eastern and Western regions are a mixed bag of residential and project-based requirements.”

Jaleel Mosque ... another Reynaers project.

“This period also reflects the evolving needs of the Saudi market where clients are moving away from standard façades, doors and windows solutions to more sustainable, safe and environment-friendly systems. This change in the customer’s preferences is evident from the surging demand for different kinds of Reynaers aluminium systems,” Khalaf points out.

He elaborates: “Initially, when we started supplying our products in this region, our core product offering – the CW 50 curtain-walling solution – seemed to be fit the region’s requirements. However, now we are witnessing an increase in requests for other systems like the sliding systems CP 155 or CP 45Pa. The doors and windows systems requirements are also becoming more and more sophisticated with the demand for bullet-proof and fire-proof options.”

Reynaers has executed a number of projects in Saudi Arabia, the most recent being the Bamarouf Tower, Prince Khaled Faisal commercial and office building, Al Ammary office building, Jaleel Mosque and Murshed Tower in Jeddah as well as the Basem Tower and Bin Dahesh Place in Makkah.

Its earlier projects after launching operations in the kingdom include the Ramada hotel and Sehamiya Tower in Al Khobar.

Some of the luxury villa projects undertaken in Saudi Arabia include the Jameel Beach House, Ahyar Villa, Bakheet and Sami Sahbaan Villa.

Reynaers continues to be a regular exhibitor at regional and international events in a bid to create awareness in the market about its systems. In March this year, it participated in The Big 5 Saudi exhibition in Jeddah, and last month organised a seminar which formed part of the series entitled ‘Shaping Your Imagination’.

The seminar was organised in collaboration with world-renowned silicone supplier Dow Corning. Wouter Rymen, product manager, Belgium, addressed the audience on behalf of Reynaers Aluminium while Patrick Vendereecken, technical manager, Middle East, represented Dow Corning. The seminar received praise for the information exchanged during this event.

Reynaers Aluminium will be exhibiting at Stand 304-4 in the Belgium Pavilion at Saudi Build.