QANBAR Dywidag Precast Concrete (QDC) is utilising load-bearing precast concrete insulated sandwich wall panels and prestressed concrete hollow-core floor and roof slabs in numerous residential housing projects throughout Saudi Arabia, leading the way in emerging technologies such as green building.

“Our total precast wall-frame building solution results in outstanding thermal efficiency, energy conservation and sustainability and is ideal for single and multi-family housing,” says John Dobbs, CEO and general manager of QDC.

The company, which is a leading manufacturer of precast and prestressed concrete building components and systems in Saudi Arabia, is now witnessing increasing demand for its products from the industrial sector.

“Precast and prestressed concrete are rapidly becoming the solution of choice for industrial buildings. QDC has vast experience in the design, manufacture and erection of industrial projects including pipe racks, cooling towers, electric power stations, fire-walls, boundary walls and total precast guard houses for ultimate security and safety,” he says.

QDC precast and prestressed concrete ... used in numerous buildings across Saudi Arabia.

Over the past 30 years, QDC has carried out numerous projects for clients in the industrial sector such as Saudi Aramco, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic), Saudi Electric Company (SEC) and Sadara.

While the company has supplied its standard precast components including beams, columns, solid and insulated wall panels, hollow-core and double-tee slabs for these projects, QDC has also met special design requirements for blast and bullet-resistant designs which are easily accommodated with precast concrete construction.

The Saudi precast concrete veteran has also contributed to numerous commercial and government buildings, where its precast concrete cladding panel systems have been the solution of choice for architects, engineers, contractors and owners for many years, according to Dobbs.

“Precast and prestressed concrete have evolved as the building material and solution of choice for residential, commercial, government and industrial building construction in Saudi Arabia – and QDC as one of the largest and most prominent manufacturers in the sector is leading the industry with innovations and emerging technologies,” he adds.

A project by QDC.

QDC precast concrete cladding panels are available in a wide variety of finishes offering a virtually unlimited choice of colour, form and texture adding architectural beauty and functionality to any building. White or coloured concrete sandblasted finishes and insulated sandwich or solid cladding panels offer the building owner a prefinished maintenance-free surface.

“The QDC design team will collaborate with the project architect and engineer to create a cladding panel system to meet the project owner’s requirements and budget,” he says.

The company also offers a wide variety of standard precast concrete products including paving tiles, bollards, benches, planters, trash containers, wheel stoppers and manholes. Custom designs are also available, and all products are manufactured to the highest quality control standards.

QDC was formed in 1981 as a partnership between one of the leading business conglomerates in the Eastern Province, Al Ansari Holding Company (Abdul Razzaq Mohammed Qanbar Al Ansari and Sons) and one of the largest German general contractors and precast concrete manufacturers, Dycherhoff and Widmann (Dywidag). In January 2002, Al Ansari Holding became the sole owner of QDC, and Dywidag remains as a technical partner.

“QDC strives to always implement the best industry practices to deliver value-added precast concrete products and building systems manufactured to the highest quality standards,” Dobbs emphasises.

The company has two state-of-the-art plants in Jubail in the Eastern Province, a third plant in Rabigh in the Western Province as well as a plant in Doha, Qatar, under the Qatar International Precast banner. QDC also has sales offices in Jubail, Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. It has a dedicated team of almost 2,000 employees who constantly endeavour to achieve the company’s vision of providing customers with quality products and services at a competitive price while exceeding their expectations.