Dusit Dubai ... another landmark for Emirates Glass.
Emirates Glass is an architectural glass processing company which has been going from strength to strength, especially in the high-rise market. The Dubai-based firm has won worldwide respect for the quality of its products.
The company has submitted bids and emerged triumphant on virtually every major project in the UAE. Some of its most striking projects include the Emirates Tower, the Dubai Internet City, Sheraton Plaza and Towers, the Al Wasl complex and Tower No 1 which houses the Dusit Dubai hotel.
For the Dusit Dubai project, Emirates Glass supplied approximately 20,500 sq m of solar control high-performance glass (SS14 clear).
Emirates Glass has now become virtually an industry standard in the emirates, says Munir Mansour, general manager.
Elsewhere in the Gulf, it is currently supplying glass for the Citibank regional headquarters building in Bahrain. Its reputation has helped it capture markets further afield, in the Far East, India, Lebanon, Iraq, China, Singapore and Hong Kong.
The UAE market absorbs about 65 per cent of its production, while 20 per cent is exported to the other GCC countries. The rest goes primarily to India, says Paul Nicholas, marketing manager.
Emirates Glass has been able to compete successfully in the Far East - despite the logistical problems - because of the quality of its products and its pricing, he adds.
Emirates Glass offers a comprehensive sole-source supply capability - tempering, insulating, opacifying, ceramic frit and edging - in one centralised location sustained by a dedicated sales team, qualified technical assistance and efficient production guaranteeing on-time deliveries.
Emirates Glass supplies a wide spectrum of glass products covering a range of clients' requirements in terms of energy conservation, thermal properties, colours and external cladding. It also supplies monolithic glass for the double glazing industry.
Solar control glasses represent 75 per cent of its production, the balance being low-emissivity (low-E) coated glasses.
''Solar control glass has extremely good thermal insulation properties and hence is very effective in the Middle East,'' explains Nicholas.
He continues: ''The growth in popularity of low-emissivity glasses stems from its very good thermal performance and high light transmission, making it suitable for residential buildings by avoiding the internal reflection normally associated with solar control glass. Both types of products offer substantial savings in energy consumption over the life of the building and capital cost of air-conditioning during construction.''
Set up in 1997, Emirates Glass has a capacity of 1 million sq m per year utilising Leybold technology from Germany. The company operates two shifts on a six-day week. However, during peak production, the facility remains operational round-the-clock. Emirates Glass was accredited to ISO 9002 in June 1999, just 18 months from the start.
The company imports clear glass from the region and body tinted glasses from the UK, US and Europe. Sourcing raw material from all over the world, allows the company to offer a bigger product range.
As a local producer, Emirates Glass offers a tremendous amount of flexibility for local contractors and builders. It relieves them of the hassle of going overseas to buy glass, time constraints and financial losses.
Nicholas explains: ''The flexibility does not come just by ordering locally. If one side of a building is ready and the other is still under construction, the client can order in parts from Emirates Glass. However, if he buys overseas, he will have to put all the order in one go. This is very important benefit.
''Using a local supplier enables contractors to execute the glass work of a building in part because glass can be delivered in batches.
''Another major advantage of local supplying is quick replacement. If the shipment ordered from overseas goes wrong and some panels break, the client will have to ask for replacement which can delay the project. Replacement lead time can be up to 10 months and it can put the builder in a difficult situation. Emirates Glass, however, can provide replacements from days to within a month at the latest, depending on the size and colour of the glass. Emirates Glass products meet the highest world-acknowledged standards and 99.9 per cent of them are custom-made.''
The product range includes:
''There's a world shortage of glass and the growth in supply sources is going to be based on hi-tech facilities,'' says Munir.
Munir believes that the company is well placed to increase its share of the market because of the quality of its products, timely delivery, price, logistical support and state-of-the-art production facility.
