Hunter Douglas is a world leader in window coverings and a major manufacturer of architectural products such as sandwich panels and metal ceiling systems.

With its head office in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and a management office in Lucerne, Switzerland, Hunter Douglas has 60 manufacturing and 80 assembly plants and marketing organisations in more than 80 countries. It employs about 13,600 people and has sales of Euro1.36 billion ($1.23 billion).

Window coverings are Hunter Douglas' largest product group.

''The company's strategy is to grow the market and enhance its market share by offering a fully integrated line of fashion and colour-coordinated alternative window coverings, and developing innovative proprietary window covering products mainly for the upscale market,'' says a spokesman for the company's Dubai office.

Window covering solutions include Luxaflex horizontal blinds, pleated blinds, vertical blinds, roller shades, outside blinds, roll-up shutters and insect screens.

In architectural products, Hunter Douglas' strategy is to continually broaden and enhance its product line so as to offer increasingly versatile applications to architects and designers.

The architectural range, distributed under the Luxalon trademark, is based on the group's expertise in coil coating, roll forming and product design.

Luxalon sandwich wall-cladding line comprises rainscreen cassette and single-skin cladding of various widths for exterior application, including sun louvers.

Luxalon metal ceiling systems include linear, rectangular, square, radial, curved undulating and many other patterns.

The company is a highly decentralised, global federation of entrepreneurially-managed, profit-responsible companies manufacturing and marketing similar products, suitably adapted to local markets.

''The group thinks globally but acts locally,'' says a spokesman for the company.

''The group's management style is entrepreneurial, dynamic and performance-oriented. Communications are open and informal. Authority is widely delegated and personal initiative encouraged, subject to approval of budgets and business plans and follow-up through periodic reporting. The guiding principle is "maximum accountability, but minimum interference."

Hunter Douglas' licensee distribution system - a worldwide network of more than 600 independent licensed assembling distributors - is the principal marketing vehicle for both window covering and architectural products. Licensees assemble the firm's products using machines supplied by the group and market them under Hunter Douglas' trademarks. The company provides licensees with technical and logistic support, as well as advertising, promotional and merchandising programmes.

''Hunter Douglas' position as a market leader in most of its product lines can be attributed to its pioneering approach to new product development, low-cost manufacturing, dedication to customer service and creative marketing,'' the spokesman says. "Product development and innovation are vitally important to the development of our business. Our principal research and development facilities are located in the US, the Netherlands and Germany and all our operations develop and adapt products for their local markets.''

Recent projects include: the Burj Al Arab, Emirates Towers, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubal headquarters, Dubai International Airport Terminal 2, Dnata headquarters and Al Rostamani headquarters, all in Dubai; and Abu Dhabi World Trade Centre and Bin Mubarak and Harab Al Yousif buildings in Abu Dhabi.