British Turntable Company recently manufactured and supplied a revolving restaurant mechanism to a major new commercial development in Tripoli, the capital city of Libya.

The 28-m revolve crowns the Al-Fatah Towers. Situated on the coast road, the 25-storey building offers diners at the restaurant spectacular, ever-changing views over Tripoli, the harbour, bay and surrounding countryside as the restaurant slowly revolves. The restaurant turntable is a 'doughnut'-shaped ring construction with a static service core.

''The revolve is fitted with a variable speed option and will not only support the tremendous weight of a large, busy restaurant - up to a total of 180 diners spread around the dining area - but also functions day in and day out with limited maintenance,'' says David Houghton of British Turntable. ''Its movement is so imperceptible that, except for the change in scenery, patrons are virtually unaware of any motion. Building and installation therefore require supreme engineering ability and complete reliability - both of which attributes are bywords at British Turntable.''

Revolving restaurants are known to attract as much as 50 per cent more customers than their stationary equivalents, a statement supported by the popularity of the Al-Fatah Towers venue, Houghton adds.

James Wilson, trade and investment adviser for Libya at Trade Partners UK, the British government's lead organisation for international trade development and promotion, comments: 'The restaurant is so popular that is often very difficult to find an unoccupied table. Many people visit the restaurant just for a coffee to experience the incredible sensation of moving gently through space. We're very proud that it's British manufacturing expertise that has made it possible.'

British Turntable Company in collaboration with Metel Trading of Dubai also supplied three revolving stages to enhance the sales area of one of the largest car showrooms in the world.

The 7 m diameter, 3,000 kg capacity units have been used in different ways to create an individual look for different vehicle brands being promoted.

Working with the architects and consultants since the early design stages, Metel has been involved with the complete installation, co-ordinating activities with civil and electro-mechanical contractors to bring this project to a successful conclusion.

Metel has been impressed with the level of support British Turntable has offered it throughout implementation of the project. Shashank Rao of Metel comments, 'British Turntable has provided us with quality, both in their excellent revolves and in their expert advice. We have been able to call on them for assistance and support whenever we needed it, right from initial concept, through the design stages, up to final installation and commissioning. Our confidence in their ability to deliver has helped enormously in bringing this prestigious project to fruition.'