Kingspan Access Floors will be launching itself on solid ground at the Big 5, combining massive experience and expertise with the vigour and hunger of a new enterprise.

"The new company combines the unrivalled experience and technical prowess of Hewetson Floors and of Tate UK to create a new international force in raised access flooring systems," says Middle East sales manager Richard Coles. "Both companies have over 40 years pedigree; they were pioneering forces in the development of the raised access floor concept and in establishing high performance standards for the systems. Now they have come together under the name of their multinational parent, the Kingspan group and are backed by the group's financial and managerial strengths."

He continues: "Kingspan Access Floors has an unrivalled range of raised access floor systems can offer both steel encapsulated woodcore (Hewetson) and steel cementitious (Tate) ranges. Both supply the rock-solid confidence of a conventional floor with the total flexibility of a full access raised floor.

"The systems comprise relocatable panel modules supported on height-adjustable pedestals to create a floor void for cooling air, power, information and telecommunications cabling (ICT). The pedestals are designed to accommodate floor slab irregularities and each module can be lifted at any point to access underfloor services for maintenance, rerouting or upgrading, thus enhancing workplace adaptablity.

"Typical applications are offices, financial dealing rooms, computer rooms and industrial locations. The systems are designed for speed of installation and re-location, meaning little or no loss of working time when change is needed. A choice of loose-lay and screw-fix options are available.

"There are systems to meet all types of specification criteria such as point and rolling load, fire resistance and electrical performance.

''The high dimensional accuracy of panel manufacture means that panels are truly interchangeable; this feature also minimises air leakage between panels where the floor void is used as an air plenum for delivery of cooling air.

''Factory-laminated panels come in a variety of finishes including high pressure laminate for enhanced electrical properties, making them suitable for use in computer equipment and telecommunications rooms."

Recently completed or won projects include the Dubai Media City, the IT centre at the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) headquarters, and Al-Jaziri Brothers' hi-tech building and Deira City Centre expansion, all in the UAE, and the Seef Tower in Bahrain.

Experience in supplying high-profile, fast-track construction projects includes premises for famous names including Citibank, HSBC, British Telecom, Microsoft and Oracle Computers and working with top-ranking contractors such as Canary Wharf, Bovis, Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Laing, Kvaerner and Birse.

In the Gulf, the company has worked with Khansaheb, Arabtec, Enoc (Emirates National Oil Company) and Adma-Opco (Abu Dhabi Marine Areas Operating Company), among others.

Kingspan Access Floors is represented in the region by an expanding network of local distributors and Coles is confident that customers will like the new package.

"With the largest capacity and the most extensive range in the access floor business, with a support structure to match, clients can be sure of Kingspan's ability to deliver. For example we've invested in a new state-of-the-art factory in the north of England to increase capacity by 60 per cent," Coles says.

But the company is aware that size alone is not enough if it is not backed by quality and service. ''Training is an important aspect of the Kingspan Access Floors package. Technical seminars for local clients are a regular feature, as are technical training and updates for local distributors to ensure that expertise and skills stay as sharp as they need to be to service this knowledgeable and demanding market,'' he says.