A new steel plant in the UAE with a capacity of 4,000 tonnes of steel building systems per month is nearing completion and is expected to start production shortly.

The plant is being built by Mammut Building Systems, a division of Mammut Industries. Located in Hamriyah Free Zone, it has state-of-the-art machinery, which will help reduce the load of production required to complete some major orders recently won by the company, according to Razi Hussain, Mammut's sales and marketing manager.

The Dh40 million ($10.9 million) plant covers a total area of 60,000 sq m with a covered factory area of 10,000 sq m. Initial output is estimated at 50,000 tonnes per annum, while targeted annual turnover is Dh180 million.

"The company's current facility in Jebel Ali is not large enough to cope with the production demands created by some recent projects which we have secured and with the increasing popularity of our steel buildings, we are confident that we can keep on increasing our market share," Hussain explains.

He continues: "In addition, while we already have an advanced steel manufacturing plant which is fully ISO 9000 compliant at Jebel Ali, the new Hamriyah factory is truly state-of-the-art, with its fully automated procedures allowing faster delivery of our products, and thus an even better level of service to our customers. We will now be able to handle any project from design conception, through fabrication, to actual commissioning and building through our approved builders System Construct, Georgia Building Contracting and others. We are confident that we can deliver a building, based on standard projects, within four weeks of confirmation of order."

The new plant, which will be manned by a highly-skilled and experienced workforce, will cater for all orders coming out of the GCC, African and Far Eastern markets and will have its feedstock requirements met by Europe and the Far East.

"Pre-engineered and structural steel buildings are becoming an increasingly popular option, now widely used throughout the world, as their benefits over traditional concrete construction methods become ever more apparent," says Hussain. "By combining conventional materials such as hollow block and glazed curtain-walls with a pre-engineered steel building system, it is possible to design previously unworkable structures with larger clear span areas, fewer internal support columns and more flexible facades."

"An added benefit for companies ordering such buildings is that, unlike concrete, steel framework structures are easily extendable at a later date. In addition, the final building costs are often greatly reduced with steel-build structures as build times are greatly reduced, thus reducing the man-hours involved," he adds.

Typical applications of steel-framed buildings worldwide include warehouses, factories, showrooms, distribution centres, sports centres, shopping malls, exhibition halls, aircraft hangars and supermarkets, among others.

Examples of work already completed by Mammut are readily visible throughout the UAE, but it is the emerging market of structural steel high-rise buildings that most excites the company, he says. "The trend for innovatively designed high-rise structures in Dubai and Abu Dhabi provides the perfect canvas for our work," says Hussain. "We are now confident that, with the increased capacity and modernised production methods available with our new facility, we can fulfil the needs of even the UAE's most adventurous architects and designers for both industrial as well as residential/commercial high-rise steel structures."

The team at Mammut is said to be dedicated to providing the best possible customer service in every way. Response time to requests for quotes is turned around within 24 hours, while prices remain highly competitive, he says.

The company provides detailed proposal drawings to help clients visualise their finished buildings, while support engineers are available around-the-clock to handle any special needs or clarify customer queries. Proper after-sales service ensures quick, successful and headache-free job completion, which is aided considerably by Mammut engineers, who make site visits to support project builders and construction companies.

"We have achieved tremendous success in a very short time through a dedicated team of young and aggressive professionals who provide excellent customer service and achieve impossible tasks on a daily basis," Hussain says. "Competition is tough but we thrive on challenges and work best under pressure. We not only accept any demand from our customers, but also keep up these commitments and deliver what we have promised."

Some of the projects executed by the company include Sharjah & Kuwait Manufacturing's (SKM) 35,000 sq m factory and new office building in Sharjah; Adipco's 240,000 sq m project in Abu Dhabi; RHS distribution centre in Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ) and the Discount Centre in Sharjah.

Mammut will promote its services at Stand No 7B 332.