Ramat Marketing & Distribution Company is a Riyadh-based specialty company dealing in the importation and distribution of all kinds of wood and wooden products.

"Our company is the most diversified in the kingdom," says Mazen Malas, who is the fifth generation of his family working in the business.

"We serve a wide range of sectors including the furniture industry and the interior decoration business."

Malas, who has lived in the kingdom for 27 years, services the entire GCC.

"For example, there are a number of factories in Oman which look for specialist items which we can supply," says Malas.

"We have three markets. First, wholesale to traders all over the kingdom many of whom are too small to import themselves and are dependent on Ramat.

"Second, we supply to both government and private sector markets and finally we serve the furniture industry through supplying the furniture factories."

Ramat sources timber from all over the world but specifically from Scandinavian countries, Russia, Romania, the US, Canada and South America. The company provides raw material as well as semi-furnished products primarily for the furniture industry.

"We supply sheets with different veneers, colours and designs," says Malas. Ramat offers a wide range of veneer laying and plastic lamination.

"We try and offer a complete line to customers - solid, veneer edgebanding etc."

The company has recently expanded its range with the addition of flooring and wall panelling products.

Business has been a little slow since the US terror attacks last September.

"The construction industry has been a little slow so the furniture market has also slowed throughout the kingdom," Malas explains.

He keeps abreast of market developments by attending international furniture shows and exhibitions "catering for the future".

Ramat operates five branches in Riyadh and four in Jeddah.

Its range of timber and wood products include shuttering sawn white wood, joinery sawn timber including Red Wood, Meranti, Mahogany, Hard Maple, Red and White Oak, Ash, Cherry, Walnut, Poplar, Wawa, Beech Wood and African Teak.

The company also imports ordinary plywood from Indonesia and shuttering plywood from range of countries including Finland, Russia, Brazil and Indonesia.

Other panel products include veneered plywood, decorative plywood/hardboard and MDF (medium-density fibreboard), ordinary block board, polyester block board, veneered block board, ordinary clipboard, melamine clipboard, plain hardboard and soft boards.

Ramat also provides plain, veneered and melamine MDF and commercial steel products such as pipe support, clamps, iron wire nails and galvanised binding wire.