Insulation specialist Saudi Rockwool Factory is currently busy with two major contracts, one within the Kingdom and the other overseas.

"We are currently executing two major contracts," says Nabeel Abu Habeeb, the marketing and sales manager of the Riyadh-based manufacturer. "One is for the Shoaiba power plant in Western Region of Saudi Arabia, and the other for the Four Seasons Hotel in Cairo, Egypt."

"For these projects, we are supplying around 2,000 tonnes of insulation mattresses, panels and pipes sections. The contracts are together worth $1.8 million," he says.

He continues: "Other major projects which have used Saudi Rockwool insulation include the Al Faisaliah Center and the Kingdom Centre, both in Riyadh; Petrokemya's expansion in Jubail and the Al Ahli Hospital in Qatar. As much as 10,000 tonnes of rockwool insulation was provided for these projects, which were worth a combined total of $3.5 million.

A member of Amnest Group of Companies of Riyadh, Saudi Rockwool Factory was established in 1992 and its factory in Riyadh's Third Industrial City occupies an area of 28,125 sq m.

Saudi Rockwool Factory, which has grown to become a leading mineral wool insulation product manufacturer in the Middle East since it launched operations 10 years ago, is currently building a state-of-the-art factory that is designed to quadruple its annual production capacity by 2006.

The factory specialises in the production of rockwool mineral insulation, which is widely used for thermal, acoustical, and fire resistance applications.

The factory was started with two furnaces with a production capacity of 3,000 tonnes per year (tpy). Market demand prompted the firm to build the third furnace in 1999, increasing production capacity to 5,000 tpy.

To cope with rising demand, in April last year, Saudi Rockwool Factory signed a contract with a Swedish company to build a new factory, incorporating the latest technology in the field, to boost capacity to 20,000 tpy by 2006.

Saudi Rockwool Factory, which has achieved ISO 9002 certification, is an approved supplier for several leading organisations in the region such as Saudi Aramco, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic), Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), all in Saudi Arabia; Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), both of Kuwait; and Qatar Petroleum, Qatar. It is also approved by many building consultancy groups.

Spurred by good market demand, turnover for the company rose to $4.5 million in 2001, which was an increase over the previous year, according to Habeeb.

Saudi Rockwool manufactures a range of rockwool panels, felts, wired blankets, pipe sections, quilted mattresses, loose wool, fire boards, insulation blankets and noise absorbers. Raw materials for these products are sourced within the Kingdom. The factory is currently running at nearly full capacity of 5,000 tonnes. "Our output is around 4,700 tonnes which is up over last year," says Habeeb.

Elaborating on the product range, he continues: "Our cavity panels are made from rockwool fibres and bonded with thermosetting resin to form semi-rigid boards of medium density. These are used as thermal insulation, acoustical and fire barriers in cavity walls, partitions, steel structures and fireproof doors.

"The acoustic panels are designed for sound absorption and attenuation in places such as workshops, factories, conference rooms and sport halls. Rigid roof slabs are also manufactured with high density for extra load-bearing characteristics.

"The pre-formed pipe sections are moulded around pipes of various standard diameters at a set thickness and dried to form rigid hollow insulation. The sections are slit lengthwise, so they can easily be snapped-on to pipes. They are designed to provide effective insulation over a very wide temperature range for both domestic and industrial applications.

"Felt or blankets are manufactured at low densities using a thermosetting binder to bind the fibres together but at the same time give flexibility and resilience to the product. They are designed for use in steel structures, cold stores, refrigerated tanks, circular ducts and machinery, central heating systems, prefabricated houses and poultry farms.

"Quilted blankets, for light frame construction, are manufactured in various densities from rockwool fibres that are formed into rolls by stitching them with cotton or fibreglass yarn. They can be faced or non-faced, however, those with low thicknesses and densities are normally faced.

"Our wired blankets are high-density thermal and acoustic insulation products in which the rockwool fibres are quilted with steel wire mesh. These blankets are designed for heavy industry applications where severe conditions of heat and vibration are involved.

"Loose wool, made from thin fibres, is recommended for thermal and acoustic insulation in cavity walls, ceiling tiles, insulated doors, partitions, chimney walls and additionally as a fire barrier in regular and irregular cavities, fireproof doors and flanges.

"Saudi Rockwool's fire board is a resin-bonded high-density rockwool board coated on both sides with a specially-formulated intumescent material which has high dimensional stability and will not warp or shrink under normal conditions. It is strong and light in weight, is easy to install and equally easy to remove, if modifications to buildings or services are required. It can be cut or shaped to fit any aperture.

"Insulation blankets are another innovative offering from Saudi Rockwool, designed to insulate gas and steam turbines and diesel generator exhausts. The blankets can also be used in refineries, chemical plants, and on high-temperature process pipes.

"And our noise absorbers are a range of acoustic tiles and sheets that come in various shapes and sizes and can be fixed with adhesives, screws, onto metal profiles or fitted with S-hooks or metal springs for installation. They are designed for commercial and residential applications.

"All these products are manufactured to BSI and ASTM standards," he adds.

Saudi Arabia is the company's main market, accounting for 70 per cent of its production, while its exports reach across the Middle East and Africa.