With a variety of high-profile projects completed this year and an exciting range of new products about to be launched, Flowcrete Middle East says it is well-placed to continue its expansion drive across the Gulf region.

A high-point for the company was its involvement in one of the major flooring projects to come out of the Gulf in recent years, with the eye-catching installation of Flowcrete's pioneering seamless terrazzo Mondeco at the Sharjah Mega Mall. A giant retail, leisure and entertainment complex spread over four floors and housing 170 stores, the mall is one of the most prestigious new-build projects in the UAE.

Flowcrete-approved contractor Pegasus Contracting Company of Sharjah led a team of between 15 and 20 craftsmen and carried out the installation of Mondeco for the project. Also this year, Flowcrete was awarded another major contract with more than 250,000 sq m of its cementitious product Isocrete K-Screed being installed at the Marina Towers in Dubai.

From Dubai property development company Emaar, the towers vary in height from 40 storeys, 30 storeys and 20 storeys and will provide high quality living accommodation on the prestigious coastal marina development.

"The contract reflects Isocrete K-Screed's growing position as a premier floor screed in the Middle East," says Flowcrete Middle East general manager Ian Dawson. "Its unique benefits make it an attractive proposition for the building conditions and requirements in the Gulf."

He continues: "The major benefit of Isocrete K-Screed is minimal shrinkage, cracking and curling, which thereby significantly reduces the risk of floor screed failure prior to the application of expensive floor finishes such as marble and tiles. It is also early drying and incredibly strong.

"Isocrete K-Screed can be applied at a far thinner level than traditional sand and cement screeds, which also means structural weight savings on multi-storey buildings."

For more than 30 years, Isocrete K-Screed has been used across the globe and project references include Chek Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Isocrete K-Screed came to the Gulf under a joint partnership between Flowcrete Middle East and concrete ready-mix company RMC Topmix of Dubai. Supplied ready-mixed from RMC, Isocrete K-Screed was also recently installed on the floor and steps of all seven auditoriums within a new cinema complex, built in the Sharjah Mega Mall.

Another popular product from Flowcrete in the Middle East is the polyurethane car-park decking system Deckshield. "Applied on over 300,000 sq m in the UAE alone, it is proven in the extreme heat in the Gulf," says Dawson.

It was recently installed on a road beautification scheme at Nad Al Sheba. Dubai Municipality required a proven, traffic coating system to deck the stretch of carriageway offering the flexibility to create its own designs along the route.

Some 14,500 sq m of Deckshield were used in beige, red and pink along the route, according to Dawson.

Other project references for Deckshield include Deira City Centre car- park, Jumeirah Shopping and Leisure Centre and the Nad Al Sheba stadium, all in Dubai, and three car-parks for Abu Dhabi Municipality as part of the ongoing TRIP programme.

Flowcrete recently took over two established companies: Perstorp Construction Chemicals, based in Sweden and Belgium-based Atako.

The deal will bring a range of products to the Middle East, including Perstorp Construction Chemicals' epoxy resin floors, such as Rustik, a clear resin containing natural rock, stone and granite which is suitable for retail areas, including car showrooms.

Atako systems offer a range of highly chemical-resistant corrosion protection resin products, based on a special shrinkage-free vinyl ester resin, used heavily within the petrochemical and waste-water treatment industries.

Dawson comments: "This has been a fantastic year for Flowcrete Middle East and we are carving out a position as one of the region's market leaders in specialist commercial and industrial flooring. On the back of that success, we are gearing up to continue our growth plans across the Gulf, based upon a successful model developed in Dubai.

"Our project reference list is superb and the new products we now offer will supplement our existing range and allow us to push the business forward even further, by offering proven coating and flooring solutions into a wide range of markets.

"We are now keen to look for further regional partners to enhance our presence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait."