Al Habtoor Interiors (AHI) of the UAE, which has a long history in fitting out exclusive projects, has been investing millions of dollars to boost its facilities and services.

The company was set up in 1975 as a carpentry and joinery division of Al Habtoor Engineering, one of the region's leading contractors associated with some of the most recognisable achievements in modern-day contracting.

"The legacy of Al Habtoor Engineering is very important to us as it has given us a unique position in the market and has enabled us to grow," says AHI director Keith Parker. "Habtoor Interiors has evolved from this substantial heritage to meet the ever-increasing needs for a turnkey fitout service to a diverse and growing range of clients. Built upon these excellent foundations, together with multi-disciplinary skills including fine carpentry, joinery and comprehensive shop-fitting, AHI has expanded its capabilities and offers turnkey interior solutions."

AHI has two main divisions: interior fit-out contracting and carpentry.

"We specialise in hotels, luxury apartments and offices projects," says Parker. "We possess a range of proprietary skills and a unique capacity to deliver against benchmarks of the highest standard and scale."

He continues: "Working with a variety of media - wood, laminate, metal, glass, steel, stone and marble - to make even the most challenging design a reality, these core competencies can be commissioned individually or combined within an overall fit-out project.

"The company possesses the skills, resources and capacity necessary to meet the needs of the most discerning contractors. Supported by a large team of dedicated staff, AHI not only has the specialist skills necessary, but also the physical capacity to work to deadlines, delivering on time and on budget.

"People employed by our company are highly specialised. For the fit-out works, we require extremely good project managers with an eye for detail and knowledge of executing quality work on site. Both our project management team and production and installation team are well-versed in dealing with complex projects."

The new management under the leadership of Parker has made some substantial changes. "We have brought in people of a very high calibre, have acquired new machinery and rearranged the factory," he explains. "We also have a new logo, which gives an image of creativity with strength of structure and excellence."

Parker has nearly 30 years experience in civil engineering and project management. He joined Al Habtoor Group in 1996 as the director of projects and development. He has substantial project management experience in fit-out of luxury hotels, having been involved with the renovation of the Metropolitan Beach Hotel, the Habtoor Residence, Metropolitan Palace Hotel in Dubai and, overseas, the Metropolitan Palace hotel in Beirut, Lebanon.

AHI will shortly be expanding further, adding new offices and warehouses over the next six months to increase its facilities by 30 per cent.

It has invested substantial sums in the latest equipment to achieve consistent standards of the highest quality. "Whilst increasing our ability to deliver high volumes within the specifications prescribed, in-house technology increases our ability to generate top-quality fabricated materials at a competitive rate," says Parker.

The company has invested in a new multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art robotic paint spraying facility for all types of materials, capable of handling a wide range of panel products, mouldings and framework and is the first of its kind in the Middle East. Quality of finish is consistent due to CNC programming and computerised material mixing.

AHI has also acquired a Biesse panel-sizing centre, which is the latest technology for sheet material conversion with an automatic in-feed and CNC programming control. Material is moved around the cutting area on special air-cushioned tables to minimise surface damage.

Commenting on the state of the market, Parker says: "We have maintained our reputation of providing professional service to clients. The market is very competitive and our approach is that of aggressive but measured marketing. We are committed to excellence and aim to become one of the biggest fit-out companies in the Gulf just as Al Habtoor Engineering has become the pre-eminent contracting company in the region."

"Being linked with Al Habtoor is a big advantage for us as we can get support from them while handling big projects. The market is growing with a number of big projects coming up, particularly in Dubai. While our primary focus is the UAE, we are also looking at projects overseas. Nevertheless, while the market is buoyant, there are too many companies chasing the projects and there is the ever-present danger of overtrading. Competing for new projects is a challenge as clients tend to go for the cheapest price which is so often achieved at the expense of quality which is not always visible at handover."

One of AHI's projects where its high standard of craftsmanship is reflected throughout is the new Sheikh Rashid terminal at Dubai International Airport. "We did the skirting, vanity and fridge units for the airport hotel's royal suite, the reception area and juice bar for the state-of-the-art gymnasium, a variety of interior finishes for the conference room, skirting, wall panels, service counter, reception area and workstations," he says. "We also did the fit-out of the first and business class lounges, including workstations, wall panelling, reception area, luggage and magazine racks, stainless steel skirting and TV displays, as well as a comprehensive fit-out of the VVIP suite, including stairway handrails, doorway frames, wall panelling, skirting, archways, glazed sliding shutters and ceiling cornices."

Another impressive project was for the Microsoft building in Dubai Internet City (DIC).

Describing the fit-out, Parker says: "This was a good example of tailoring the fit-out to match the client's budget and time constraints. There are light wood and metal wall panels at the reception desk; tapered columns with glass mosaic tiles and framed metallic laminate wall panels. Cherry wood doors with metal inlays contrast stunning metallic laminate wall panels; stained beech wood wall panels with glass mosaic tile inlays create an exciting backdrop to the staff restaurant; acoustic fabric panels and metallic column cladding create a practical and dramatic effect in the auditorium and glass partitions and low-level walls for workstations create privacy and subdue ambient noise."

Other major AHI projects include: