A new Zamil venture in Dammam has launched production of open-web steel joists last month.

The company, called Canam Asia, is a venture between Zamil Industrial Investment Company (ZIIC) of Saudi Arabia and Steel Plus Limited (SPL) - an affiliate of the Canadian Canam Manac Group (CMG).

The venture combines the expertise of Zamil Steel Industries (a ZIIC company) with CMG, one of the leading manufacturers of steel joists and structural steel components in North America and Europe.

Canam Asia will be the only company in the region that custom-designs, fabricates and supplies open-web joists, according to a spokesman for ZIIC. The company will promote its wide range of joist products to cover commercial, institutional, residential, and industrial projects throughout the construction industry.

Open-web joists are described as being ideal for floor and roof construction in all types of buildings, whether steel or concrete. They offer substantial savings in weight and cost, according to the spokesman.

"Canam joists can be economically used for long column-free spans due to their high (load) capacity-to-weight ratio, offering more open interior space," he explains. ''Moreover, the truss-like configuration of the joists allows the passage of pipes and ducts through them, thereby eliminating the need for extra height inside buildings and reducing overall cost.''

The industrial licence has already been granted to Canam Asia for the manufacturing of steel joists.

The state-of-the-art facility in Dammam has an annual capacity of 20,000 tonnes of joists. Canam Asia will start supplying its joists to the Gulf region, Asia, and Africa.