There has been an increasing demand for stainless steel building components in recent years, says Zamil Architectural Industries (ZAI), a Dammam-based firm which specialises in the fabrication of brass, stainless steel and bronze elements for cladding, balustrades, doors, screens and entrances.

"The use of stainless steel is gaining popularity in interior and exterior applications, especially for column cladding, handrails, fascias and canopies," says Mohammed Hamdan, ZAI general manager.

In response to market demand for stainless-steel handrails, ZAI is upgrading facilities, with new machinery on the way for polishing of larger diameter stainless steel rods. This follows a major investment last year in new machines, which, equipped with the latest features in buffing technology, were the first of their kind in the Kingdom.

The new-generation heavy-duty four-head centreless polishing machine is capable of polishing stainless steel pipes and rods of 10 mm to 120 mm diameter and up to 6 m length to a mirror finish of 806 grits.

"The major advantage of this new technology is that it can produce a uniform finish throughout the length of the pipe or rods and reduce the process time by more than 55 per cent. This process results in the delivery of high quality special-design handrails, column cladding, fascias and canopies," says Hamdan.

Such is the product quality, ZAI offers a 20-year guarantee on its stainless steel building lines.

The company is currently carrying out a number of projects in Saudi Arabia using stainless steel. These include:

Balustrades for Tarouk Riyadh, a shopping mall in Riyadh being built by Tarouk Contracting Riyadh.

Stainless steel square tubes for vertical frames, column cladding and stainless steel decorative grills for Saudi Teriyag Riyadh, a commercial complex in the Saudi capital;

A number of stainless steel elements for Tahliyah Mall in Jeddah;

Approximately 2,500 m of balustrading, 2,500 m of fascia cladding, wall-mounted handrails and elevator cladding for the Serafi Mall in Jeddah.

Other major projects completed recently by ZAI include the canopy for the Bin Ali Complex in Al Khobar in the Eastern Province, stainless steel elements for Abdul Lateef Jamil automotive showrooms in Jeddah and a number of commercial projects implemented through Future Logo, its agent in Jeddah. The company has also undertaken a large number of projects in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Lebanon.

ZAI enfolds the following companies under its umbrella: Zamil Garage Doors, Zamil Art Glass and Architectural Metal Works, Skylite Industries, Zamil Shade Guard and PVC Shades and Mirage Wardrobe Sliding Doors.