"Feature panels, column cladding, wall panels, bridges, podiums and trelly ceilings are elegant pieces of art executed by Shamel, the workmanship and finesse of which are comparable with the best in the industry," says a spokesman for the Oman-based interior decor specialist.

The company is well-equipped to achieve this high quality, thanks to in-house design capabilities and the diverse range of services offered by its factory, he adds.

Shamel International Industries Trading and Contracting - previously known as Sarco Oman - has been associated with furniture and furnishing since the late 1970s. It set up a factory in 1992 with a mission to become the most sought-after manufacturer of specialist architecture and joinery and bespoke furniture.

With this goal in mind, the company works towards providing the highest quality of services from its 20,000 sq m state-of-the-art factory, which has the capacity to handle a turnover of $15 million and comprises a timber mill, kilns, machine shop, veneer area, carving section, assembly shop and polishing section.

Shamel International's in-house design and layout department uses Auto-Cad, Archi-Cad, manual hand-drawing rendering techniques, in-house R&D (research and development) and proto-type developments.

The company also has its own facility for soft furnishing and upholstery works.

The factory is supported by 300 multinational, multi-lingual employees and an excellent and dedicated management team, says the spokesman.

Its product range covers a broad spectrum of work in the contract furnishing and architectural joinery field, including mass-produced wooden furniture, custom-built and bespoke furniture, soft furnishing and upholstery, specialist gypsum work and turnkey interior fit-out works.

"Gypsum with specialist decoration is a strong point of the company and we have been commended on our ability at model-making and implementing it to full scale," says the spokesman.

The carving section, supported by CNC machines and hand-picked artisans, has carried out intricate and delicate works for the ruling family in Oman and elsewhere in the Gulf.

Shamel's extensive product range enables it to cater to a wide clientele, including international hotel chains, palaces and villas, ministries and government departments, commercial establishments and housing projects.

Besides the Grand Hyatt in Dubai, the company has been associated with furnishing, furniture and interior works at various other hotel projects such as Al Bustan Palace, Chedi Serai, Sheraton Oman, Mercure, Inter Continental Muscat, Radisson SAS, Crowne Plaza, Novotel, Holiday Inn as well as the Hyatt in Oman.

Apart from hotels, Shamel has to its credit a number of successfully completed projects which involves highly intricate woodwork and joinery for royal palaces.

"One of the key factors which have contributed to Shamel's success as a world-class joinery and furniture producer is its ability to produce the right mix of mass-produced furniture and custom-built products and its highly qualified and dedicated management team," the spokesman says. "The company's mission - based on customer satisfaction, guaranteed quality assurance and timely completion - has steered it successfully into international markets and the company now provides furnishing solutions to the customers in the Middle East as well as in the UK.

"Its commitment to customer satisfaction, coupled with stringent quality standards, not only ensures an enviable position where clients are assured of optimum value for money, but has culminated in it receiving the prestigious ISO 9001 certification, which officially recognises Shamel as a quality furnishing company of international calibre.

"As quality control and assurance starts from the drawing stage to selection of raw material and through to the completion and packing, the client is assured of quality and is offered a one-year warranty on components and workmanship," says the spokesman.

"A highly skilled multi-national workforce, modern manufacturing systems and continued investment programme in manpower and machinery have helped Shamel exceed customer expectations with its world-class products and secured its position in the domestic and international market," the spokesman concludes.