Aluminium Products Company (Alupco), the region's largest producer of extruded and surface treated aluminium profiles for architectural and industrial applications, is spearheading a series of strategic investments, reinforcing its credentials as a global player.

Alupco has built its formidable reputation on driving forward production excellence and is renowned for its depth of experience and expertise in supplying higher-end quality products for the Middle East and export markets.

This reputation for quality aluminium extrusion products, developed over a quarter of a century, has brought Alupco unparalleled success including sole-supplier status on prestige projects such as the Burj Al Arab, Al Faisaliah Centre, Kingdom Center, Dubai Internet City, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, National Bank of Bahrain, and countless others.

Market leadership and technological expertise in state-of-the-art manufacturing processes has also enabled Alupco to win major export orders in the highly competitive European and Middle East markets. 
In terms of volumes, Alupco reports a growth in volume of 70 per cent over the last five years, and forecasts an annual sales growth of 10 per cent over the next five years with increasing market share in local and export markets.

The first company in the region to receive ISO 9001 certification, the design and production of aluminium profiles and surface treatments meet EN, DIN, BS and Saudi Arabian Standards Organisation (Saso) standards. About 70 per cent of total production is for Saudi Arabia with significant exports to the GCC, Europe, South America, Africa and Asia.

Alupco operates two massive plants in Dammam and Jeddah with a combined total production capacity of 65,000 tonnes of aluminium profiles per year.
Alupco is expanding its production platform and actively looking at the UAE and Europe and plans to build complete extrusion plants to meet increasing regional demand and target the European market.  This is part of an ambitious $80 million rolling programme of investment to install new equipment, upgrade and modernise existing lines and construct new facilities over the next five years. 

Production excellence is embedded in the  organisation with a 'no compromise' approach to quality and efficiency backed by strong relationships with its technical partners.  Alupco has gained the trust of many internationally-renowned companies such as Schuco, Reynolds, Installux, RC Systems and Hueck, whose systems are produced at the Dammam and Jeddah facilities.

Alupco commissioned a 3,800 tonne extrusion press, the largest in the Middle East, to meet the production demands of the Burj Al Arab and the Kingdom Center.  This year, a seventh extrusion press has been commissioned including a new powder coating line at the Jeddah plant, and major modifications and upgrades are ongoing at the Dammam plant.

Alupco is a specialist in surface treatment technologies from both its plants having two uniquely-designed vertical paint lines, two horizontal paint lines, two anodizing lines and a chemical brightening line with combined capacities of 46,500 tonnes per year.

Its aluminium profiles are available in mill, anodised, polyester powder-coated and chemically brightened finishes primarily for applications in the construction industry for the fabrication of products including windows, doors and curtain walling systems. In addition, the company provides customised profiles in hard alloys for the automotive sector and special profiles for the electrical and furniture industries, as well as lighting fixtures.

Important to Alupco's operations is its $8.8 million die manufacturing plant (DMP) in Jeddah, commissioned in March 1999. The DMP eliminated Alupco's previous dependence on European imports for its extrusion dies and tooling needs, thus giving it greater control over its deliveries to contractors. The DMP manufactures up to 3,000 dies and tools per year, supplying the greater part of the company's requirements for extrusion dies with the balance exported.

Quality is at the core of Alupco manufacturing operations where an extensive quality assurance system involves every stage of the contract process, from production to customer service.   Quality certificates are provided after a series of tests for chemical composition and mechanical properties.

Alupco was also the first manufacturer of architectural and industrial aluminium extrusions to create its own system of aluminium windows and doors (the Saraya system), while it is also said to be the only company in the Middle East producing 300 mm by 80 mm hollow sections, with any design complexity, to ASTM, DIN, BS and Saso standards.

Alupco is clearly positioning itself as the preferred choice for aluminium extrusions in the region and internationally.
Its commitment to the growth of the aluminium industry will be further reinforced later this year when it is a key sponsor at the Gulf Construction Conference Week, which will be held from November 29 to December 3 at the Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai, alongside the Big 5 exhibition.