Aluminium window and curtain-wall specialist Thomas Bennett Gulf has built a reputation as a leader in the field of glass and aluminium construction through its philosophy of innovation, design development, value engineering, flexibility of choice, rigorous quality control and a determination to excel.

It was the first curtain-walling company in the UAE to be accredited with the ISO 9001 quality assurance certificate, according to a spokesman for the company.

The company has focused on quality since its inception. The development of its quality standards is attributed to the continual quest for providing improved service and advanced products. Furthermore, its compliance with the requirements of the ISO 9000 quality assurance system has brought the company on a par with international companies with respect to the quality standards utilised, says the spokesman.

Established in 1977, Thomas Bennett Gulf is one of the oldest established aluminium contracting companies in the region. The company has its own in-house comprehensive curtain-wall and cladding dynamic testing facility, which was developed to enable the company to introduce unique and innovative products to the market and continuously review the existing product range, he states.

The facility undertakes the testing of all product developments to ensure that they conform to the relevant US and British standards, thereby ensuring quality of design, manufacture and installation to the highest degree, he adds. It is capable of testing curtain-wall or window mock-ups for air filtration and ex-filtration, water penetration under penetration under static and dynamic pressure conditions, slab deflection, thermal performance, wind resistance and serviceability.

In addition to the testing facilities, the company has two factories which are equipped with state-of-the-art machinery for both aluminium assembly/production and glass processing, which includes manufacture of double glazed units and structural silicone bonding.

The spokesman says: The company has been achieving accuracy and quality at all times through the use of latest machinery, combined with precision workmanship and technological expertise. The design and engineering department employs experienced designers and structural engineers backed by computer-aided design (CAD) facilities incorporating the latest software. The design team is capable of achieving a technical solution tailored to meet the individual requirements of the project's design concept.

Thomas Bennett offers a sophisticated curtain-walling system in collaboration with W Hartmann and Company, one of the largest and most prominent German designers. The partnership has produced the Hartmann Systherm range of aluminium-profiled systems of which Systherm 60 has been adapted to suit the Gulf requirements. Thomas Bennett provides fully capped curtain-wall systems, two and four-sided structurally glazed systems, a distinct four-sided structurally glazed modular system or unitised systems, based on the project requirement.
Thomas Bennett also offers the Alking and Gemini range of aluminium profile systems for door and windows  thermally and non thermally broken. Thomas Bennett is a licensee for the Wright-style fire-rated doors and windows systems. The company also offers high-quality honeycombed and composite aluminium panels and is the country stockist for various other accessories and products.

The company also has in-house engineering capabilities to design around standard or custom systems and can assist with budgets, proposals or value engineering on any size projects. It has completed a wide variety of high-quality buildings which are a testimony to its excellence in manufacturing products such as curtain-walling, rooflights, shopfronts, entrance doors, cladding, windows and balustrades.

Thomas Bennett is also the sole agent for Hawa proprietary sliding, folding or stacking glass partition systems. This glazed product is suitable for internal applications in banks and shopping malls. Hawa products will be promoted at Stand No. A123 in Hall Three at the Big 5 Show 2003.

Some of the projects executed by Thomas Bennett recently include the Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai Media City Phase III, office buildings at Emirates Hills, Emirates Aviation Training Centre and Sheikh Essa Tower.