Gulf Extrusions, a UAE-based pioneer and market leader in aluminium extrusions for the GCC, projects a 15 per cent market growth for 2004.

According to the company, the growth will be based on a three-pronged strategy of building on the company’s current 50 per cent market share in the UAE market, increasing exports to other GCC and Middle East countries, as well as its entry into new global markets following the company’s success in penetrating several markets in Europe, West Africa, Asia and Canada.
As a pioneering manufacturer of aluminium extrusion in the GCC, with 25 years of manufacturing history, Gulf Extrusions has witnessed the development of both the regional construction industry and the manufacturing sector.
“This has allowed us to observe the trends in the use of materials and understand the needs of the regional construction industry,” says Robert Holtkamp, director of sales and marketing. “For over 25 years, we have also followed a policy of continual technological upgrades that have allowed us to maintain the high quality of our processes and solutions.”
Adds Holtkamp: “The success of our entry into global markets was due mainly to our ability to provide best-of-breed extrusion products and systems. The process was also aided by the cost effectiveness of our products as a UAE manufacturer, as compared to the higher-priced European products.”
“Our entry into European markets has now put us in the unique position of studying first-hand global construction trends and predicting their entry into regional markets.”
Apart from the UAE, Gulf Extrusions exports to Jordan, Syria and Yemen, and has plans to extend its market to other GCC countries.
The current marketing strategy of Gulf Extrusions will focus on increasing the company’s presence in the UAE and GCC markets, as well as European and South East Asian markets. With an existing capacity of 30,000 tonnes a year, Gulf Extrusion is also considering investment in increasing this capacity to meet the projected market growth.
The company will also seek to counter the recent trend of substitution of environmentally unfriendly materials, in place of aluminium, in the construction industry, he says. “Aluminium is 100 per cent recyclable and costs 95 per cent less in energy terms when produced through recycling. Aluminium is also better suited to the climatic conditions in the region, with no danger of degradation due to harsh weather conditions,” says Holtkamp.
Located in Jebel Ali, the plant is designed to produce aluminium sections in mill finish, silver, bronze, gold and colour anodized, and powder-coated finishes.
Says Holtkamp: “The modern processing equipment and techniques permit the company to produce a range of more than 7,000 profiles, varying from architectural sections to components for household items, AC grills and customised products. Nearly 60 per cent of the output generated by Gulf Extrusions is used in the local market to support the building and construction projects.”