The cladding market is good and could probably remain so for the next decade, according to Majid Mirza, general manager of Dubai-based Al Wahaj Metal Industries.

However, steel prices have almost doubled recently and if prices do not go down, there will be a slowdown in the steel buildings market – which will have a knock-on effect on the cladding demand, he adds.
Al Wahaj supplies a complete system inclusive of roof and wall cladding panels as well as sandwich panels but it can also cater to the requirements for customised profiles, which can be offered in steel or aluminium.  Its products are marketed under the brand Wahajclad for cladding and composite panels and Wahajpurl for purlins, which are offered in various sizes, shapes or thicknesses.
The company has a capacity to produce 500,000 sq m of sandwich panels and 1.095 million linear metres (lm) of single-skin panels as well 1.46 million lm of purlins per year.
Al Wahaj is fully equipped to offer complete design detailing, supply and installation of all these products and accessories for all construction requirements, whether it is a simple warehouse unit, a large factory complex, a residential villa or high-rise office and apartment complex, he says.
With business levels currently being very good for the company, Al Wahaj has embarked upon a programme to double its facilities to meet the demand in both the local and the export market. The expansion is expected to be completed by the year-end. 
Its factory in the Al Quoz area of Dubai  will be equipped with two presses and two rolling mills. Mirza claims that its facility is equipped with automatic CNC (computerised numerical controlled) machines, which have an output that is much more than some of its competitors in the market. 
While the ISO9001-certified company is busy supplying the local market, the expansion will enable the company to meet the demands of its growing export market.  Al Wahaj, therefore, will be in a better position to push itself aggressively in the export arena.
The company focuses on establishing a close working relationship with its customers to better understand their needs and thereby provide an integrated product service to meet and exceed its clients’ expectations.
It can deliver products from ready raw material stocks to ensure a short delivery time. It also stocks a reasonable quantity of polyester or PVDF coated and mill finish steel and aluminium.
Prime quality steel or aluminium from reputed mills across the globe is used in the manufacture of its products. In addition, the company can produce systems using raw materials procured to clients’ exact specifications. 
Its technical specialists are also on hand to offer technical service and support at any stage of a project, says Mirza.
 
Z-purlins
The Wahajpurl range of Z-purlins is used as secondary supports for roofing sheets and composite panels and is available in various sections.  They are manufactured from cut to width and hot-dipped galvanised steel coils to ASTM A 446 with a minimum yield strength of 345 N/sq mm.  The zinc coating is a minimum density of 275 g/sq m on both sides.  Galvanising is carried out to ensure good corrosion protection for the edges as well, says Mirza.  The holes are prepunched by a PLC (programmable logic control)-controlled online press.
“Wahajpurl Z-purlins have accurate prepunched holes, thereby reducing fixing time and maintaining accuracy,” says Mirza. “To ensure flexibility in the design of structures, the purlins are offered in depths ranging from 125 mm to 300 mm.

Profiled sheets
Wahajclad profiled sheets are available in aluminium and steel in thicknesses ranging from 0.4 mm to 1.0 mm in standard colours or according to the requirements of clients. These profiles are designed to ensure roof and wall cladding of lasting durability and a pleasing aesthetic appearance, he says.
The standard coating for these profiles consists of two coats of 20 to 25 microns polyester paint on the outside and a primer coating of five to 10 microns on the inside. This economical and long life coating is available in RAL or BS colours, Mirza says.
These profiles are also available with PVDF coating, which has excellent ultra-violet (UV) resistance and long life, he adds.
Al Wahaj’s roll forming line has been imported from Europe and is tooled up with high-grade alloy rolls and shear blades.  This ensures a very high consistency and quality of the products, Mirza points out.
Wahajclad profile sheets are roll-formed and cut to length as specified by the customers.
“The base material is of structural-quality steel to ASTM  A-446 Grade D with a minimum yield stress of 345 N/sq mm or of lock forming quality to ASTM A-527,” he explains. “The steel is either hot-dipped galvanised to ASTM A-525-G90 with zinc coating of 275g/sq m or Al-Zn coated to AZ 150.  An aluminium zinc coating is superior to galvanised steel in corrosion resistance.”
For aluminium systems, the aluminium alloy AA 3105 or equivalent is used.  The aluminium profiled sheets are available in mill finish, stucco embossed and colour-coated finishes.
 
Composite panels
Wahajclad composite panels consist of an outer metal profile, a shallow-ribbed inner metal liner sheet and a core of factory-injected polyurethane foam with a density ranging from 35 to 40 kg/cu m. 
They are available in a range of outer profiles in both aluminium and steel.  The insulation core can be produced in various thicknesses with thermal insulation values ranging from 0.54 to 0.19 W sq m deg C.
“Wahajclad composite roof and wall panels enable you to complete structures more quickly and easily than other traditional cladding products,” says Mirza.  
Panels with a maximum length of 13 m can be supplied. 
 
Flat panels
Wahaj flat panels can be used for roof and wall panels for cold stores.  These panels are offered in a maximum width of 1,000 mm and a polyurethane thickness of at least 50 mm.  The outer and inner skin is shallow ribbed, which makes it easy to clean as well as aesthetic, he says.
Al Wahaj also has a roll forming line for shallow ribbed profiles, which are predominantly used for flat panels and as bottom liner for sandwich panels.  These profiles can be made in various widths of up to 1,000 mm in aluminium and steel.

Curved panels and flashings
Al Wahaj also offers curved panels for fascias, eaves and ridges made to clients’ specifications. Here, the crimp curving is done with a CNC machine, which ensures perfect curvature due to accurate crimp spacing, he says. The profiles are crimp-curved to a minimum radius of 300 mm.
 The curving operation is performed on CNC machines, thereby ensuring consistent dimensions and accuracy of required profiles. 
Flashings are made on new automatic machines that ensure the accuracy of dimensions.

Roof and wall accessories
Al Wahaj also offers a wide range of accessories along with the cladding, flashings and curved panels.  These include skylights, ridge ventilators, fasteners, rivets, sealants, barrier tapes, insulation, all from reputed suppliers.