Business is booming for Dorma, one of the region’s largest suppliers of door controls and operating systems, as the buoyant construction market of the Middle East – particularly the UAE – opens new avenues of opportunities for the firm.

Dorma’s regional management says it’s gearing up to embrace the new challenges through a company restructuring that puts the focus on service.
A recent internal reorganisation – spearheaded by Ben Shaw, the managing director for Dorma’s Gulf, Middle East and North Africa operations – has resulted in the opening of a second Dubai office, to complement the firm’s existing operations in the Jebel Ali Free Zone.
 “The opening of our new Garhoud location heralds the debut of Dorma’s project management team – a group of professionals dedicated to supporting regional architects and building professionals,” says Shaw. “Their mission is to assist and guide Dorma product users to ensure they recognise the innovative flexibility the company’s systems offers and make the most of available options.
“The changes have demanded that the company doubles its staff strength to man its Garhoud operation.  It now has a total of 24 staff operating out of Dubai, in addition to more than 60 employees at the Dorma Arabia Automatics Company in Dammam, Saudi Arabia,” says Shaw.
Dorma began making inroads in the Middle Eastern markets in the early 70s, from its headquarters in northwestern Germany (Dusseldorf). After more than two decades of continuous growth, the company launched a presence in the Middle East with the opening of Dorma Gulf Door Controls in the Jebel Ali Dubai in 1997.
Three years later, the German parent firm – with the full support of its long-term partner in Saudi Arabia, Hamad A Al Zamil & Bros Company – further strengthened their mutually beneficial relationship, to launch Dorma Arabia Automatic Doors.
As construction in the region boomed, Dorma’s presence continued to grow and in October last year, Dorma of Germany became the majority shareholder of Dorma Arabia Automatic Doors, controlling 75 per cent of the shares.
It has now embarked on an aggressive campaign to consolidate its market share by investing in an expansion which it believes will support increased sales margins throughout the region.
“The opening of our Garhoud location and the debut of our project management team is just the beginning,” says Shaw, adding that the geographical move paralleled a company restructuring that gives each of Dorma’s five divisions more independence and focus, enabling improved customer service relations. He also hints that with the volume of construction currently under way in the UAE alone, the company’s continued growth in the region looks promising and urges industry professionals to take note of Dorma’s new focus on providing service excellence to complement its world-class product range.
Dorma’s five divisions – which are said to provide system concepts that can transform virtually any planning concept for door applications into efficient realities – include:
• Door Controls  – which specialises in door closing systems, door fittings, furniture, locks and panic hardware;
• Automatic – which manufactures, distributes and services automatic door and operator system requirements;
• Glass Fittings and Accessories  – which focuses on the development and manufacturing of hardware for glass doors, including some of the world’s toughest glass assemblies and innovative architectural glass construction.
• Movable Walls  – whose extensive portfolio of room partitioning and spatial configuration solutions have made it the world market leader in this sector; and
• Security Time and Access Control (STA).