Not many UAE companies can boast a history that extends almost nine decades – and far fewer can claim a global export arena and a product portfolio that includes more than 12,000 items.

Dubai-based Al Rahmani General Trading Company stakes a claim for both these distinctions with an extensive portfolio of products that has attracted customers not only in the GCC but in various regions of the world.
“From building materials to tools and accessories, paints and electrical equipment, Al Rahmani has everything to offer,” says a spokesman for the firm. “Our diverse product portfolio has enabled us to find new markets and today we can count companies in the US, Russia, the CIS states, Africa, and Asia among our customers.”
At the Big 5 show this month, the company will promote some of its diverse range of building materials, putting the spotlight on the latest interior decoration materials it has to offer the market.
Al Rahmani had a very modest beginning when it was founded by the late Haji Yousuf Al Rahmani in 1917: it began operations by importing materials for the fabrication of thatched houses and dhows. Over the years, it has grown by expanding its product base to include a variety of building materials, interior decorative items and other related products and has now become a leader in its field in the entire Gulf, says the spokesman.
“We have acquired various agencies, distributorships and dealerships and are representing world-class brands in the region,” he adds.
“The company has supplied to practically every type of project in the UAE, from the imposing Trade Centre, Emirates Towers, Burj Al Arab to the sprawling Dubai Dry Docks, from the stately Rulers Office to simple apartments and Emaar and Nakheel projects,” says the spokesman.
“Apart for this, we have been major suppliers to various remarkable projects in the other emirates of the UAE.  We played a part in the growth of the country and have grown with it, making our contribution in a small way in the development of the UAE.”
Having established itself as a market leader in the emirates, the veteran firm took steps beyond the boundaries of the UAE and started exporting products to neighbouring Gulf countries in 1965. The exports grew with the product base and now the company supplies various products to the US, Europe, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Algeria, Mauritania, Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Gabon, Madagascar, Russia, and many CIS countries, in addition to the GCC member countries.
Given its expert knowledge of building materials and the latest technology, Al Rahmani has continued to add new products to its range from time to time to meet the growing requirements of the region.
Its range of building materials comprises timber, plywood boards/panels, sheets, cement and structural steel while its vast array of elegant interior finishing and decoration products includes ceiling and partitioning systems, a full range of adhesives high-pressure laminates and architectural hardware, plumbing and sanitary ware, paints and accessories, hand/power tools and accessories as well as electrical fittings.
Other products in the company’s portfolio include wood glue, power tools, decorative panels, Diaglas acrylic sheets veneers, laminated parquet flooring, lighting and power tools, decorative wooden grilles, hand tools, vinyl flooring, roofing products, switch sockets, plugs and accessories, electric wires and cables, solvents and wood preservatives, lamps and tubes.
In its drive to modernise and meet the challenges of the information age, the company undertook computerisation of its systems in 1988.
All the sales outlets and warehouses are equipped with the latest in IT technology which ensures enhanced quality of services and prompt information to customers, according to the spokesman.