Bemco Steel Industries Company (BSI) – which has been associated with the Attieh Group for three decades – has charted an ambitious growth plan which will put the leading structural steel and steel products manufacturer on course to more than double its turnover as well as its capacity by the end of next year.

“We originally started in1975,” says Carlo Amirza, executive manager for BSI. ”Since then, our Jeddah-based company has seen its turnover increase from $17.3 million per year to a current figure of $60 million.”
The growth of the company has been particularly rapid over the past two years, according to Amirza, who has witnessed the company’s development over the past 30 years.
 “Over the last two years, we have seen an improvement in market conditions and made an increased investment in new machinery, enabling us to gain a larger share of the market. Now we are more automated, which has enhanced our capacity and improved our quality.
“We are in fact one of the biggest manufacturers of sheet metal products utilising automated lines,” adds Amirza, who points out that the factory is producing the equivalent of 16 tonnes of sheet metal per day.
BSI is an offshoot of Arabian Bemco Contracting Company, which carries out turnkey projects that mainly involve electro-mechanical work with associated civil works.  
According to projects manager Abdel Majid Huneidi, BSI has handled a number of complex and challenging projects since it became an independent company. Several of these projects have entailed design, detailing fabrication and installation, including:
• The turbine hall building structure for the Tabuk power plant;
• The steel building structure for a sea water pump house in Yanbu;
• A pyramidal steel structure for King Abdullah Palace;
• A number of 24-m-diameter steel domes at Al Kharj; and
• A 32.5-m-long arch gate for King Fahd Industrial Sea Port in Yanbu.
Other challenging projects include:
• Steel supports for the Holy Haram in Makkah;
• Chilled water pipe supports for the chiller plant in Makkah for the DOKAAE (Development of King Abdul Aziz Endowment) project; and
• 36-m transmission towers, anti-explosion steel sliding gates, steel framing structures, stainless steel louvers and stainless steel sand traps for the Sawari II Project for Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence.
“Another striking project is a chiller plant structure which has a height of 70 m,” he says. “We have also handled complex jobs for Aramco, Saudi Electric Company (SEC) and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic), in addition to jobs undertaken for international companies.
“These projects have required our strong engineering skills, quality in production, ability to deliver within schedules and to the customer’s satisfaction,” he adds.
BSI is currently fabricating a 4,500-tonne steel structure for a chiller plant for the DOKAAE project as well as undertaking steel works for the Aljamarat project, both in Makkah. Other projects include work for Saudi Arabian Fertiliser Company’s (Safco) Safco IV expansion in Jubail (where Uhde Arabia is the contractor) as well as a special structure for Sawari Mall.
“In fact, a number of projects we are currently working on are for Attieh such as the chiller plant in Makkah, the Jamarat project and the Sawari Mall.  Other projects on which we are associated with the group include the Madinah bulk Plant, Shuaiba power plant, and the Rabigh independent water supply and power project, which has Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) of Japan as main contractor.
Commenting about the Attieh group, Amirza says:  “It is one of the most reliable companies for steel profiles and plates and has a very active sales and delivery department.
“Besides procuring our steel requisites from Attieh, we also supply the company with a range of structural steel, sheet metal and special steel products.”
Turning to BSI’s business levels this year, he says: “We have registered a 50 per cent growth over the last year as BSI has upgraded its facilities and increased its output. While our current capacity is 15,000 tones per year (tpy), we intend to double our capacity to be 30,000 tpy by the end of next year as we anticipate excellent business prospects for next year.”
This medium-sized company with 380 permanent employees has now set a target to achieve a turnover of $150 million per year in the short term.
BSI’s main product lines include pressure vessels, storage tanks, pressurised piping and steel structures for the industrial sector. While its main area of operations remains Saudi Arabia, the company has also undertaken fabrication works for projects in Lebanon, Syria and the GCC states to Binladin Group’s specifications.
Bemco Steel has recently relocated to just outside the city, which has helped provide a platform for growth. The factory, which stands on a 60,000 sq m site undertakes the following:
• Structural steel work of power plants, desalination plants, petrochemical plants, factories, hangers, warehouses, storage tanks, stacks and ducts;
• Fabrication of pressure vessels, power piping and modification of boilers as per ASME Section 1, Section VIII, B31.1 and NBIC;
• HVAC components such as sheet metal products, air distribution products such as dampers, louvers, aluminum cladding, ductwork as per SMACNA or other international standards.
“BSI has a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility equipped with CNC machines for drilling, cutting and marking of steel sections, plasma plate-cutting machines, section built-up and shot-basting machines; plate-rolling machines, computer-operated duct line, SAW, FCAW, GMAW, SMAW and orbital-welding equipment, complete forming and assembly lines – all complemented by professional engineering staff, a thorough quality assurance team and supported by a cadre of skilled technicians.
 “Our engineering department is equipped with STAAD-Pro software for the design of steel structure and X-Steel detailing software. Codeware Compress Program is used in the designing of pressure vessels and heat exchangers. Our engineers follow international standards in their design to ensure that the structures we supply to our clients are safe and economical,” he says.
BSI has recently expanded its facilities, enabling it to increase output and meet the increase in demands. Future plans include the introduction of another production line for the sheet metal fabrication of ducting.
To ensure client satisfaction, the company places a considerable emphasis on quality. Says Amirza: “BSI’s dedication to quality and automation allows us to ensure consistent reliability and repeatability in our standard products. This fact has been endorsed by our receiving the ISO 9001:2000 certification from SGS Yarsley International Certification Services.
“BSI is also authorised to use the following American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) symbols: U stamp – for the manufacture of pressure vessels; S – for the manufacture of assembly of power boilers; and PP – for the manufacture and assembly of pressure piping.
The company is concentrating on products such as storage tanks and is currently looking at new technology for the fabrication and erection of these tanks. “The new technology which comes from Russia will make our manufacturing process easier and faster,” says Amirza.
Exports account for around five per cent of the company’s turnover and while Bemco Steel sees increased demand in the local market, the company is planning to become a regional player.
“The huge investments in oil and gas has stimulated the demand in the local market for steel structures,” says Amirza. “However, we see a growing international role and currently we are involved in projects in Syria, Sudan, Yemen and the rest of the GCC with Arabian Bemco.”
Amirza’s corporate philosophy incorporates the objectives of developing products on time and to the highest quality, which is why Bemco Steel has been able to pride itself in having many repeat customers.