Tasked with the responsibility of undertaking all the road construction works and car-parks associated with the Bahrain World Trade Center (BWTC), Bahrain-based Nass Asphalt is playing a relatively small but nevertheless important role in ensuring easy access and convenience at the sophisticated development.

“We would be the first to admit that road construction is a relatively low-profile discipline on a project such as the BWTC which is of major construction engineering significance. However, as an intrinsic part of Nass Corporation, we have been ready to be part of the construction team and assist in the project’s progress,” says Gerard Martin Hutton, general manager of the firm, which specialises in road works and is a major supplier to the construction industry.
“We started in the early days of the project by building the temporary car-park and have since carried out road works as and when required – the most recent task having been the entrance to the Sheraton Hotel that had to be completed on a tight deadline for the Bahrain Grand Prix held in March this year,” he says
“We are proud to be associated with the BWTC which, together with the Bahrain Financial Harbour, will make a dynamic impression on the Manama skyline. We believe that these structures will have a positive influence on people’s perception of Manama as being a modern business centre and will assist in the growth of Bahrain’s economy,” he adds.
Besides the prestigious BWTC project, Nass Asphalt’s major project is a two-year term tender contract that involves maintaining Bahrain’s existing road system. The contract involves the entire spectrum of road works ranging from raising manholes to major overlay works on highways. With its major contract, which it secured in October 2004, Nass Asphalt marked its entry into the field of term tender contracts.
As part of Nass Corporation and particularly with its close association with Nass Contracting, the company has the capability of carrying out any road project, regardless of how big or complex it is, he says. Some of the projects it has recently completed along with Nass Contracting include the Hidd infrastructure and other projects which have included bridge works at the Durrat Al Bahrain and road works around Hidd power station and the steel mill in Bahrain.
“These projects have involved the movement and placing of huge amounts of material for the building of roads with complex civil works such as the culvert outflow at the Hidd power station and the bridges at Durrat Al Bahrain,” Hutton points out.
Commenting on business levels over the past year, he says: “Over the past 12 months, our business has taken a dramatic turn that has taken the company from being a relatively small firm to a major player in the road construction sector. We have also greatly increased our resources both in terms of manpower and equipment. A year ago, we had three pavers whereas now we have seven; we had one milling machine as against four now, six road trucks as compared to more than 20 today and one asphalt plant as against two today.”
Nass Asphalt has also acquired three graders that have allowed it to develop its civils operation as well a crushing plant that has made it a materials supplier. Over the past year, it has also focused on increasing its staff from 50 to 200, including a large percentage of highly skilled and professional people who have improved the quality of its operations and service.
“The next 12 months will be more about being better, rather than bigger. We are well on track to develop a quality management system and in the process of implementing a computerised management system. We will concentrate more on training and the development of our staff at all levels,” he says.
Nass Asphalt is essentially a people-centric company, as it understands that the business is only as good as the staff it employs, says Hutton.
Established in 2002 to supply asphalt to Nass Contracting on the Hidd infrastructural project, the company comprises an administrative centre and asphalt-manufacturing unit at Hidd and an asphalt and crushing unit at Hafeera. It also has an asphalt-paving operation, an eight-man civils operation, which works all over the kingdom and a road transport fleet of more than 20 vehicles.
“Established primarily to supply asphalt in-house to Nass Contracting, it was only in the summer of 2004 that it started to look for work outside,” explains Hutton. “The award of the term tender was certainly a boost to our business development. Since then, we have continued to win new customers and we now have a broad customer base in Bahrain. When Nass Corporation developed Nass Asphalt, it was not only to improve its own capability but also to increase the competition within the market. As Nass Asphalt would be competing against long-established companies, we needed to add something fresh to the market. We needed to be dynamic, responsive and competitive and to produce a quality product. Nass Asphalt fulfilled this requirement by assimilating the best business practice, a people-based environment and empathy for the client and the local culture.”
“Our mission is to become one of the best road construction firms in the region – one that its clients, employees and all other stakeholders are proud to be associated with,” he says. “To attain this goal, Nass Asphalt aims to incorporate a multi-cultural team-based environment where the emphasis is to expand the potential of its staff, ensure a total commitment to quality, maintain transparency in all its operations, keep abreast of the latest developments, and retain a business focus based on client satisfaction.’’