UK-based Elkington Gatic has introduced its new Gatic Slotdrain throughout the Middle East.

Described by many within the industry as the ‘Rolls Royce of channel drainage’ the system is claimed to have the “highest standards in quality and design, combining both practical performance and aesthetic appeal.”
Elkington Gatic has a long established and international reputation for the design and manufacture of engineered access covers and surface water drainage products. Established over 80 years ago, the Gatic brand is recognised worldwide for products of the highest quality, performance and durability.
The Gatic name is widely recognised across the Gulf region, with products supplied to many safety critical projects, including airports and ports in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the Yemen. In the UAE alone, products by Elkington Gatic have been installed on Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Jebel Ali and Sharjah Airports, Khor Fakkan and Jebal Ali Ports and numerous sewerage contracts for Dubai Municipality.
Gatic Slotdrain is a proven product, having been installed on a variety of projects throughout Europe.
Elkington Gatic has trade partners across the Middle East region and is represented in the UAE through Mac Al Gurg, a reputable company involved in the promotion of Gatic products for over 30 years.
A spokesman for the company explains: “The new Gatic Slotdrain range was launched by Elkington Gatic four years ago in the UK, and since then has taken the European market by storm, as consultants, contractors and their clients appreciate the benefits that Gatic Slotdrain brings.”
In the Middle East, the system is ideal for projects where a high quality finish is required or where construction products need to be strong and durable. These include suqs, shopping centres, office developments and hotels, as well as high-class palaces and villas, mosques, museums, municipality buildings and projects of historical interest. Gatic Slotdrain has also been installed on ports and airports, warehouse and distribution centres.
With a neat and unobtrusive surface edge detail, Gatic Slotdrain satisfies current requirements for a clean, contemporary and minimalist appearance, which complements the innovative design style of buildings within the Gulf, he adds.
A single slot is also safe and easy to maintain, overcoming the problems associated with open channels, which often have loosely fitted gratings that may become lost or detached. Channel units can be used with virtually all surface finishes, including decorative marble, block paving, stone sets and granite.
Gatic Slotdrain is available in both pre-galvanised steel and high-grade stainless steel. The system is impact resistant and will not break during transport, site storage and installation and will remain intact for the lifetime of the project, therefore reducing long-term maintenance costs.
This durability is particularly important for the Gulf region, where the local environment can be aggressive to conventional building materials, he points out.
Channel components are laser-cut to precise tolerances, to ensure a tight fit between units, which achieves a high quality finish.
Gatic Slotdrain is available in six sizes, ranging from 100 mm to 600 mm wide. This allows contractors to install a single high-capacity channel to provide drainage to a large area, so reducing the amount of underground pipe-work and saving time and cost in the process.
On a recent project in Europe, the use of Gatic Slotdrain has saved the contractor the need to install over 4,000 m of underground pipe-work. The use of high-capacity channels is also important in the Gulf region, which experiences short periods of very heavy rainfall in winter months,” the spokesman adds.
The largest Slotdrain unit has a discharge capacity of up to 1,013 litres per second, which can handle high volumes of surface water. Smaller channels may also become clogged by sand.
Gatic Slotdrain is claimed to be up to three times quicker to install than equivalent precast modular channels, further reducing total installation costs by a possible 25 per cent. Slotdrain units are said to be much lighter than alternative precast channel systems. They are supplied as a single unit in standard 3 m lengths, making them easier to align, with no additional gratings to fix.
“Elkington Gatic views service and product quality as paramount. The company’s systems are independently assessed and approved to BS EN ISO 9000:2000.
“In addition, the company fully recognises the need to comply with all environmental legislation and has recently achieved registration to the environmental manufacturing standard BS EN 14001.
Gatic Slotdrain has been comprehensively tested to BS EN: 1433 and is the only modular channel system that has been awarded the Kite Mark for quality.
A comprehensive design and technical support service is available from Elkington Gatic. This includes the supply to project consultants of extremely accurate hydraulic design software.