Dammam-based Aluminium Products Company (Alupco), considered to be the largest manufacturer of extruded and surface-treated aluminium profiles in the Middle East, is gearing up to further diversify its product range and has recently introduced a number of products to address the needs of the regional and worldwide market.

Alupco’s new range will include engineered products such as complete system profiles as the company moves away from the production of commercial-quality extrusions.
It has already added a string of innovative systems to its range for the fabrication of windows, doors and curtain walls in building construction, designed for the Saudi, UAE and other GCC markets. These include the 50SG curtain wall, the 52 System for hinged windows and doors, and the Alupcotherm 123 for flyscreens (inner and outer).
It has also boosted its existing Saraya/Super Saraya line of 40 mm hinged window and doors and swing door systems with the Saraya 120 sliding door systems for the Saudi, UAE and other GCC markets; and the Saraya 100 mm series of sliding windows for the UAE market.
The company has now launched a multi-pronged strategy to spearhead its growth, following a dip in business last year.
“Business levels last year were lower than in 2005 because the market demand was primarily for kitchen profiles, which our large presses are not geared for,” says Ibrahim M Al Rashed, who took charge as general manager of Alupco last September. “In addition, the collapse of the Saudi stock market earlier in the year resulted in a slowdown in the construction sector, which has affected all extruders. Also, aluminium prices escalated very sharply in 2006 and reached almost double the prices that were prevalent in 2005. The situation was further compounded by an increase in the number of aluminium extruders in the region.
“We feel that in the coming year competition will be intense with an excess of supply due to the number of new extruders entering the market and expansions being undertaken by existing ones,” he adds.

Product range
Alupco’s extensive product range includes profiles in mill, anodised, polyester powder-coated, chemically-brightened and wood finishes, produced according to varied customer requirements.
These profiles are mainly used as raw material for the fabrication of products for the construction and manufacturing sectors, such as windows, doors and curtain walls, among other components for the building industry; specially-designed profiles in hard alloys for the automotive and other industries; special profiles in various shapes and alloys for the electrical industry; profiles for lighting fixtures and furniture industries; profiles with special finishes for decorative purposes; and other specific applications like signboards.
Its extensive range of products is backed by a keen focus on quality. Alupco attained ISO 9001 certification in 1995, becoming “the first-ever aluminium extrusion company in the Middle East to be conferred with such distinction” according to Al Rashed. Currently, the company holds ISO 9001:2000 quality management certification, as well as other internationally-recognised product quality certifications such as Qualicoat and Qualanod,” says Al Rashed.
Established in 1975, Alupco has two large and modern plants – one in Dammam and the other in Jeddah. Its head office and factory is located over a 65,000 sq m site in Dammam First Industrial City, while its Jeddah plant is located over a 70,000 sq m plot in Jeddah Industrial City – Phase II. The Saudi-owned limited liability company also operates sales offices in Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah and Dubai in the UAE.
Its two plants are equipped with advanced equipment supplied by reputable machinery manufacturers from the US, Western Europe and Japan and have a total production capacity of more than 75,000 tonnes per year (tpy). The Dammam plant has four extrusion presses – which includes the largest press in the Middle East – one anodising line, and two vertical powder-coating lines and one wood finish paint line. The Jeddah plant has three extrusion presses, one anodising line, one vertical powder coating line and one horizontal powder-coating line.
“Alupco, with its high anodising capacity, is considered to be one of the largest anodizing installations in the Middle East with a total capacity of 20,000 tonnes, approximately 10 million sq m,” Al Rashed says.

Quality certifications
Alupco systems are designed and developed to meet Saso (Saudi Arabian Standards Organization) and international standards such as EN (European), DIN (German), BS (British), ASTM (American). Accordingly, the systems are tested and classified according to NF EN 12207 for air infiltration; NF EN 12208 for water penetration and ASTM E 330:1996 for wind resistance, he says. Moreover, the company holds rights or licences to manufacture in its extrusion facilities, several internationally-renowned trademark aluminium systems such as Schuco of Germany; Installux and RC, both from France; Alu-K from Italy; and IKU from Austria.
Alupco is also a recognised member of various international aluminium producers groups such as the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) and the Aluminum Anodizers Council. This membership helps its efforts to enhance its production processes and product developments and also provides it with technical support.
Raw materials are procured from prestigious suppliers including Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), Dubai Aluminium (Dubal), Jotun, Du Pont, Metachem and Henkel, while avant-garde technology support comes from SMS, Travisan, Wagstaff and PA.
The company currently employs a total of 800 skilled employees of different nationalities, more than 33 per cent of whom are Saudi nationals

Projects
Alupco’s extrusions have been used on a large number of prestigious projects in the region. In Saudi Arabia, some of its major project include Kingdom Centre and the Al Faisaliah Centre, both in Riyadh, the NCCI Ta’awoniyyah Co-operative Insurance, Aqariyyah shopping centre, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) office building, the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam; and a Royal Commission college in Jubail; National Commercial Bank, Islamic Development Bank, Saudi Fransi and Saudi British Bank, all in Jeddah; projects for the ministries of interior, information and foreign affairs; and numerous hospital projects such as Saudi German (in Riyadh, Madinah and Abha), Saad Hospital (Al Khobar), Al-Salamah (Jeddah) and International Medical Center (Jeddah); as well as a number of hotels and universities.
Some of the landmark projects that the company has supplied in the UAE include the Raffles Centre, which is nearing completion, the Burj Al Arab hotel, Al Murooj Complex, Internet City, Palm Island, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Textile City, Mall of the Emirates, Shatha Tower, Burj Dubai-Old Town and Horizon Tower, all in Dubai; National Bank of Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi; and Al Anwar Tower and Expo Towers in Sharjah.
Elsewhere in the GCC, it has supplied profiles for the Telecommunications Tower in Kuwait City, Kuwait; Khalifa Stadium and Al Areen, both in Doha, Qatar; and Citibank headquarters and the National Bank of Bahrain, both in Bahrain.
Alupco exports its products across the world the Middle East, Europe and Africa.