Al Shafar Special Material (ASSM), a subsidiary of the UAE-based Al Shafar General Contracting, uses high-quality products – some of which have been tailored for the region – to ensure the success of its projects in the region.

The company’s current order book includes some of the landmark projects in Dubai such as the Golden Mile, the Al Tayer Tower, the Citadel Tower, The Villa, Bay Square, the Twin Towers, the Vision Tower, Oasis Centre and the Burg Jal Tower.
Commenting on the company’s spectacular rise in the UAE market, general manager of ASSM George Rizik says: “Established in 2006, ASSM has performed remarkably well to be recognised in this highly competitive marketplace in such a short time. Our prestigious clients such as Dubai Properties, Asico, and the distinctive projects we have worked on stand testimony to this. Presently, we are very close to signing a new contract with JML for Dubai Metro stations.”
The firm, which specialises in false ceilings and dry wall partitions, offers an engineering, procurement, and installation service, using products mainly from three companies – Germany’s Knauf and the US’ USG for ceilings and partitions, and Gyproc for plasterboard. Its scope of work includes gypsum ceilings, aluminium tiles, gypsum tiles, mineral-fibre tiles and gypsum wall partitions.
Germany-based Knauf extensive product range include plasters, drywalls, gypsum boards, fillers, profiles, limestone and chemical-based renders, mineral fibre boards, cement boards, plaster machines, polystyrene, polyurethane, glass wool, mineral wool insulation boards.
“For the Middle East region, Knauf has recently introduced a wide range of speciality acoustical ceilings, besides an extended range of plasters. The company produces ceiling tiles, painted or laminated, in three different acoustical designs, bevelled or square-edged and in full board length,” says a spokesman for ASSM.
Another leading product from Knauf – the MF Ceiling System, which can bear a certain degree of loading, utilises one or more layers of a wide range of Knauf boards, namely Knauf Wallboard, Knauf Moisture shield, Knauf Sound shield, Knauf Vapour shield, Knauf Fire shield, Knauf Fire Moisture shield and Knauf Dense shield, depending on the type of requirement. 
Commenting on Knauf’s innovative partitions, he says: “Knauf twin-frame non-load bearing partitions provide exceptional sound reduction properties using fast drywall construction techniques. These partitions are suitable for cinemas, auditoriums and separating walls in apartments as they have very high sound reduction and high fire resistance values.”
Turning to Gyproc’s outstanding properties, the spokesperson says: “Gyproc offers a range of products including Regular Board, which is non-combustible and has superior thermal insulation. It is smooth and level, giving an attractive appearance to interior walls and ceilings. The gypsum board with an ivory faced-paper is suitable for most applications where normal fire, structural and acoustic performances are specified.”
The US-based USG company produces a wide variety of products including metal and gypsum ceilings and partitions and other related components and accessories. Its range of ceilings includes concealed grids, exposed grids, and linear panel ceilings.
Some of ASSM’s completed projects in the UAE include the Jumeirah Beach Residence (Sector 6), Corp Executive Hotel, Emirates Crown Tower, and the World Cup quarantine barn expansion at Nad Al Sheba.