Saudi-based Al Muhaidib Building Materials (MBM), a leading trader and importer/exporter of building construction and insulation materials, is seeking to expand its presence in the Middle East markets on the strength of its quality products.

For over 40 years, the company has been one of the forces to reckon with in the regional market and has been highly successful in building up an impressive clientele on the basis of its ability to meet local and international requirements.
Says general manager, Raed Al Mudaiheem: “This has been possible because of MBM’s extensive, distribution network and services, in major cities in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf, which have ensured a reliable supply of good quality products.”
To ensure the availability of the wide stock range to the customers, MBM has set up over 40 warehouses, sales centres and outlets in the main cities in Saudi Arabia, with a total area of over 5,000 sq m, and is adequately supported by a team of highly trained staff and a large fleet of modern trucks and vehicles to ensure prompt logistical support, he says.
Its emphasis on quality insulation, steel, and timber products has assured the company a leading role as a reliable quality supplier to the building, construction and related industries. “This has allowed the company to stand head and shoulders above its competitors in performance and logistics, and use its superiority to maintain customer loyalty,” he says.
Elaborating on the strength of the company he continues: “One of MBM’s fortes has been the array of insulation material, steel and timber products, which is always in stock.”

Insulation
MBM has a wide range of long-lasting thermal insulation materials that are light in weight, resilient and flexible to suit all surface conditions, water as well as chemical, oil and weather proof and can be used to reduce heat, cold and sound.
“We have different types of insulation materials to suit every need and requirement,” says Mudaiheem.

These include:
• Fibreglass insulation: Available in rolls and boards, these are manufactured from stable glass fibres bonded with thermosetting resins, are environmentally friendly, noncombustible, absorb sound, and offer easy installation;
• Polyethene foam insulations: Manufactured as polythene foam sheets, hoses, back up rod, packing foam, foam closures, hanger insulation, they have excellent sound and thermal properties and eliminate the need for costly additional cladding;
• Thermal and acoustic insulation: Available as rolls, boards, felts, mattresses and loose forms, these can be used for walls, partitions, roofs, floors, steel structures, generators, refineries, furnaces, petrochemical and chemical, mechanical and industrial installations;
• Waterproofing, concrete protection and civil engineering insulation; and
• Dry lining, fire protection, house building, industrial and heating/ventilating, pipe covers and duct liners, duct pipe insulations.
MBM also deals in asphalt emulsions, oxidised asphalt, primers, waterproofing emulsion, protective coatings.

Steel
MBM has a wide range of steel products that have established a name in the market. These include: concrete reinforcement bars, steel hollow sections – HR (hot rolled)/CR (cold rolled) square rectangular and round tubes, HR flat steel bars, squares, equal and unequal angles, HR and CR steel sheets and coils, galvanised coils and sheets/stainless steel sheets, steel beams and channels (IPE, IPEAA, HEA beams and UPE and UPN channels), pipes (galvanised, black, seamless, steel pipes) and steel roofing systems.

Timber
Another of MBM’s strengths is the timber segment where it has a diverse range of wood: construction softwoods (Romanian, Austrian, Swedish, Canadian, Chilean and Russian whitewoods); joinery softwoods (Swedish and Finnish Redwoods); joinery hardwoods (Mahogany, Meranti, Wawa, teak, oak, ash, walnut, maple, cherry), plywood, blockboard, hardboard, softboard, chipboard, MDF (medium density fibreboard) – ordinary, shuttering, veneered, polyester, and melamine-faced.
“Our wide range of products conform to ASTM/BS/DIN/JIS/ISO standards for insulation materials and steel products, and likewise in quality and different wood origins for the timber products,” says Mudaiheem.
“MBM supplies to several leading names in the contracting, trading and construction sector, as well as leading factories for end use. The Saudi market accounts for a majority of its output while the remaining is exported to neighbouring GCC countries, Yemen and parts of east Africa.”
“MBM’s vision has always been to strive towards the satisfaction of the client, through its products and services, and to establish a long-term business relationship of trust and co-operation with every client, thus ensuring the best service.”
For its wide range of insulation, steel and timber products, the company has an excellent trading alliance/relationship with local and international mills, many major mills in Europe, the Middle and Far East, and throughout the world, which enables it to offer its clients the widest possible range of products/sizes/grades at extremely competitive prices.
In addition, the company ensures complete customer satisfaction, by drawing heavily on the resources of its sister companies.
“The other building material and related companies listed under the AK Al Muhaidib Group, work in tandem, to provide proper logistical support in every manner” says Mudaiheem.
The Al Muhaideb group of companies include several individual companies such as:
• Al Muhaidib Hardware: With a network of 32 showrooms, Al Muhaideb Hardware is one of the largest hardware companies in Saudi Arabia. The company has a collection of over 20,000 items that include door hardware and accessories, aluminium door accessories, carpentry tools, general building materials, general safety items and adhesives for carpentry use;
• Al Muhaidib Metal Industries Company: Manufactures a variety of high-quality steel products, steel drawn bars, galvanised wire, wire mesh, plastering mesh, fire-rated and non fire-rated hollow metal steel doors, fire-resistant gates, emergency exits, ornamental products (gates, doors, staircases, fences and window grills) stainless steel and aluminum doors, windows, furniture and other profiles;
• United Wood Products Company: A leading manufacturer of quality furniture, wooden works, doors, laminations, and other exquisite profiles;
• Sipco (Saudi Industrial Paint Company): A leading manufacturer of paint, coatings, sealants and adhesives, of the finest quality;
• Al Muhaidib Trading and Contracting Company: A company that undertakes contracting and construction work throughout the kingdom and that is well equipped to carry out mega projects in the Gulf,
• Al Muhaidib Transport Company: Boasts of a large fleet of transport, to meet customer requirements;
• Al Muhaidib Technical Supplies: Specialises in the field of fasteners, bolts, nails, screws and fixing materials;
• The Marketeers Company: Involved in marketing a range of products manufactured by the Al Muhaidib Group; and
• United Gulf Building Materials: The fastest-growing unit of building materials, based in Qatar, to meet the demands of the GCC market.
“With all this and more, the Al Muhaidib Group has set its sights on expanding new horizons in the Middle East Market,” he concludes.