Having established a strong foothold in the markets of Saudi Arabia over a five-year period, United Gulf Steel (UGS) – a pioneering manufacturer of medium-section structural steel products in the GCC – is poised to achieve a 25 per cent growth in its sales turnover this year and is also looking to establish a strong presence in the fast-growing market of Kuwait.

“The growing demand for steel in the Middle East, which is expected to continue for the next few years, combined with the innovative market and customer relationship strategies followed by UGS is expected to continue to drive the company's growth to higher levels in the next few years,” says a spokesman for the Saudi firm.
He adds: “In addition, the fact that the international steel markets are expected to surge in the near future will also fuel UGS’ growth in the coming years.”
Since commencing operations in 2001, UGS has been able to establish itself as a leader in the region’s structural steel market, winning over competition from various established international steel sources.
The spokesman continues: “The company's strategic location amidst a fast-growing market, efficient logistics and customised offerings, has helped it to respond faster to market needs both in the Saudi and neighbouring GCC markets.”
“Although the Saudi market continues to remain the company’s mainstay accounting for a majority of its sales, it has been successful at developing a wide network of customers spread across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Sudan, Iran, India, Jordan and Egypt,” he adds.
The company is also a preferred supplier to established fabricators in the region such as Zamil, Al Babtain, Hidada, Kirby, Saudi Building System, Arabian International, and Mammut.
 
Pioneering manufacturer
“UGS has pioneered medium-section structural steel products offering unmatched quality and service levels to its customers,” says the spokesman. “Niche products like IPEAA beams and tailor-made solutions for fabricators in the region have reinforced the company’s brand identity in the region, making UGS products most sought-after in construction projects and industrial and commercial building applications.”
The company serves a range of large industrial users covering pre-engineered building fabricators, power transmission and telecommunication tower fabricators, irrigation equipment manufacturers, and scaffolding, cold drawing and fastener industries.
“UGS has always been at the forefront of product development,” he adds. “Our ability to regularly introduce new section products has allowed the company to offer customers the complete range of products that meet the local requirements with a competitive edge.”
Last year, UGS launched 150 mm angles specially designed for the transmission tower fabrication segment. Earlier, the company had introduced 55 mm and 110 mm angles to offer a complete range, from 40 to 150 mm, to transmission and communication tower fabricators.
In the pre-engineered building segment, the company has introduced wider flats in 275 mm and 300 mm sizes based on market requirements. New sizes of channels in the 80 mm and 120 mm commercial segment have also been introduced recently, he adds.
Manufacturing a range of structural steel products from its unit in the Jubail Industrial City, UGS’ structural steel products such as beams, channels, equal angles, flat, round and square bars. This unit with a capacity of 450,000 tonnes per year uses state-of-the-art technology supplied by Simac of Italy, now known as SMS Meer.
The company also offers a wide range of structural steel medium-section products comprising IPE/IPEA/IPEAA beams (80 mm to 200 mm), UPE/UPN channels (50/80 mm to 200 mm), equal angles (40 mm to 150 mm), flat bars (60 mm to 300 mm), square bars (24 mm to 80 mm) and round bars (30 mm to 90 mm), conforming to various international standards such as DIN, ASTM, BSEN and JIS required for use in construction and structural projects in the region. Apart from commercial grades, angles and flat bars are supplied in high-tensile grades as per international specifications to pre-engineered building and transmission tower fabricators.