Gulf International Chemicals (GIC), just four years into production, has won prestigious contracts that would be the envy of larger, more established organisations. The company, which has a 6000 sq m manufacturing plant on the Rusayl Industrial Estate outside of Muscat, is a manufacturer of building and construction chemicals. It is currently supplying concrete admixtures to the Sohar Port project and has been doing so for the last 12 months. It was recently awarded the supply contract for phase 2 of the project which general manager Paul Collis says is even larger than the previous order.

"Getting a contract for Sohar Port in the first instance was a major stage in our development," said Collis. "Previous to that a supply contract of that size would have been awarded to a multi-national due to the planning and logistics involved." Over the last 12 months GIC has supplied in excess of 250,000 litres of admixture to the site culminating with the award of phase 2, which "demonstrates how well GIC can support a project of this size both technically and logistically". GIC's major selling products are concrete admixtures, surface treatments, joint sealants, grouts, concrete repair products, sand stabilisers and industrial flooring products. It also manufactures a retail range suitable for the souk market. The company, established in 1996 and quoted on the Muscat Securities Market, promotes its products under the TufBond brand name and initially benefited from the technical input of a U.K. consultancy. GIC has now progressed to the extent that all products are now developed and refined in its Rusayl laboratory by a highly experienced technical staff. GIC products carry independent test certification where applicable and the company has a wide range of product references and approvals from a number of international consultancy firms. The range manufactured is suitable for any stage of construction and includes chemicals for the improvement and protection of concrete throughout a project - from below ground coatings to roof waterproofing. The company manufactures liquid products of over 750,000 litres per year and powder products in excess of 250 000 tonnes during the same period. Production in 2000 showed growth of 26 per cent over 1999 whilst the year 2001 is expected to yield further growth of 30 per cent over the previous year. The company bases its optimism for growth on the new projects currently being let, mainly in the field of water and power, and the record of success established on major projects coupled with the supplies being made to ongoing projects.

GIC has previously supplied to and installed products at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which is counted as one of the Gulf Region's largest and most architecturally attractive shrines. The company has also completed work on the Bait Al Barakah Guest Palace and the Izz Fort Project, both for the Diwan of the Royal Court. "Due to us being the local manufacturer and having a proven range of well-supported, quality products we have gained orders from virtually all of the major projects in the Sultanate" said Collis. "We are the market leaders in Oman and fully expect to increase our share year on year. Being relatively new our main focus has been on the home market although we do export 10 per cent of our production to the UAE, Qatar, Libya, Singapore and Hong Kong among other places," he said. The company is now looking to increase export turnover. As part of its efforts towards expansion in both home and external markets, GIC will be committing RO150,000 over a two-year period to upgrade and expand its production capability. The company is also looking at areas of "slight diversification" from the existing range in the near future as it looks towards the oil and gas industries and the opportunities that will be presented. Collis said: "The outlook for GIC is clearly very bright. However, we will remain cautious about diversification as we remain dedicated to our core business".