National Aluminium Products Company (Napco), which has provided inputs to some of the Gulf's most distinguished modern buildings and manufactures several thousand profiles annually at its Rusayl Industrial Estate plant near Muscat, is currently examining various options in terms of expanding its product portfolio as well as augmenting capacity, a top company official says.

Director and general manager Rahul Malhotra said the company felt encouraged to expand on the basis of market acceptance of its products and the potential it saw. He added that relatively lower labour and energy prices coupled with local availability of high-quality aluminium placed GCC extruders in an advantageous position.

In addition to offering a range of more than 4,000 profiles to suit architectural and manufacturing industries, Napco, whose main partners are Al Anwar Industries, Gulf Investment Corporation, Kuwait, and Ominvest, also develops exclusive profiles for customers against their own designs.

The company's range includes aluminium extrusions in mill finish and in anodised and powder-coated forms as well as in natural wood and marble finish. The company is also well known for providing facade designs from Wicona, Germany, and Brital of the UK with whom it has tie-ups. The company's brands also include Al Saad windows and kitchens. Al Saad systems are anti-corrosive, insect-resistant, waterproof and fireproof. They are available in flexible units in a range of colours and styles to match the surrounding decor and are durable and easy to maintain.

Wicona is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hydro Aluminium Systems, the largest producer of aluminium system sections in the world. Hydro Aluminium is part of Norsk Hydro, one of Europe's largest and most dynamic industrial groups. Among the ranges Wicona offers are Wictec for curtain walls, Wicsky for structural glazing, Wicline for windows, Wicstyle for doors and entrances and Wicslide for sliding structures. Napco is the sole licensee for Wicona in the Gulf.

From Brital comes a facade system, which has been specifically designed and engineered in Europe for the environmental and manufacturing conditions prevailing throughout the Middle East. Brital's package of products and services has been vigorously tested in UK laboratories to conform to both British and US standards. Brital Systems' experience extends to involvement in some of the world's most prestigious buildings including the world's tallest edifice, the Petronas towers in Kuala Lumpur, the new Trade Centre in Hong Kong and the Microsoft Headquarters in England. "These facts combined with full technical and logistical support from Napco, an ISO 9002-certified extruder, create a potent force in the market," said Napco.

In recent years, Napco has been involved in the supply of aluminium extrusions for some of the important landmark projects in the UAE. Fifteen per cent of the extrusions that it produces are sold in Oman, 65 per cent goes to the Gulf region and the rest is exported beyond the Gulf. A total of 18 countries are now receiving Napco products including France, the UK, Germany and the US. Malhotra says acceptance by European importers of Napco products signifies sophistication as aluminium standards in Europe are much tighter.

The company is using raw materials from Dubai Aluminium Company (Dubal), keeping in mind the logistical advantage of the relatively short distance between Muscat and the UAE city.

Napco is able to impress because it keeps abreast of changing trends in the international arena. "With a consistent focus on quality, innovative designs and a global customer base, Napco has a significant presence in high-quality aluminium extrusions across the world," says the company. The Napco plant boasts of an extrusion press from SMS Schloeman, which Malhotra describes as "top of the range in such equipment", and an Edwards run-out system in addition to a well laid out material handling equipment, polishing lines, anodising lines and a powder-coating facility.

Its integrated order-processing and production-scheduling systems are designed in a way that can provide maximum flexibility to customers. "The quality initiatives spearheaded by a team of professionals include clear guidelines for prompt decisions in process parameters and a well-planned layout ensuring smooth and careful handling of in-plant material movement, says the company. It says its policy for all inputs - from aluminium billets and dies to process chemicals and spares - is based on long-term cooperation. It adds that the dies are sourced from some of the best producers in the world, there is systematic preventive maintenance at each stage and the employees check the quality of their own work. The extruding, anodising and powder-coating processes comply with international standards such as DIN/BS.

"The quality of the extrusions are equal to or even better than the best in Europe," says Malhotra. "We have a customer in France who has rated us amongst the top. And he's handled extrusions from all over the world."