Gulf Majees Lighting Industries LLC (MajeLite) has been in existence just four years but has managed to gain some high-profile clients drawn from both the government and private sectors in Oman, other GCC states and the Middle East. The company has an extensive product range of fittings designed to comply with the safety, electrical, thermal and mechanical requirements of BS4533 Part 102.10 1990 standards and the new IEC 598 document.

The company's fluorescent fittings include basic battens & attachments, recessed and surface luminaries and weatherproof and emergency luminaries as well as bulkheads. Its HID (high intensity discharge) fixtures comprise down lights, floodlights, high and low bays, road lighting and garden lights.

MajeLite general manager Ahmad S Nasser said recessed luminaires, commonly used in false ceilings, were the fast-selling items in fluorescent fixtures with weatherproof luminaires doing next best. Floodlights and high and low bays were in top demand among the company's HID fixtures.

The company recently introduced the T5 luminaire, which was launched in Europe only recently. Technical backup has come from the world's leading suppliers of lighting components and parts such as Vossloh Schwabe, Germany, for ballasts, lamp holders and capacitors; Alanod, Germany, for high-purity aluminium reflectors; K-Lite, Australia, for plastic sheets and diffusers; Henkel, Germany for chemical pre-treatment and Jotun Powder Coatings. "In the past three years we have managed to establish prestigious references for Majelite from clients including Qatar Airway (Doha headquarters), the UAE's Shaikh Zayed University and The American College and Oman's ministries of education and defence, electricity and water resources.

Nasser said some 80 per cent of Oman's schools had Majelite fixtures, while the private sector Oman Medical College at Sohar had also indicated it would buy a mix of fluorescent and HID fixtures from the company's range.

Under an alliance agreement, the company is benefiting from the distribution network of a well-established company in Oman, Al Hassan Electricals. That arrangement has brought Majelite to 40 per cent of residences in Oman, the official said.

Last year the UAE was the biggest overseas market with Kuwait taking its place this year. The company is set to make a dent in Kuwait's market, having devised an exclusive marketing arrangement with a trading house there.

The company also sees potential in Yemen and in Iraq, both of which have sizable populations. It expects to sell its products in Iraq under a UN programme. MajeLite's sights are also in the direction of Africa where the possibilities could be quite immense.

MajeLite's confidence it can penetrate markets beyond the region was justified when it recently shipped one container of fluorescent fixtures to Sri Lanka, an order Nasser said came amidst stiff competition from a Malaysian party.

The company acquired new machinery in the first quarter of this year and will be expanding from time to time to meet the demands of the day.

The Omani market is expanding at 20 per cent annually, says the official. "It's not just a matter of having a range of products.

It's a question of providing the logistics, making continuous efforts at development and adhering to international quality standards." He also cautions that in some cases international standards may not be wholly appropriate for local conditions, recalling that a fitting that was successful in Europe attracted complaints from consumers in Oman. "We acted promptly, studied the product and found that it was not designed for the Gulf's severe heat. An important aspect is materials selection for components." Majelite's production history began in September 1997.

Output in the second year was three and a half times that of the first year. In 1999 it was double the 1998 figure and in 2000 the increase was 12 per cent over the previous year.

The company hopes to end 2001 with a 40 per cent surge. The company broke even in the second year, making profits in the third and fourth. "As in the case of many other Gulf manufacturers, Majelite has to confront prejudice among some buyers who think foreign goods are always better than the local ones. We're gradually succeeding in changing that impression," said Nasser.

The company has plans to tackle the Saudi market, which operates on a different voltage system. Majelite hopes that by the end of this year or in early 2002 it will incorporate components that will be compatible with Saudi voltage parameters.

Majelite has bagged three of the most prestigious projects in Oman amidst tough competition. These are Oman Medical College, a private sector institution; the Sharqiyah sub-station lighting, put up by the Ministry of Housing, Electricity and Water, and eight sports clubs across Oman, also established by the government.