GULF Industry Fair (GIF) 2013, organised by Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions and held over three days at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre last January, was a tremendous opportunity for industrial establishments including mechanical engineering companies to acquaint business folk with their capabilities and competitiveness.

A good number of Bahrain firms have enjoyed a fair degree of success over several decades and were looking to push their business frontiers further afield. They viewed GIF as a platform to present their goods and services but also to determine what the wider market was looking for and how they could re-organise and equip themselves to cater to new needs.

Being on one side of the Causeway linking Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain firms have developed a close rapport with Saudi businessmen and proximity has facilitated deep trade relationships. Saudi Arabia’s regional powerhouse status means Bahrain firms have a huge market to consider while Saudi businessmen can source materials including machine parts quickly across the waterway. Some of the Bahrain firms have developed considerable expertise on their own and reached large-scale proportions, and this fact has not been lost on the Saudi market.

Working at the Nass fabrication yard in Hidd

The fair featured 110 exhibitors and reaffirmed its status as a premier event of its kind in the Northern Gulf region.

Gulf Industry had highlighted some GIF exhibitors in its February edition and now features several more that were present there to showcase their goods and services.

NASS
One of Bahrain’s premier engineering companies Nass presented its capabilities at Gulf Industry Fair in January to a stream of appreciative visitors from Bahrain itself, Saudi Arabia, which is an important market for the company, and other states in the Gulf.

Nass is currently engaged in fabricating a bypass stack for Hyundai to be used in Saudi Arabia for the Sabiya power plant. The stack will be 6 inches in diameter and 60 m tall and will enable flue gas to escape through the column. Work is in progress at Nass’ fabrication facilities in Hidd.

In the last few years the company completed some 19 stacks for various parties. Shipments have gone to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait as well as to Australia and India. The columns are made of carbon steel and stainless steel and provided with insulation.

Also ongoing is the fabrication of 20 pressure vessels 21 m tall and 1.6 m wide. They have been requisitioned by Saudi Technology Based Engineering (STBE) for lube oil plants. Nass earlier supplied 43 storage tanks for the same company, the biggest of which was 38 m in diameter and 12 m tall.

Nass is also engaged in piping work. “We’ve just done a job for the Bahrain steel plant SULB, the pipe being 1.5 km long and 20 inches in diameter,” said a company official.

“We’re now doing pipe work for Arabian Sugar Company in Bahrain, roughly 1km in length but with diameters ranging from 1 inch to 32 inches. “We’ve done a lot of work for Bapco’s gas pipeline, which over the past five years has totalled 15 km. We also help during Bapco’s shutdown maintenance.”

In recent years Nass delivered 12 sea dredgers under a contract from Ellicott Dredger for use in Iraq. During 2010 the company delivered two ship loaders for Qatar Gas.

Spatial Technology Solutions specialises in developing geo-spatial information and technological solutions

STS
Bahrain-based Spatial Technology Solutions, a first-time participant, hopes to reach out to as many companies as possible through the fair, where it showcased an array of web-enabled fleet tracking and management solutions.

“We are an indigenous company specialising in developing geo-spatial information and technological solutions,” says Abduljalil Zainal of STS.

The ITC company also provides telematics or location-based services to private and public sectors in addition to consultation services on the utilisation of related technologies and commercial applications.

“Our products are built in-house and here lies our market edge,” says Zainal.

“Since we are based in Bahrain we have extensive knowledge of the area and any new road development. So we’re in a position to develop solutions according to the customer’s individual needs,” he adds.

The main clientele comprises post offices, and vehicles, especially the government-operated bus service.

SmartTrack is the flagship telematics product offered by STS. It is built around proven hardware and software technologies from leading H & S technology providers in the world including Microsoft. Its three main components are: SmartTrack fleet application, a web-based application that offers users the ability to track their vehicles live and to obtain details of vehicle movements and status; a vehicle-mounted tracking unit, which is a black box integrating a GPS engine with a GSM/GPRS mobile communicator, and a SmartTrack hosting platform – the back-bone servers’ platform which hosts the applications and mapping engine of SmartTrack.

STS also has experienced field crew to ensure professional installation and onsite support, says Zainal.

FLOORING DESIGN
Flooring Design showcased a first for Bahrain – the new system of American interlocking flooring.

Made of PVC and aluminium, the floor designs come in more than 10 bright colours and a 10-year warranty on product quality. They can be transported to various locations fast and easily installed. Easy to clean, it has anti-slippery properties and is resistant to chemicals.

Holding 18 international patents, the floor designs are suitable for car wash facilities, parking lots, kitchens, bathrooms, offices, shops, warehouses, factories, clinics, gyms and showrooms.

AUTO REFINISH SOLUTIONS
Auto Refinish Solutions (ARS), which specialises in the sale of automotive spare parts, body repair machines and accessories and automotive exhaust systems, said it had some good responses, and the product that generated the most interest was the car lift. Traders from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar visited the stand, said sales executive Wissam Mohammed Rinno.

Automotive repair is one of the primary services offered by the company. They include body repair, painting and electrical systems, radiator and brake repairs.

At the fair the company put up a wide range of refinishing, car care and service equipment products.

AIMC
Innovative pressure vessels and heat exchangers were among the array of products Arabian International Mechanical Contracting (AIMC) Establishment showcased at the fair. “These are entirely indigenous products targeting the petroleum industry,” says general manager Rajan Sharma. “We fabricate, install and maintain these machines for companies.”

AIMC’s key business activities and services are engineering and contracting, steel formwork for construction sites, engineering and contracting, fabrication and installation of tanks and piping works and electrical and joinery works.

Its primary services include industrial maintenance and oilfield pipeline maintenance.

Some of its key projects include a process tank for Emal Aluminium, an air lift back filter for Alcan Alesa, Switzerland, a structure for the Rotor power plant at HPC Bahrain, an EOT crane girder for Street Crane, UK, and a mobile loading ramp for Lauscha Bahrain.

ALMAI METAL INDUSTRIES
A leading metal company in the GCC region, Almai highlighted its safe vault at the expo in addition to wheel rims and car accessories.

The company’s steel safe box manufacturing division produces safe boxes and heavy steel doors for banks and jewellery shops. “We are pioneers in the manufacture of steel safe boxes in the region,” says chairman Jassim Almai.

Almai said the safe boxes are normally imported from the West, and these indigenously produced units generated great interest among visitors.

“We are traditionally locksmiths and this experience helps us make foolproof safe vaults whose quality can match international standards.”

The company has supplied to establishments such as the National Bank of Bahrain, Kuwait Finance House, National Bank, United Bank and palaces and villas.

The company also specialises in alloy wheel repair. “We repair broken or bent aluminium wheels and restore their shape and looks with long-lasting metal plating,” said chairman Almai.

Almai is also involved in manufacturing outdoor fitness equipment for parks, gardens and villas with high-quality steel.

It has undertaken major stainless steel and brass fabrication projects at Bahrain’s airport, cinemas, banks and malls.

GLASSTECH INDUSTRIES
Bahrain-based GlassTech, one of the leading glass processors in the region, offers a comprehensive range of standard and highly technical glazing solutions and services – all under one roof.

“We are striving to become a one-stop-shop glass and glazing solution for the construction market, and to lead the market with innovative products and outstanding services,” general manager Marwan A Khadij said.

Its glazing solutions include insulated glass units, laminated glass, frameless glazing, ceramic fritting and frosting, decorations and art on glass, glass canopies and skylights. Services range from scratch removal and polish protection to erection and supply.

A highlight at the fair was GlassTech’s double-glazed bent glass that Khadij said can be installed in curved areas as a single unit as against the conventional method of installing several pieces to fit the required contours.

The company highlighted that it works closely with interior designers to fulfill their needs in applying the concept, design and execution of projects in the following areas: tempered glass, double-glazed glass, curved glass, bullet-proof glass, fire-proof glass, solar-control glass, high-performance low glass, silk screening glass and mirror and furniture glass applications.

The company’s state-of-the-art factory is built on an area of 23,000 sq m and is based in Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP).

BRC Weldmesh security fencing

BRC WELDMESH
BRC Weldmesh provides total concrete reinforcement solutions to the construction industry of Bahrain. Some of its most innovative products such as welded steel wire mesh, deformed bars and security fencing were on display.

Sales executive Devesan said the company’s security fencing products attracted a good response including six serious enquiries.

The products that drew much interest were wall spikes and pile cages.

The company’s fencing division has expert designers and erectors. It has supplied its products to prestigious port, power, defence and stadium projects.

The BRC Weldmesh stall

The company offers BRC fabric, a pre-fabricated steel reinforcement material; it fabricates cut and bent reinforcement, carries out steel fixing at site; supplies a comprehensive range of reinforcement accessories and supplies and erects security fences in weldmesh, palisade and chain link design. It also specialises in barbed wire enhanced protection
systems.

ZAYANI POLYMER FACTORY
A manufacturer of polypropylene woven sacks, polyethylene greenhouse sheets, construction rolls and allied products, Zayani Polymer Factory produces environment-friendly products for packaging, agricultural and construction
industries.

The company showcased its PP woven heavy duty sacks at the fair. The bags are dust-proof and resistant to water, oil, tear and puncture and can be used for packaging wheat, rice, sugar, seeds, fertiliser, cement, spare parts, rocks chains, metals and alloys for shipments.

Zayani Polymer products

Zayani Polymer also produces PE greenhouse films and construction rolls widely used in agricultural production and exports 99 per cent of its products to GCC countries.

It presents itself as an export-oriented company and says it exports about 3 million bags a month.

GIS & S
Bahrain firm Gulf Industrial Service and Suppliers (GIS & S) introduced at the Gulf Industry Fair key products in the fields of welding, lubricants and filters. It represents top US companies including welding alloys expert Mega Weld, lubrications leader Schaeffer and filters manufacturer Gulf Coast Filters.

The company was established two years ago but is already very active in Bahrain, has exported to several Gulf states and recently opened a representative office in Chennai, India.

Schaeffer specialises in food-grade lubricants and lubricants for automotives, marine equipment and concrete production equipment. “In Bahrain we’re supplying 90 per cent of concrete makers for use in crushers,” says George Nosh Shawky, export manager and chief of technical support. GIS & S is showcasing Extra Pressure Grease Schaeffer 238 which is waterproof, good for high temperatures and won’t pound out. It has high anti-dust characteristics and is used in crushers in concrete manufacturing lines.

The GIS & S stall

Citrol, a product of the Schaeffer 266 model, removes grease, asphalt, gum, ink and oil. Another product, Wire Rope Lube, Schaeffer 199, has high-penetration characteristics.

A product that is welcomed in manufacturing firms is Moly Ultra Schaeffer 221 which is recommended for the lubrication of antifriction bearings, babbitt bearings, pins, bushings, wheels, u-joints and all chassis points. It contains an adhesive-cohesive polymer that makes it tacky so it stays put in hardtop-lubricate areas. It incorporates an aluminum complex base which means it is completely waterproof and won’t wash out of bearings. With the addition of Moly Desulphide, Moly withstands up to 500,000 pounds per sq inch of pressure. This reduces water and extends equipment life.

“Business visitors here have shown great interest in food-grade grease as not many companies make top-quality food-grade grease,” said Shawky.

GIS & S installed a Temken test machine at its stall to demonstrate the qualities of its greases. 

The Pan Gulf International Stall

PAN GULF INTERNATIONAL
The company, a subsidiary of Dammam-based Pan Gulf Holding, showcased recently introduced products and technologies for a range of industries from oil and gas to petrochemicals and shipbuilding.

Among products and processes on view were Superheat FGH’s heat treatment solutions, Metweld branded CNC portable cutting and welding machines, Promotech machines and tools from Chester Machine Tools.

Rajesh Kumar, Bahrain branch manager, Pan Gulf International, said Superheat FGH incorporates the latest, most advanced and contemporary communication technology and software solutions. While industrial heat treatment remains a fairly specialised activity – related to welding and material integrity of pressure vessels and process piping systems – many of the process controls developed by Superheat FGH can be easily transferred to other similar functional work.

Superheat FGH provides an off-site command and control operation function to complement and support work in the field, ensuring consistently high levels of quality control, round-the-clock surveillance and extensive real-time data management.

Discussing Metweld CNC portable cutting machines, Kumar said the cutting of plates is achieved with the use of oxyacetylene and plasma. Profile cutting is performed by using FastCam software. The brand uses USB port to transfer AutoCAD drawings to machine language. The machines have applications in all industries including shipbuilding and fabrication of items such as pressure vessels.

Pan Gulf International has sold 75 Metweld portable cutting machines in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain since they began marketing them three years ago.

The company offers Metweld welding machines for stick metal arch welding, TIG welding and MIG welding with CCCV (constant current and constant voltage).

Promotech machines that Pan Gulf International is distributing include those for magnetic machine drilling, plate beveling and fillet welding carriage.

The company also offers a range of machine tools from Chester Machine Tools, UK, including lathes, control systems and machines for welding, sawing and grinding among other chores.