CNC machine at the factory

Classical furniture manufacturer SD Concept, which focuses on one-off specialist designs and creations for discerning individuals and interior designers and consultants rather than mass-produced furniture, has revealed plans to open a curtain workshop

The Jebel Ali (UAE)-based company said the facilities were being created to offer "the most complete service to its clients." SD Concept's furniture can be found in many palaces, villas and first-class hotels in the UAE and around the world such as Le Meridien Mina Siyahi in Dubai and the Plaza Athenee in Paris.

The factory also undertakes the design and manufacture of decorative joinery and furniture for high-quality retail outlets such as jewellery stores, private clubs and yachts. Examples of this capability can be found in the new Paris Gallery on the third floor of the City Centre in Dubai and the shops on board the Royal Caribbean celebrity cruise liner Le Millenium.

As Le Millenium was built in the dockyards at St Nazaire, France, SD Concept was required to manufacture all of the boutiques and central circulation areas in the Jebel Ali factory, disassemble them for shipping and then re-assemble the entire retail area on board the vessel in the dockyard.

Many of SD Concept's specially commissioned pieces are on show in finished or semi-finished status in the company's technical showroom, which is adjacent to the factory in Jebel Ali. This gives interior designers, architects and specifiers the opportunity to choose or modify existing designs to suit their specific needs and creations.

SD Concept employs some 220 skilled craftsmen and 15 design and management staff and apart from working with solid timbers and veneers the company also undertakes decorative metal work supplementary to the overall joinery works.

"At SD Concept furniture factory, creating truly elegant furniture is a matter of uniting useful detail and beautiful workmanship," says general manager Abdo A. Raphael.

Established in the Jebel Ali Free Zone in 1995, SD Concept is a sister company of the Souhail Dagher Interior Design Group of Abu Dhabi and together the partners in SD Concept have more than 35 years of experience and knowhow in manufacturing classical furniture.

"At SD Concept, we have helped to set the highest standards of authenticity, design and craftsmanship for our customers who seek the very best and throughout the history of the factory, our constant investment in personnel, machinery and factory buildings has led us to achieve the finest standards of furniture manufacturing in terms of design and construction," says Raphael.

The factory is often asked by designers and specifiers to manufacture and adapt classical pieces, perhaps in different finishes and sizes, according to Raphael, and these specially commissioned works have become increasingly important at SD Concept as they present the factory with its biggest challenges, marking its capabilities in responding to different clients' tastes in details and designs.

"Where drawings are required, they can be produced in the traditional manner or on Computer Aided Design technology (CAD) - whichever is most appropriate for the project. SD Concept's dedication to quality products and services strengthens its position worldwide as a top class furniture designer and manufacturer," said Raphael.

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