A Dammam establishment that started as a joint venture with a UK company more than 20 years ago and later assumed full Saudi ownership is today the leading light in the Middle East’s cathodic protection (CP) industry.

As the region’s top CP provider, Abdulla Fouad Impalloy Ltd Company (Afic), a division of the Abdulla Fouad Business Group, makes available from its Dammam facilities a range of materials, equipment, engineering systems and technical support services.
Afic’s factory manufactures or assembles most of the products it sells.  In addition to manufacturing world-class quality products, its in-house stock of transformer rectifiers, junction boxes, anodes, test stations and other related items are available for immediate delivery.
The result of in-kingdom stocking is greater economy and faster delivery for its Middle Eastern customers. The company has strong partnerships spanning 20 years with major suppliers of cathodic protection materials, equipment and technical services throughout the world.
As well as supplying local oil and gas and petrochemical companies, it supplies systems designs and engineering services to international contractors bidding in projects within and outside the kingdom.
Afic’s success story began as a joint venture between the Abdulla Fouad Group and the UK’s Impalloy Ltd. The Group, established way back in 1947, is involved in a wide range of business sectors including petrochemicals, construction and medical and information technologies. The combination of its success in engineering and technology and Impalloy’s world-class cathodic protection capabilities proved a winner, and in 1998 Afic became a 100 per cent Saudi-owned company with 90 per cent of the shares owned by Abdulla Fouad Company and the remainder held by Fouad Abdulla Fouad Company.  Chairman of the company is Shaikh Abdulla Fouad with Fouad Abdulla Fouad as president and Faisal Abdulla Fouad as executive vice president.
The company enjoys a healthy client list and strong ties to the international cathodic protection industry. It was recently selected as the sole provider of CP materials and equipment for Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) operations and maintenance.
 “Afic’s steady increase in projects and accreditation as a quality supplier of engineering services and materials is unparalleled in the Middle East CP market place,” says general manager Mike McKinzie. “Afic enjoys a multitude of partnering agreements with material and technical service providers from the US, Canada, the UK and Europe and is able to design and supply CP systems and/or corrosion-monitoring systems to meet virtually any requirement.”
Afic’s engineering and technical staff are certified by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (Nace) International.
“Experienced CP engineers and technicians provide feasibility studies, site surveys, system design, installation supervision, system commissioning and maintenance. The engineering staff also provides a valuable consultation service to prospective consumers of cathodic protection services and products,” says McKinzie.
From its manufacturing facility and warehouse, Afic supplies cathodic protection equipment including anodes of the following description:  impressed current; graphite; silicon iron (solid and tubular); platinised titanium; mixed metal oxide (MMO) and titanium; aluminium; zinc; subsea pyramid; sacrificial magnesium.
Afic can also provide other special anodes to meet any CP requirement.
The company’s stocks also hold, among other things, a full range for cathodic protection 2.5 sq mm Kynar PVDF, four sq mm Thhn/Thwn to 70 sq mm Kynar PVDF/HMWPE, 240 sq mm HMWPE; casing seals and insulators; Cadweld cartridges, moulds and welders; Loresco earth compact backfill; insulating flange kits, reference electrodes (permanent and portable); meters and instruments; test stations and junction boxes; 11 gauge hot-dipped enclosures and transformer rectifiers (air cooled, oil-immersed).
Afic’s cathodic protection specialists are qualified to carry out a variety of site surveys and investigations comprising soil resistivity surveys, using either the four-pin Wenner method or Geonics electro-magnetic techniques; potential and line current surveys; close interval potential survey; holiday inspection of pipe coatings and cable insulation tests; interaction (interference) testing on foreign structures; current drainage surveys; insulating flange/coupling di-electric tests; collection of any other data that may be required for the design and upgrade of the CP system.
The company has the appropriate engineering expertise and resources to conduct feasibility studies on behalf of clients who may wish to determine the viability of providing corrosion protection for their plant facilities, says McKinzie.
“The feasibility study would address any of the following parameters: confirm by field investigations if a corrosion environment exists; determine the type of corrosion and its effects; determine the methods of mitigation; evaluate costs and develop technical specifications.”
Inhouse design facilities are available for all types of cathodic protection systems onshore and offshore. These may include either conceptual designs or detailed designs contingent upon available project information. Design packages usually consist of the following components: design philosophy; design criteria; basis of design; description of the system; list of materials; calculations; typical materials catalogue cuts/data sheets/specifications; construction/reference drawings; recommended spares; construction /installation procedures.  Additionally as part of the design function, Afic engineers also compile manuals for operation and maintenance for the structures to be protected.
Afic’s engineering personnel have at their disposal a comprehensive supply of product literature, engineering standards and specifications to enable selection for the right application.
“The company also prides itself in developing its own products based on experience throughout the Middle East. This ensures that its customers receive state-of-the art technology and products for their particular application and corrosion situation,” says McKinzie.
“Afic also offers, as part of its comprehensive services, installation services depending on the nature of work to be executed. In some cases, the client may opt to have the materials installed by his own contractor or to engage the services of Afic to provide supervision and technical support.”
Commissioning support services are locally available through Afic’s field engineers and technicians to meet the client’s needs.
The company stocks a complete range of test instruments to facilitate all types of commissioning tests associated with CP systems.
“Irrespective of whether a cathodic protection system has been designed and supplied by Afic or others, Afic is able to provide a full range of maintenance services required for periodic field surveys or trouble shooting/restoring field operations equipment. The maintenance services include a complete status report, findings and recommendations,” observes McKinzie.
Afic has been involved in many prestigious projects. The Saudi Aramco projects it was associated with were Qatif North Producing Facilities, the Berri Gas plant, bulk plants in various locations, a CP system near Palestine Bridge, Jeddah; the Duba Bulk Plant, Ras Tanura Refinery, Haradh GOSP II plant, Abha Bulk Plant, the Ras Tanura to Dhahran Product System including a 105-km pipeline, the Hawaiyah Gas Development Pipeline and other structures of the Berri Gas Plant, the 204-km UBTG-3 pipeline including scraper traps, Rabaigh Refinery, Hawiyah water levels and the Shaybah-Abqaiq pipeline including scraper traps.
The company has also worked on projects for ACBI/SIPC, Sadaf, Petrokemya, Ibn Hayyan, NGDC, Sceco, NIGC, SWCC and Arabian Oil Company.
Afic has also carried out major projects in the other GCC countries, carrying out surveys, designs, supplies of materials, supervision, testing and commissioning, and monitoring and maintenance of the CP systems for plant piping, storage tanks, cross-country pipelines and concrete structures.
It counts among its major clients such names as Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), Arabian Petrochemical Company, Al Zamil Metal Works, Al Zamil Heavy Industries, Belleli Saudi Heavy Industries, Carlo Gavazzi Arabia Company, Daelim Saudi Arabia, Gulf Consult, Hyundai Engineering and Construction, JGC Corporation, Japan; Korea Heavy Industries, Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding, Saudi Oger, Saudi Arabian Bechtel, Saudi Chevron Philips and Toyo Engineering.