With the addition of two more presses, Gulf Extrusions places itself in a stronger position to meet some of the demand from the region’s fast-growing construction industry as well as from other markets.

The new presses will raise production capacity to 65,000 tonnes from the current level of 30,000 tonnes. Gulf Extrusions produces aluminium sections in mill, silver and colour anodised (spectrum colours), gold-dyed and powder-coated finishes.
Some 44 per cent of the production is powder-coated while 10 per cent of the total production is anodised. The company produces a range of over 7,000 profiles. Its products have been used in the manufacture of architectural components, household components and AC grills.
 “The addition of new presses will enable us meet escalating demand for high-quality aluminium extrusion products resulting from the vigorous pace at which construction and developmental activities are progressing in the UAE and the GCC region,” said Robert Holtkamp, the company’s director of sales and marketing.
He added that increased production would also allow the company to cater to growing demand for superior cost-effective profiles emanating from the European markets and Africa.
“With our team of highly qualified employees, a vast array of designs and stringent quality norms, Gulf Extrusions is the preferred aluminium supplier for many of the region’s prestigious projects. These new presses will help us to ensure timely delivery of our high-quality aluminium products and services and increase our market share,” the official said.
Some 70 per cent of production now feeds local markets. “The growth of the aluminium industry has been largely influenced by the upswing in the construction sector, with the large-scale construction activities in the UAE leading to an increased demand for aluminium products in the country,” said Holtkamp. “The extent of this growth could be gauged from the fact that the local market accounted for as much as 90 per cent of the total production in 2002. At the same time, local markets have become increasingly quality-conscious, and as a result are increasingly uncompromising when it comes to quality. Fast delivery and competitive prices are among the other key factors that the local markets assign importance to.”
Gulf Extrusions claims its market share in the UAE is 25 per cent. The company has supplied to prestigious projects including Burj Dubai, for which it had to supply 1,400 tonnes of products at a contract value of Dh132 million.
While the GCC market accounts for most of Gulf Extrusions sales, Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa are also major destinations.
“The interest shown in Gulf Extrusions by overseas markets is due mainly to the superior quality of its aluminium products and its ability to deliver them within the prescribed timeframe,” said Holtkamp.
One of the challenges the company faces is staying competitive despite what it says is a marked rise in raw material prices in recent times. “This has had a significant impact on the profitability of Gulf Extrusions, although the increased market uptake helped us buffer it somewhat,” said Holtkamp.
He said the company’s primary focus in the coming 2-3 years would be to expand production capacity, further broaden its product portfolio and explore growth opportunities in untapped markets.
“We expect these efforts to go a long way in realising Gulf Extrusions’ ultimate goal of becoming the world’s biggest single-owned extrusion company.”
Gulf Extrusions collaborates with a number of aluminium associations worldwide as well as with renowned international universities and local and non-local suppliers.
The company has 28 years of experience in aluminium profiles production.