Gulf Extrusions, one of the largest aluminium extrusion plants in the Gulf, has experienced good growth over the past few years, according to a senior official of the company.  

Its turnover has tripled in four years and its capacity has also more than doubled from 30,000 tonnes to currently 65,000 tonnes with the recent commissioning of two presses.
In 2003 Gulf Extrusions was producing 19,000 tonnes of aluminium extrusion profiles per year. ”Last year we did 35000 tonnes and for the current year we are expecting to do around 50,000-60,000 tonnes,” says Robert Holtkamp, director of sales and marketing.
“One of the presses, commissioned recently is the biggest press in the Middle East and will enable the company to cater to other industries, not just the construction sector,” says Holtkamp.
“With 4,400 tonnes’ capacity, the new press will enable us make aluminium profiles up to 40 kg per metre with a width of 550 mm.”
In the last five years, Gulf Extrusions has invested over $60 million in extrusion presses to keep pace with the growing demand for high-quality aluminium extrusion products.
The company, exporting 30 per cent of its production, is also looking at expanding into different countries. A major part of its exports goes to Middle East and Gulf countries and also to African countries.
“The main growth for Gulf Extrusions is here in the ME and that is where our main focus is,” he says. “We are also looking at markets in Europe and Africa, particularly North African markets. Currently we are even exporting to Australia, Southeast Asia and Canada.”
Demand for its products is growing in Europe, mainly because of high costs there and also because of the high quality of our products, says Holtkamp adding the company had plans to increase exports to Europe, particularly to France, Germany and England.
The UAE continues to be its biggest market. Fast growing markets include Qatar, Saudi, Iraq and Iran followed by Bahrain and Oman. The company is also setting up an office in Qatar, as there has been a significant increase in its activity in the country over the past few years, during which the company won several prestigious contracts and strengthened its position in the local market.  
“With Qatar’s construction sector projected to sustain its growth momentum into the future, we believe this is the right time to open a full-fledged sales office in the country. Having a direct presence in Qatar will allow us to serve our clients in close proximity, and fulfill their needs and requirements more efficiently. To cater to increased demand, we have more than doubled our production capacity,” says Holtkamp.
The company is also looking at developing new products, which would either be more developed products within its existing range or different products targeting other industries. Some of the new products under consideration include exhibition tents, traffic signs, road furniture and ship masts for marine purposes.
Commenting on the market, he says the market is still growing and more competition is coming in but there is a shortage of good-quality products.  
“We are currently busy founding an aluminium association to fight against people manufacturing low-quality copy products. The association is aimed at separating the good from the bad. It would set standards, not only for extrusion companies but also for the powder-coating suppliers/applicators and fabricators.”
Gulf Extrusions, part of the Al Ghurair Group of Companies, is one of the largest extrusion plants in the Gulf. It produces over 9,000 profiles, ranging from architectural sections to components for household items, AC grills and customised products. Its facility is located at Jebel Ali, close to its raw material supplier, Dubai Aluminium Company Ltd (Dubal), and minutes away from one of the busiest seaports in the Gulf.