Three Gulf firms are fuelling the pre-engineered steel building (PEB) industry in India where an invigorated economy is driving steel construction activities.

Kuwait-based Alghanim Group, Saudi Arabia’s Zamil Steel and Dubai-based Mammut Group have initiated projects to capitalise on the 20 per cent annual growth of the Indian PEB industry and make it more competitive.
The Gulf companies also bring to the Indian market their expertise and knowledge of markets.
Alghanim’s Kirby business unit, one of the top five world leaders in steel buildings, is expanding its existing plants in southern India’s Hyderabad city and in Uttaranchal state of northern India. 
Those expansions and new greenfield facilities in the UAE (Ras Al Khaimah) and Vietnam are part of Kirby’s plans to double capacity to 400,000 tonnes
Omar K. Alghanim, CEO of Alghanim Industries, commented, “Alghanim Industries is committed to enhancing value for our customers and further strengthening our market leadership position by continuing to make major strategic investments worldwide.” The entrepreneur made the remark while announcing expansions to the PEB and mineral wool insulation units.
Additionally, Alghanim’s Indian subsidiary Kirby Building Systems (India) plans to open its third facility in the western region, according to an Indian press report.
Zamil Steel is building a PEB factory in Pune, western India. Work is in an advanced stage at the plant which will have an annual capacity of 3 million sq m.
Zamil Steel’s production capacity from all its factories expanded to 280,000 tonnes or 9.5 million sq m, a 12-fold increase in 16 years. This year a new PEB factory began operations in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. As well as Pune, Zamil Steel is building a plant in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam).
Mammut Building Systems (MBS) of the Mammut Group, is building a plant in Gujarat in a joint venture with Reliance Industries Ltd. Indian media reports put the cost of the Gujarat facility at Rs450 crores ($114 million) and said it would be commissioned at the end of 2008.
MBS, part of the Emirates Industrial Investments portfolio, has emerged as one of the major players in the Gulf market for pre-engineered steel buildings, having delivered more than 1,800 projects throughout  the Gulf, Europe, Africa and southeast Asia.
The Gulf ventures come at a time when India’s pre-engineered buildings manufacturers are planning to form an association to promote the merits of PEBs.