The economic slowdown and slump in construction activity has hurt sales of the biggest Middle East manufacturer of ladders.
Zamil Ladders reports that export sales slumped 20 to 25 per cent during Q1 2009 compared with Q4 of 2008.
A marketing executive said the slump followed three strong years during which the company sold 70 per cent of the market demand of the whole of the Middle East and Gulf countries.
The company has five major distributors in the UAE, 100 agents in Saudi Arabia, and four in Kuwait.   In Qatar and Bahrain they have their own outlets.
Zamil also sells its products directly to customers as they approach it.  While the construction sector has particularly taken a hard blow, supplies of Zamil Ladders’ products continue to be made to general production facilities that are in operation and need maintenance from time to time.
End users in the industrial sector include major firms Saudi Aramco, Adnoc, Bapco, Kuwait Petroleum Company, Sabic ventures and Sceco, the Saudi Consolidated Electric Company.
Construction firms and domestic households make up important segments.
One of the popular products over the years is the light step ladder which Zamil Ladders earlier manufactured in collaboration with an Italian firm. Heavy duty models were first developed in a tie-up with New Zealand-based firm Lyte. Currently, all ladders are being manufactured by Zamil Ladders independently and without outside assistance.
“We have our own test facility, R&D and technical advisers. In the past three to four years we have introduced innovative models as an outcome of our own R&D, the company said.
These include a ladder that can be used as a maintenance accessory and also as a ship gangway. When lowered, all steps get stretched out as a platform.
Another recently introduced product is an attic or loft ladder attached to the roof but which can be lowered by a hook system.
Among the innovations is a telescopic ladder, the platform for which can be lifted up manually or electronically.
The company has also launched a multipurpose ladder that amazingly operates in 15 different positions.
Zamil Ladders has been in production since 1978 at Dammam’s First Industrial City.
“We are proud to declare that most of our ladders comply with the safety standards of Underwriters Laboratories of the US, America’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, British Standards Institute and Australian and New Zealand standards, the company states.
The aluminium ladders use mill finish extrusion profiles produced from light and hard alloys. The company holds the ISO 9001:2000 certificate for quality in the manufacturing, sales and marketing of aluminium and steel ladders.
Some of the company’s ladders are made of fiber glass to be used mainly in extra-hazardous areas, where spark-resistant and non-conductive protection is required.
Included in its wide product range are safety cage ladders and fire escape ladders ideal for installation in towers, minarets, water tanks, underground pumping rooms and housing roofs.
The company’s mobile platform ladders, telescopic mobile platform scaffold ladders and loft ladders come in aluminium and steel as specified in McMaster-Carr’s catalogue and can be customised.
Zamil Ladders listed dual-purpose step/extension ladders, single and extension straight ladders and special access ladders as contributing most to 2008 revenues.