After more than 50 years of operations in Saudi Arabia's continuously developing building materials and construction field, one of the prominent companies in the sector hopes to complete yet another 50 years and go on from there.

AlRashed Building Materials was established in 1950, the first company in what has become known as the Rashed AlRashed & Sons Group.

AlRashed's building materials division prides itself as the kingdom's pioneer supplier of building products beginning its role in the days when Saudi Arabia was not as sophisticated as it is today and when oil wealth had still to flow into its coffers.

In the passage of years, the division was recognised not only as a pioneer supplier but also one that was in tune with the needs of the day. Today it supplies a range of products in commercial steel. The overall range includes steel sheets and coils, pipes and tubes, reinforcing steel bars, hardwood and softwood, wood-based panels and miscellaneous items.

Most companies assess their success on whether they have satisfied customers. AlRashed has done particularly well in that regard.  Customer retention and customer satisfaction during such a long period was a serious challenge, said a company spokesman.

However, not only did the company retain its customers of old, it won many new ones, including some of the biggest names in Saudi business, and has been involved in projects considered household names.

The company provided a list of projects, among which were Aljamrat Bridge, King Abdullah University, Madinah Monaorah, the new Jeddah airport, Al Otheim Mall, King Faisal University, Princess Norah University in Riyadh, King Abdullah Financial  Centre, King Saud University, Alaqaryh Mall in Riyadh, Tower Almosa in Khobar and Riyadh Exhibition Center.

Among overseas projects it listed are the new Doha Airport, the Pearl Projects, Al Reem Island, Saedat projects in Abu Dhabi and Aloeas-Alyasat Tower in Abu Dhabi.

To supply customers in their own backyard as much as possible, Al Rashed building materials has from time to time expanded its distribution network. Today the whole of Saudi Arabia and the GCC region are well-served with 44 outlets, most of them within the kingdom. The main regional stores operate in Khobar, Riyadh, Jeddah, Alhassa and Buraidah, while some of the others are located in Dammam, Madinah, Makkah, Khamis, Mushait, Qassim, Jubail, Jizan, Abha, Hail and Jouf.

Beyond the GCC states, AlRashed Building Materials has built a presence in Jordan and Sudan.