Canam Asia Ltd, a joint venture between Zamil Industrial Investment Company (ZIIC) and Steel Plus Limited - an affiliate of the Canadian Canam Manac Group (CMG) - is optimistic it will improve output, sales revenues and export earnings by 10 per cent this year.

This joint venture couples the expertise of ZIIC in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa with the reputation of CMG, one of the leading manufacturers of steel joists and structural steel components in North America and Europe.

Canam Asia has the licence for manufacturing steel joists. The state-of-the-art facility in Dammam started production in November 2002 with an annual capacity of 10,000 tonnes.

It is the only company in the region that custom designs, fabricates and supplies open-web steel joists. Open-web joists are considered ideal for floors and roofs in all types of buildings whether steel or concrete.

It supplies a complete range of steel construction products. The product line includes open-web steel joists, roof trusses, composite steel decks and the Hambro composite floor joists system.

A Canam Asia spokesman said the company’s output rose 33.8 per cent in 2009 against 2008 and exports were 40 per cent of total sales and increased 16 per cent.

Projects

Over the years the company has completed projects of various descriptions. Some of the Saudi projects were the Jazeera and Salma malls, Al Megra Complex, Al Saad Commercial Centre, Ikea, the Panda project, the Riyadh School and the Centria project.

In the UAE Canam Asia was a supplier to the Dubai International Airport Expansion, the Gaith Gold Refinery and the World Trade and Business Innovation project, among other contracts.

In Qatar, the company was involved with the Amana Commercial Complex and Villagio projects.

Other overseas projects included the US Navy Activity Centre, Bahrain; Hatil Complex, Bangladesh, and Connex Building, Romania.