Gulf Membrane & Coating Industries (GMCI) is focused on achieving an annual growth rate of 10 per cent despite a difficult year marked by a lull in construction activities.

A withdrawal of subsidies by the Bahraini government compounded the pressures of a diminished market, making it all the more challenging to compete in the international market, according to the general manager of the company Johny Koithara.

“Due to this, further expansions are not viable,” Koithara added.

Despite the challenges, the company stayed on course to take part in key projects across the region. “We have ongoing contracts to supply products worth approximately $2 million to several distributors in the Gulf,” Koithara said.

The company’s product range includes bitumen waterproofing products in many varieties such as APP (atatic polypropylene) or SBS (styrene butadiene styrene) modified membranes reinforced with polyester or glass fibre mat. Membranes it offers for exposed use have coloured slate chips on the surface whereas normal membranes have a polyethylene film surface.

The company’s factory at Ras Zuwaid

Some of the other products manufactured by GMCI are bitumen paints, primers and mastics for damp proofing and water proofing applications. The products are used for waterproofing roofs, toilets, balconies, basements and foundations of buildings.

Bitumen sourced at Bapco
The major raw material used is bitumen which is supplied by Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) while other raw materials are sourced in Gulf countries, Malaysia, Europe and China.

Koithara said the Bituflame range of membranes contributes most to sales. The second-best contributor was the Plastiflame range. The company’s production facility and research centre are in Ras Zuwaid, near the Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) complex. Exports were 4 million sq m in 2008 and 4.5 million sq m in 2009. Koithara said he expected the 2010 figure to be similar to the previous year’s.

GMCI has supplied to major projects including Riffa Views, Bahrain Bay, Durrat Al Bahrain villas, a villa complex in Janabiya, a 22-storey building at Manama, Reef Island, Marina West and the Bahrain Airport extension. Overseas, consignments have been shipped to projects in Sri Lanka, South Africa, Botswana, Mauritius, Nigeria, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and several Middle East states.

GMCI, established in 1983, is owned 90 per cent by managing director Fareed Bader and 10 per cent by the Bahrain Development Bank.