Shaaban Steel Company, a trader in mainly steel products, has announced it will expand its portfolio this year with the introduction of stainless steel sheets and plates as well as sheets of brass, copper and aluminium.

The company currently deals with stainless steel profiles, engineering steel, tool steel, nonferrous products and polymers and plastic moulds.

The trading house has been in operation since 1972 and owns five big stores in Jeddah city and one each in Dammam and Riyadh. It will open a new branch in Riyadh next year.

Shaaban Steel is currently involved in supplying steel to the Masha’aer Railway and Princess Nora University projects and will continue to do so until the end of this year. It is also engaged in delivering steel for the new airport in Jeddah and for various Saudi Aramco expansions in Jubail and Yanbu.

'Our most valuable customers are Aramco, Sabic, PetroRabigh, the Saudi Consolidated Electric Company, Saudi Electricity Company and Marafiq,' said the company’s owner Sammi Shaaban. 'We have been one of the key suppliers of steel for the past 40 years and have contributed to the Saudi national economy.'

The owner added that Shaaban Steel’s contribution ran parallel to the kingdom’s industrial, urban and commercial development. Commenting on market conditions in recent years, he said it was not affected by the global economic downturn. Shaaban Steel reported 5 per cent growth in its business in 2010.

Growth strategy

The company is aiming for higher growth levels. The new Riyadh branch will be one of the means through which that growth will be realised. Shaaban Steel also plans to establish a new department for outdoor sales and has employed new staff to take the company forward. The focus will be on covering Saudi Arabia fully. Beginning 2012 the company will launch an initiative to push for sales in the Gulf states and penetrate hitherto untouched markets in the region.

'We have supplied many of the infrastructure projects including the pioneering ones as well as factories with various steel products and industrial metals,' said the owner.

The company maintains stocks conforming to ASTM standards and having AISI designations plus mill certificates, which it says qualifies it to meet industrial requirements. It also provides value-added services to stimulate sales and satisfy customers. The company claims it can handle customers’ most exacting specifications through state-of-the-art cutting and processing facilities. Additionally it offers complete technical counseling on the selection of sizes and grades, machining and fabrication as well as advice on how to order most economically. The company is proud it has a good record in accomplishing timely deliveries.

'We have set up in each of our warehouses cutting stations to respond to customised requests for bars, squares, hexagonal products and tubes. The workshops are well served by automatic band saw machinery designed to produce optimum cuts that reflect high performance and efficiency on crucial jobs,' said Shaaban.

'Our transportation network covers a fleet of trucks for the movement of goods between warehouses and customers’ premises. For customers outside the Jeddah area, it has made arrangements with shipping firms for delivering consignments.