Gulf Extrusions targets larger slice of market

Gulf Extrusions, the UAE-based market leader in aluminium extrusion for the GCC, expects to boost business by 15 per cent this year.

The company, which has 50 per cent of the finished aluminium sections market in the UAE, expects exports to grow in the GCC and Middle East as well as in its new global markets in Europe, West Africa, Asia and Canada.

"The success of Gulf Extrusions' entry into global markets was due mainly to our ability to provide best of breed extrusion products and systems. The process was also aided by the cost effectiveness of our products as a UAE manufacturer, as compared to the higher priced European products," said Robert Holtkamp, director of sales and marketing at Gulf Extrusions.

"Our entry into European markets has now put us in the unique position of studying first-hand global construction trends and predicting their entry into regional markets."

The aluminium extrusions market in the GCC region is currently divided between extruders based in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman. Small quantities are also imported from outside the region, from countries such as Taiwan. Within the region, besides the UAE, Gulf Extrusions exports to Jordan, Syria and Yemen, with plans to extend its market to other GCC countries.

The current marketing strategy of Gulf Extrusions will focus on increasing the company's presence in the UAE and GCC markets, as well as European and South East Asian markets. With an existing capacity of 30,000 tonnes a year, Gulf Extrusion is also considering investment in increasing this capacity to meet the projected market growth.

The company will also seek to counter a recent trend of use of environmentally unfriendly materials, in place of aluminium, in the construction industry.

Gulf Extrusions, based at Jebel Ali, produces aluminium sections in mill finish, silver, bronze, gold and colour anodized, and powder coated finishes.

These vary from architectural sections to components for household items, AC grills and customised products.