Zamil Steel’s Pre-engineered Buildings (PEB) division, one of the biggest of its kind in the world, is currently erecting or extending some of the Gulf’s most prestigious hypermarkets.
They are located in the Mall of Arabia, Jeddah; Hofuf Mall; Yarmouk Mall, Riyadh; and an extension to the Mall of Dhahran.
The buildings involve the use of more than 23,400 tonnes of steel with the Yarmouk Mall alone accounting for 11,000 tonnes.
Zamil Steel is also working on the Rabigh refining and petrochemical factory and Sabic storage building in Jubail (2,000 tonnes each), school buildings in Riyadh (2,500 tonnes) and Universal Cold Stores, Riyadh (1,500 tonnes).
Since its inception Zamil Steel has supplied over 45,000 pre-engineered buildings to clients in more than 82 countries worldwide.
The main factory in Dammam produces 10,000 tonnes of PEBs monthly and is considered the largest single PEB factory in the world. Zamil Steel’s other PEB factories are located in Egypt, Vietnam, the UAE and India.
“As an industry leader, Zamil Steel excels in engineering, manufacturing, sales and project management and offers clients a diverse range of products from which to compile a total building solution. It utilises state-of-the-art engineering and manufacturing software and machinery in the design, estimating, shop detailing and manufacturing of each of its products,” a company statement says.
The PEB division has witnessed a wave of expansion in recent months which has consolidated its place on the world stage.
Zamil Steel marketing manager Hatem Turki gave a  rundown on the latest developments: “As part of our expansion strategy, we increased our PEB manufacturing capacity in the Gulf region by setting up a factory in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, in April last year. A new continuous sandwich panel line was also established in the Second Industrial City in Dammam, and it recently started production. We have also invested in India with a PEB factory in Pune, Maharashtra, which started production in December last year.”
It is possible even more regional and overseas facilities will be added in the near future.
“We are always appraising opportunities for entering into new markets through a direct presence or through certified builders and agents and are currently studying the potential for setting up manufacturing facilities for other areas,” said Turki.
Consolidated production in 2007 was 500,000 tonnes of fabricated steel, representing an increase of 19 per cent over 2006, while exports were up 20 per cent.
“Our determined philosophy to support and empathise with our customers before and after sales is the basis on which we run our organisation,” said Turki.
Zamil Steel operates a network of 54 area offices in 43 countries that are equipped to provide quick and comprehensive responses to customer inquiries as well as performing extensive after-sales services. They also export products to about 82 countries worldwide, provide clients detailed quotations, proposal drawings and on-site support for ongoing projects. The company engages the services of a wide network of certified builders around the globe.
The facilities that Zamil Steel builds include factories, warehouses, workshops, aircraft hangars, commercial centres, hypermarkets, showrooms, exhibition centres, multipurpose halls and low-rise non-residential steel buildings.
The client roster includes some of the most recognisable names locally and internationally such as Toyota, Honda, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Proctor and Gamble, Fuji, Fijutsu, BP, Chevron, Saudi Aramco, the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Al Hokair, JGC, IHI, Mitsui and Mitsubishi.
Also among the prominent clients are Daewoo, Hyundai, LG, Bechtel, Chiyoda Corporation, Toyo Engineering, Technip, Techint, Snamprogetti, ABB, SEC, STC, Etihad, Etisalat and Emirates Electrical.
The company completed several high-profile Saudi projects in recent months including the Flamingo Mall, Riyadh (2,500 tonnes); Jarir Plaza shopping mall, Al Khobar (2,500 tonnes); Oneiza Mall hypermarket, Al Qassim (3,000 tonnes); Al Abiniah Factory, Dammam (2,000 tonnes); Future Ceramics Factory, Dammam (2,500 tonnes); Hadeed’s Logistic Improvement Factory, Jubail (1,500 tonnes); Toshiba warehouse, Jeddah (1,500 tonnes); Al Zaeyd Conference Hall, Tabuk (1000 tonnes).
The PEB division is one of four divisions that make up Zamil Steel, the others being Structural Steel, Towers & Galvanising and Canam Asia.