Saudi-based Aluminium Products Company (Alupco), a leading aluminium extrusion company in the Middle East has installed a new state-of-the-art thermal-break line at its Dammam plant to enhance its portfolio of high-quality products and solutions it offers to customers.

The region’s leading aluminium extrusion company is also looking at expanding its total manufacturing capacity to over 100,000 tonnes per year (tpy) from its current 85,000 mtpy, a spokesperson for Alupco told Gulf Industry.

The fully-automated CNC machine for producing profiles with thermal barrier from Hermann Mueller is an advanced system and has a capacity to produce 5,000 linear metres per month.

The machine is a high quality of assembled T/B profiles, as per European standard: EN 14024 and the polyamide is supplied by benchmarks: Technoform and Ensinger. The line can produce profile of 3500 ÷ 7000 mm length while the maximum dimension of the assembled profile can be 430 x 375 mm.

EXPANDING OPERATIONS

With an annual manufacturing capacity to produce 85,000 tpy extruded profiles at its two plants located in Dammam and Jeddah, Alupco – established in 1975 -- today is the largest aluminium extrusion company in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) and one of the top 10 extrusion companies in the world.

The two plants together operate nine extrusion presses, four vertical powder-coating lines, two lines for painting in wood effect, an automated anodising line and a thermal break line.

“There are a total of nine presses now that are located in between Dammam and Jeddah with a total capacity exceeding 85,000 tpy with plans to expand to over 100,000 tpy,” he said.

Annual production capacity at Alupco’s Dammam plant for extrusion is now about 45,000 tpy while at the Jeddah plant, it is 40,000 tpy.  Dammam and Jeddah plants also operate two vertical powder coating lines each from Trevisan/Sat (Italy), at a production capacity of 25000 tpy respectively.

In addition, the Dammam plant has two lines for painting in wood effect. Imported from Trevisan Sat (Italy), its production capacity is 5,000 tpy and is protected with polyester powder coating in wood-like finish patterns.

It provides 16 finishes – gloss and matt – anodised profiles; more than 200 finishes in powder coated; and more than 16 finishes in wood finish.

Its automated anodising line at the Dammam plant from Monti Engineering has a production capacity of 10,000 tpy. The machine provides protection with an electrolytic passivation process and produces anodising colours as per Alupco codification with a range from light to dark sample.

VARIETY OF PRODUCTS

Alupco is well known for its variety of aluminium extruded profiles in different shapes and surface treatment like mill finish, powder coated, anodised, wood finish and polished.

Towards energy sustainability especially in the construction sector and to provide advanced solutions, Alupco has formed strategic partnerships with international companies like Aluk (Italian architectural systems company).

Alupco has also developed its own architectural thermal break systems for doors, windows and curtain walls to minimise heat transfer in the buildings from outside to inside.

Alupco profiles are used in the construction and other industries as a raw material for the fabrication of many products, such as: construction for windows, doors, curtain walls; specially designed profiles in hard alloys for the automotive and other industries; special profiles in various shapes and alloys for the cable tray industry; profiles for lighting fixtures and the furniture fabrication industry;  profiles with special finish for decorative purposes; other specific applications like helipads, signboards, crash barriers and others.

RECYCLED ALUMINIUM

According to the spokesperson, the cast house foreman is responsible to charge the furnace with the input per caster billet size as follows: green billets should be stamped as “6063G”. The billets also should be marked by green spray.

For the green billet process formula, the company operates two lines at both Dammam and Jeddah plants with a production capacity of 25,000 mtpy. The machines are of the range 7, 8.5 and 10-inch, from Wagstaff (Germany), using air- slip technology.

QUALITY MARKS PROFILES

Alupco, established in 1975, became the first aluminium extrusion company in the Middle East to gain the ISO 9001 certification way back in 1995. At present, it holds ISO 9001:2008 certification.

The aluminium profiles it designs and produces as well as the surface treatment it provides in various finishes are in line with internationals standards: EN (European), DIN (German), BS (British), ASTM (American) and SASO (Saudi Arabia). Alupco is also a member of SASO committee responsible for upgrading national and GCC standards since many years.

The company has also been awarded with the following internationally-recognised product quality certifications: Qualicoat certification, Qqualideco certification and Qualanod certification membership in international aluminium industry related associations. Alupco is a member of the following: Aluminium Extruders Council (AEC); Gulf Aluminium Council (GAC); and Aluminium Anodizers Council (AAC).

The company’s most popular product is the Curtain Wall system which provides structural four-sided, structural two-sided, conventional and semi-structural solutions.

Alupco is also well known for its Saraya Sliding System, 52 System and Thermal Break systems for hinged doors and windows and Pivot systems and Huge Range systems for the commercial and industrial sectors.

Alupco systems have been popular as they are designed to meet market requirements in all GCC, other Middle East and international markets and enjoy a technical support system for customers and projects, the company said.

It highlights its special systems as architectural W, D and CW including the 50SG curtain wall system and thermal break systems for sliding and hinged solutions.

It is also the sole producer and seller in Saudi Arabia of the Italian Aluk system. Alupco offers several other international architectural systems.

A customer focused company with quality slogan: “Made in Alupco”, it has more than 1000 employees and is a recognised supplier for commercial extrusions and tailor made solutions.

With over 40 years of technical expertise, the company has completed a vast range of projects across the Mena countries. It operates sales offices in Saudi Arabia; Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh, UAE (Dubai) and Egypt (Cairo) to insure best services towards customers in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.

This is why they continue to be awarded with the most prestigious projects in the region, most recently being Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Built with the most advanced and superior aluminium solutions as it will be the tallest building in the world by the time of completion.