As a manufacturer and exporter of electrical products used in building constructions, Alfanar Electrical Systems (AES) has few equals in the Gulf.
“Our range of products meets current and anticipated international standards,” says a company spokesman. Alfanar provides electrical products and accessories under the brand names Eletra and Alf.
Its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities make about 800 products under 30 broad categories.
The Alfanar Group, of which AES is part, is developing a sprawling manufacturing base named Alfanar Industrial City which will occupy a total area of 700,000 sq m within Riyadh’s industrial zone.
The city will house the following electrical facilities: MV-LV products; tools and moulds; Alf and MCB assembly halls; standard products; non-standard products; compacted fluorescent lamps and water heaters.
The city will also house manufacturing facilities for LV, MV and HV power cables, British wires, American wire, telephone and coaxial cables as well as special cables and PVC and copper rod plants. There will also be ceramic factories.
The spokesman spelled out some of the strengths of products made by AES.
He said the Eletra and Alf brands were reliable and enjoyed high quality, the production facilities were state of the art and had approval from Saudi Aramco, Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) and several ministries. And they followed internationally renowned ISO 9001-2000 quality management systems.
The facilities for testing and calibration and for making tools and moulds were of the highest standards.
Products manufactured by AES come under the categories of low voltage and medium voltage, metal enclosures, wires and cables and wiring accessories.
The low voltage products that AES makes include LV switchboards, distribution panel boards, load centres, motor control centres, automatic transfer switches, capacitor banks, package and unit substations, AC/DC distribution boards, control and automation panels, synchronising panels, mimic panels and control desks,
The medium voltage products include packaged substations, metal-clad switchgears, cubicle switchgears, custom-built and retrofit solutions and SF6 ring main units.
The metal enclosures products include service box enclosures, stainless steel enclosures, modular enclosures, telephone boxes and extendable enclosures.
Under wires and cables, the company makes building wires, coaxial cables, telephone cables, LV, MV and HV power cables and overhead conductors.
Wiring accessories include junction boxes, switches and sockets, GI boxes and other things.
The company supplies innovative wiring devices (Wide Rocker range) and offers modern solutions in wireless lighting (the home automation system) following joint ventures with Moeller and F&G, Austria.
It also offers to supply its customers complete solutions in the field of electrical construction materials.
AES has technology transfer agreements with the following companies in its medium voltage range products: Cutler Hammer, Schneider Group and ElecttroMeccanica Adriatica.
AES standard products are designed based on market research and needs. These products are available in the commercial electrical markets all over Saudi Arabia and some markets overseas.
Around 15 per cent of AEC’s sales come from exports to GCC, Yemen, other Middle East and North African states, Pakistan, Cyprus and Malta.
The company’s products are successfully type tested at independent laboratories.
“Alfanar Electrical Systems’ approach to quality is ‘Prevent error before it happens,’” said the spokesman.
“The quality assurance system in Alfanar Electrical Systems is primarily concerned with ensuring customer satisfaction at all stages - from design through development, production, installation and servicing. It includes the regulation of the quality of raw materials, assemblies, products and components; services related to production; and management, production, and inspection processes.”
Alfanar Electrical Systems follow the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) approach towards the Quality Management System. The whole Quality management system is in line with the ISO-9001:2000 requirement and certified by ABS Quality Evaluation Inc, USA, and ASTA Certification Services, UK.”
At Alfanar’s testing facilities all tests are conducted with respect to Nema, IEC and UL requirements.
For finished products,  type testing and routine testing are conducted in accordance with the standard for AES products. “Well experienced and qualified testing engineers carry out the testing process. All our finished products are subjected to 100 per cent routine quality checking in accordance with the standard specified,” said the spokesman.
“Test plans are prepared for every equipment and results are recorded. Where necessary routine test reports from the OEM are obtained and compliance verified. The type tests are carried out according to the relevant standards and we have a third-party type-testing complains certificate for our products.”
AES has top-drawer companies as clients. Some of the big names include SEC, Saudi Aramco, Sabic and the Royal Commission of Jubail and Yanbu.
Other reputed establishments that are AES clients are the Saudi Ministry of Interior and Civil Defence, most other ministries, universities and governmental establishments in Saudi Arabia, the Bahraini Ministry of Electricity and the State Electricity Board of Qatar.
Other important establishments that buy from AES are the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Board, Kuwait Public Authority for Industries, the Public Electricity Corporation of Yemen and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation.
The company has supplied components for numerous projects. This year it supplied 13.8 kV ENS metal-clad switchgears for the Zam Zam water project and the King Fahd Specialist Hospital.
The same product was supplied last year to Al Rajhi Steel Factory, King Abdul Aziz Port, West Makkah STP and Al Rukhi Power Station, among other projects.
Also last year it supplied LV panels and control panels for numerous projects including the Jubail Highway Project, the Arar Cement Plant and the Khurais Central Processing Facilities.Overseas, Alfanar has a factory at Dubai Investment Park for manufacturing control panels as well as a factory in Suzhou, China, for producing electrical accessories. It has four branches overseas in Dubai, Doha and Chennai (India), four design and development centres in Riyadh, Chennai, Cairo and Suzhou and nine trading division branches supported by a network of 2,000 dealers.