Dr. Heinrich Weiss impressed with the state-of-the-art facilities at Gulf Extrusions

December 23, 2006

Gulf Extrusions Company, the leading Dubai-based aluminium extruder, has announced that Dr. Heinrich Weiss, Chairman and CEO of SMS GmbH, an international group active in plant construction and mechanical engineering related to the processing of steel, non-ferrous metals and plastics, recently visited Gulf Extrusions to oversee the final installation process of the two new extrusion press lines that were supplied by SMS Group earlier this year.

Dr. Weiss was welcomed by Majid Al Ghurair, CEO of Al Ghurair Group, Saeed Al Ghurair, Engineering Manager, Gulf Extrusions and Modar Mohammed Al Mekdad, General Manager, Gulf Extrusions, before being taken on a tour of the plant.   

After a thorough inspection of the installation process, Dr. Weiss expressed his satisfaction on the installation techniques adopted at Gulf Extrusions. He was also impressed with the state-of-the-art facilities at the plant, which has helped the company become one of the top extrusion enterprises in the UAE.

The installation of the two additional extrusion presses which will be fully operational by coming January is part of Gulf Extrusions' capacity expansion programme aimed at increasing annual output at its Jebel Ali plant to 65,000 tonnes by mid 2007. The plant's existing four presses currently produce 30,000 tonnes of aluminium extrusion profiles per year.

"It was an honour to have Dr. Weiss at our facilities and see first hand the final installation process of the new press lines. He is the ultimate authority in this field and we are glad that he was fully satisfied with the processes being adopted at Gulf Extrusions," said Modar Mohammed Al Mekdad, General Manager, Gulf Extrusions.

"In the last five years, Gulf Extrusions has invested over US$ 60 million in extrusion presses to keep pace with the growing demand for high quality aluminium extrusion products. The two new presses have been supplied by SMS Group, which has set standards around the world for press design. We will now be better equipped to increase the utilisation of extrusion capacity and improve our competitiveness in the regional markets," added Al Mekdad.

Besides being the head of the SMS Group, Dr. Weiss is also a member of the Supervisory Boards of Commerzbank AG, Deutsche Bahn AG, HOCHTIEF AG, Thyssen-Bornemisza Group and Voith AG. He is the Chairman of the Foreign Trade Advisory Council to the German Secretary of Economics and Labour, a member of the Board of the Asia Pacific Committee of German Business as well as a member of the Board of the East-West Trade Committee.

Gulf Extrusions, which is part of the Al Ghurair Group of Companies, produces over 9,000 profiles, ranging from architectural sections to components for household items, AC grills and customised products. Gulf Extrusions also extrudes products of several European suppliers and companies under agreement. Nearly 70 per cent of the output generated by Gulf Extrusions is used in the local market to support the building and construction projects. The export markets include South East Asia, GCC countries, Europe and Canada.

-Ends-

About Gulf Extrusions:
Gulf Extrusions is the largest extrusion plants in the Gulf with a 27 year history of top quality production. Located at Jebel Ali, it is minutes away from one of the busiest sea ports in the Gulf. The plant is designed to produce aluminum sections in mill finish, silver, bronze, gold and color anodized, and powder coated finishes. The modem processing equipment and techniques permit the company to produce a range of over 7,000 profiles. These vary from architectural sections to components for household items, AC grills and customized products. Nearly 60% of the output generated by Gulf Extrusions is used in the local market to support the building and construction projects. Gulf Extrusions also exports to various markets in GCC and Middle East countries, as well as markets in Europe, West Africa, Asia and Canada.

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© Press Release 2006