With the largest furnace in the Middle East, Creative Glass expects $3 million turnover in the first year

DUBAI, April 9, 2005: Crystal Arc, a leading producer of handcrafted crystal artifacts, gift items and trophies, has ventured into high-quality glass furniture by setting up Creative Glass, a $1.5 million subsidiary, with the Middle East's largest furnace for glass bending and fusing.

The state of the art plant with advanced technology from Spain is equipped to carry out sophisticated jobs in glass bending, glass fusing, stained glass, sand blasting and acid etching. It will produce tables, chairs, shower doors, ceilings, domes, staircase railings and coloured wash basins.

Creative Glass anticipates a turnover of $3 million in the first year of operations, said Mustansir Saifuddin, managing director of Crystal Arc.

"The unabated construction boom in the UAE and the GCC region, complemented by the rising demand for glass furniture, has prompted Crystal Arc to enter into this exciting and promising line of business," said Saifuddin. "More importantly, we have imported highly advanced technology that will make us the first in the region to create intricate and contemporary designs in glass furniture."

"We have installed the largest furnace in the Middle East for glass bending and fusing, with the size of 3 x 2 metres," said Hatim Mamajiwala, Working Partner, Creative Glass. "This gives us an edge over competitors as we can create large pieces of furniture with dynamic shapes and elegant designs. The quality is further enhanced through the state of the art Italian waterjet technology for cutting glass."

Creative Glass is targeting real estate consultants and contractors. The factory has already executed orders from high-profile clients, including Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi and Al Qasr, the 292-room boutique hotel at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai.

Creative Glass is part of an ambitious growth strategy charted by Crystal Arc. Last year, Crystal Arc achieved a world first by creating a new range of crystal products with stunning colours, using 'fused glass' technology.

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About Crystal Arc
Crystal Arc was established in 2001 by Faisal Seddiq M. Samea Al Mutawa and Mustansir Saifuddin, with just 6 craftsmen. In four years, it has expanded its factory to 3,500 square metres, with a workforce of 135, including 108 craftsmen of different nationalities. Currently, the company produces an average of 300 pieces per day. Its machinery includes a state of the art furnace for coloured glass products and laser engraving upto a height of 70 cm on a round base.

Crystal Arc's main showroom EONS is located at Fairmont Hotel Dubai. Crystal Arc recently opened a new retail outlet in Abu Dhabi. In Dubai, the company has firmed up plans to launch a series of retail showrooms. The company's products are also retailed at Gulf Greetings outlets in the UAE and at Abu Dhabi Duty Free. They are also available through agents in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman.  

Issued on behalf of Crystal Arc by Communicate Gulf,
Dubai.
P.O. Box 50411,
Dubai,
UAE.

For further information, please contact
Ramon Rodriguez. on
Tel. +971 4-3341107,
971 50 7544865.
E-mail ramon@communicategulf.com.

© Press Release 2005