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40 Construction<br />
Schüco takes quality to new heights<br />
Nael Afieh,<br />
Director, Schuco International KG<br />
It's a very competitive world. And<br />
everyone wants to be innovative,<br />
creative and offer quality products. If<br />
you're scouting for environment-friendly<br />
and supreme quality products for the<br />
building envelope then no choice is<br />
better than the market leader Schüco<br />
International KG. But its young and<br />
energetic Director Nael Afieh says quality<br />
does not come cheap. And rightly so.<br />
The German major is known for<br />
pioneering a number of technologies in<br />
the creation of building envelopes and<br />
providing state-of-the-art quality<br />
products. The company offers, apart<br />
from the comprehensive range of value<br />
engineered facades and Skylights,<br />
products including traditional PVC-U<br />
windows, balustrades, high quality<br />
aluminium conservatories and solar<br />
systems. The company also has a range<br />
of top quality automation<br />
products which are<br />
available throughout the<br />
Middle East and North<br />
Africa region.<br />
The German-headquartered Schüco<br />
began operations in 1951 with<br />
aluminium shop fronts, windows and<br />
doors. Through integrated thinking,<br />
power of innovation and the pursuit of<br />
perfection a system of building<br />
components were soon developed.<br />
When Schüco International KG<br />
expanded in 1961, its rise to<br />
multinational company status began.<br />
And now it has strong presence in 68<br />
countries. The company retains a<br />
workforce of 4,500 employees and over<br />
12,000 partner companies. The<br />
company has also strong presence in<br />
the Middle East for the last 25 years<br />
with regional head office based in the<br />
Dubai Airport Free Zone (DAFZ).<br />
Led by a young, dynamic and<br />
creative Dubai-based Nael Afieh,<br />
Schüco International business in the<br />
Middle East has leapfrogged in the<br />
recent few years, carrying out<br />
mammoth and iconic projects such as<br />
the National Bank of Abu Dhabi<br />
headquarters, Dubai Chamber of<br />
Commerce and Industry building,<br />
Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Abu Dhabi<br />
Conference Palace, Etisalat head office<br />
and Capital Towers etc. In the region, it<br />
has wrapped up the construction of<br />
façade of Kuwait Trade<br />
Center in Kuwait,<br />
Al Fardan<br />
Center in<br />
Qatar<br />
and Al<br />
Qala<br />
Tower in Makkah and many of the Saudi<br />
Arabian projects etc. According to Nael<br />
Afieh, "Schüco has just completed one<br />
of the toughest jobs in architectural<br />
and engineering designing in Lebanon.<br />
We're working on an iconic and twisted<br />
Marina Tower in Beirut which is a real<br />
marvel of science and technology. We're<br />
also looking at other regional markets<br />
such as India and North Africa where we<br />
see a strong potential for growth in the<br />
next five to six years."<br />
"Schüco registered an impressive<br />
growth of 300 per cent in the region<br />
last year and controls over 60 per cent<br />
market share of the top-niche<br />
construction market, thanks to the<br />
company's innovative, creative and<br />
competitive products. Our products<br />
such as casement windows, sliding<br />
patio doors, balconies, canopies,<br />
balustrades and solar products alike<br />
gave fillip to the company's strong<br />
growth in the region. Apart from a<br />
variety of design options, we offer<br />
virtually<br />
maintenance-free<br />
constructions, economical and without<br />
the need for major building work – but<br />
with a maximum cost/benefit ratio and<br />
maximum living value," he added.<br />
"Our products quality is so good that<br />
they are used as high as 3,500-metre<br />
high Alpine mountains in Switzerland to<br />
the lowest point on the earth which is<br />
Dead Sea – where we recently<br />
accomplished few prestigious hotel<br />
projects. The quality products provided<br />
by Schüco can be gauged from the fact<br />
that we completed a project on the<br />
Sheikh Zayed Road some 20 years ago<br />
and we have until now, not received<br />
any complaint from the company so far.<br />
Certain projects demand quality<br />
products and that<br />
high standard<br />
w e