Amana Contracting and Steel Buildings has been awarded a Dh99 million ($27 million) contract to construct a plasterboard manufacturing factory for Saint-Gobain Gyproc Emirates Industries (SGGEI).

Amana Contracting and Steel Buildings is well known in fast track and turnkey construction sector in the Middle East.

The 30,000 sq m purpose-built plasterboard manufacturing factory will come up in the industrial city area of Abu Dhabi (ICAD 1).

The mandate of the contract includes all civil, MEP, structural steel and sheet cladding works in addition to the installation of process equipment and the erection of a 27-metre high gypsum rock silo platform.

The project will require nearly 1650 tonnes of hot rolled structural steel. Gibb has been appointed project consultants and Bovis Lend Lease International are the project managers for the project.

The project, to be built on a turnkey basis, is scheduled to be completed within 15 months.

In his comments on the project, Bahaa Harb, general manager at Amana Abu Dhabi, said: “We are pleased to be associated with industry leaders Saint-Gobain Gyproc Emirates for this prestigious factory in Abu Dhabi.'

Saint-Gobain Gyproc Emirates Industries was established in 2007 as a joint venture between Saint-Gobain, the world’s top plasterboard producer, with Abu Dhabi-based Sultan International Holding.

'The awarding of the project to Amana further reemphasizes our capabilities in executing such specialized and time-sensitive projects within budget and with high quality materials,' he added.

He said the construction involved a lot of stringent operational and technical specifications and added that it was equipped to deliver a world-class project.

The factory constitutes a first phase of the project and will produce 30 million sq m of plasterboard annually. Engineering studies for the second phase of the project, which will be a ready-mix joint filler factory, is currently under way.

“This project is of great significance to us as the GCC plasterboard market has been growing at an annual rate of 30 per cent,' said Stephen Ede, managing director of SGGEI 

'Amana was chosen for its distinguished ability and track record to deliver seamless results in implementing large industrial projects where a strict delivery schedule and the commitment to high quality standards is essential,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service