Metals of Bahrain (Meba), a major player in the engineering and spare parts market, is keen to spread its wings into the wider regional markets particularly the Upper Gulf where Saudi Arabia could be a source of strong business orders.

With that in mind, Meba is taking part in Gulf Industry Fair (GIF) 2010 and, although the economic slowdown is still evident in regional markets, the company thought it fitting to showcase its products and services, said its top official.

“We have participated in previous GIF editions. We cannot stop taking part just because the Gulf economy is down. People start forgetting you if you stop having a presence in such events,” commented Meba managing director Rami A Khalifeh.

“We have to showcase our new products and our capability. It’s an ongoing process,” he added.

According to Khalifeh, the company has several new offerings such as stainless steel castings, spare parts for aluminium smelters including casting wheels, and hammers and crushers for the cement industry.

Meba is a versatile company with a wide product range. It manufactures pump impellers, valve spindles, valve bodies and a full range of water drainage solutions as well as spare parts for earth moving machines, among other things.

An ISO 9001 certified company, it describes itself as “a world class bronze and steel foundry in the heart of the Gulf.” Apart from the foundry, it has a well equipped machine shop and a quality control section.

Meba was established in 1992 to serve as a modern module industrial centre with the aim of producing engineered ferrous and non-ferrous castings and components to the industrial community around the world.

Its trade partners have been manufacturers of pumps, valves, hydraulic power transmission and water line fittings. In 2003 it launched its production line for casting bronze and steel alloys. The no-bake casting line uses the latest technology for metal.

Reinvention

“We made the best we could in 2009, reinventing our production processes,” said Khalifeh.

“We invested a great deal of money in metal-treatment equipment and adding improved versions of CNC and pattern-making machines to those we already had. The new pattern-making machines can do bigger, faster and more numerous patterns related to the production of steel castings,” he added.

This year the company will concentrate on getting jobs to keep the new equipment busy.

Commenting on 2009, Khalifeh said it “was not as good as we would want it to be.”

However, he pointed out that Meba had succeeded in bagging major orders including those from Jordan Phosphates Company for supply of spare parts for crushers. Meba also supplied spare parts for Alba’s casting line, he added.

As part of its growth strategy, the company has opened an office in Sharjah and appointed a new marketing manager in Bahrain.

The company recently started engineering fabrication operations and expects to enlarge the fabrication space and employ additional staff.

It is also negotiating with Saudi Cast of Riyadh to get orders for its manganese steel castings. Talks are also in progress with Jordan Cement for the sale of Meba spare parts for the cement firm’s quarry, he added.-TradeArabia News Service