USG Middle East (USG Boral ME), based in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, is a main supplier to the prestigious metro project in Riyadh, where as a full system solution provider for high acoustic and fire performance, it has supplied thousands of square metres of wall boards and other substrates along with their metal framing, ceiling partitions, shaft wall systems and interior finishes.

Supplies are still ongoing for all stations of this project and as per the project’s timeline, Fares Saghbini, managing director of USG Middle East, tells Gulf Construction.

He says during the design stage of the walls and ceilings, USG Boral ME’s technical team offered all their support and worked jointly with the contractors to optimise most of the project’s typical wall and ceiling details.

Saghbini ... expecting high growth rates.

Founded in 1985 in Dammam, USG Boral ME is a joint venture between USG-US and Boral-Australia with Saudi local shareholders. The company operates plants in Dammam, Oman, Turkey and Qatar; and has offices in Riyadh and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Bahrain, Dubai (UAE), Qatar, and Lebanon with a staff of more than 300 people across the Middle East.

USG Boral ME’s core business is manufacturing and promoting a wide variety of special assemblies for ceilings and walls for various applications in transportation, healthcare, hospitality, entertainment and educational sectors, as well other special applications.

The company’s product range includes:

• Acoustical ceiling tiles and panels: USG Boral ME offers fire-rated acoustical mineral-fibre ceilings, as well as metal, gypsum, fibreglass and wood-laminated panels, in addition to its specialty ceiling types;

• Metal systems: It offers ceiling suspension systems (fire-rated and seismic) Donn DX, a world-leading brand of ceiling suspension systems, wallboard partition systems (metal frames) shaft walls and metal accessories.  This sphere of its business also includes a powder coating line and a state-of-the-art slitting line;

• Plasterboards and substrates: These comprise the famous brand Sheetrock for fire-rated wallboard. The substrate includes Fiberock abuse-resistant wallboard for interior use, Durock cement board and Securock high-performance glass-mat sheathing for moisture and mould-resistant wallboard for the exterior envelope;

• Joint compound finishes and acoustical sealants: USG Boral ME offers the Sheetrock brand of all-purpose joint compounds for use in the treatment, levelling, skimming and finishing of gypsum wall/ceiling surfaces.

Saghbini says USG Boral ME’s products have been specified in many prestigious projects all over the Gulf, in addition to the Riyadh Metro, like Imam University, Security Forces Medical Center (SFMC), Assalam Hospital, King Abdul-Aziz International Airport, Kingdom Tower, Cineapolis Cinemas, and VOX Cinemas.

USG Boral ME has been growing in the region despite the challenges, reaching out to new markets while consolidating its presence in the Saudi and GCC markets.

“We see a future bright and expect high growth rates in the next five years under the kingdom’s 2030 Vision plan,” says Saghbini, who strongly believes the Riyadh Metro project is in line with this vision.

The company, he says, has invested in new manufacturing lines to maintain its lead, competitiveness and sales growth and to diversify its products portfolio. USG Boral ME’s is pursuing its vision of contributing to improving the lives of its employees, customers and communities it operates in.

Saghbini says: “People need buildings that are safe, healthy, comfortable and beautiful. Architects and construction companies need efficient (safer, faster, less costly) ways to build; building owners need better running buildings with lower operating costs; while everyone is seeking sustainable construction to address the global environmental challenges. USG Boral is committed to developing solutions for walls and ceilings that respond to these needs across the Middle East.”

As a company, USG Boral ME also focuses on the country’s vision, localisation and expansion. “We are focusing on hiring the young Saudi generation and are investing in them through training,” says Saghbini, adding, “this new generation has the power to change and to improve Saudi Arabia’s industries and strengthen the kingdom global presence.”