The Big 5

Successful formula

Visagie ... leading the green race.

KUWAIT Insulating Material Manufacturing Company (Kimmco) is hoping that a combination of the largest construction exhibition brand with the region’s most buoyant market will prove a successful formula that will enable the company to increase its market penetration in Saudi Arabia.

With this objective, the Kuwait-based insulation specialist will be presenting its range of insulation rolls and boards of glasswool and rockwool products at The Big 5 Saudi Arabia this month.

“Also at the show, the company is set to launch a new product – acoustic decoration ceiling tiles,” says general manager Hannes Visagie.

He says it was the success of The Big 5 Dubai that encouraged the company to exhibit in Jeddah, which is a gateway to Saudi Arabia, the largest market in the region.

A leading insulation solution provider in the Middle East, Africa, the Far East and other Asian countries and a world leader in fibreglass insulation, Kimmco manufactures and supplies customised reflective, acoustic and fire-resistant insulation solutions.

Using Kimmco products enhances the Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating of a building, says Visagie. “In the current context of green building and sustainability, Kimmco products are the choice since they are environment-friendly and recyclable.The thermal, acoustic and fire safety features are all required for the comfort and the well-being of human beings and property,” he says.

Visagie continues: “Kimmco insulation products improve building energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption.As a result, they can help conserve non-renewable energy sources and lower greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the recycled content of Kimmco fibreglass insulation meets the EPA’s (Environmental Protection Agency) recovered material guideline for fibreglass products – 20 to 25 per cent consisting of pre-consumer and post-consumer glass cullet.”

Kimmco is a subsidiary of Alghanim Industries and a licensee of Saint Gobain, Isover, the world leader in fibreglass insulation.

Commenting on the company’s performance, Visagie says: “Last year was challenging. We look forward to positive growth this year as with the improving global economy, we expect demand to increase.”

The firm has supplied to prestigious projects in the region such as Burj Khalifa and Dubai Metro in the UAE (Dubai).
“Also, Kimmco takes pride in saying that it supplied insulation products to the prestigious Princess Nora University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” Visagie states.

Kimmco has a capacity of 35,000 tonnes per year of insulation products that are manufactured to comply with international standards such as ASTM, DIN, BS, ISO, and certified and listed by UL (Underwriters Laboratories, US) and DCL (Dubai Central Laboratories, UAE). It also has production facilities in Hyderabad and Silvassa, in India.

Kimmco’s products are used in private, commercial and industrial buildings for floors, walls, roofs, air-conditioning and piping as well as in the petrochemical and process industries. Its product line includes building rolls, building slabs, duct insulation (thermal), duct liners (acoustic), clean liners (sound insulation), ALU duct (air distribution systems in HVAC), rigid pipe covering (thermal insulation) and Kalining (thermal and acoustic insulation for walls), and Kafi (acoustic floor insulation), to name a few. Products are offered in rolls and boards with a density of 10 to 120 kg per cu m and pre-formed pipe coverings up to 36 inches in diameter – all of which can be ordered with or without reflective vapour barriers or acoustic facings for use with continuous working temperatures up to 230 deg C.

Kimmco has to its credit ISO 9001 (quality management system), ISO 14001 (environment management system) and Ohsas 18001 (occupational health and safety management system) certifications; complies with EPA regulations and respects the environment during its manufacturing processes, he says.

The company, which was established in 1977, has sales offices in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam), Qatar and the UAE, and employs a staff of about 400.

The company will be present at Stand G72 at The Big 5 Saudi Arabia.