Al Watania Plastics (WP), a Riyadh- based manufacturer, has recently added two new lines to produce uPVC and cPVC pipes, which use the latest European technology in the pipe extrusion field. A fully-owned subsidiary of Al Watania for Industries, WP was established in 1982 to manufacture construction, industrial and consumer products and since then it claims to have manufactured and supplied more than one million tonnes of plastic products.

WP, which is ISO 9002 certified, has a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility covering an area of 60,000 sq m and is backed by a workforce of 600 highly-qualified and experienced personnel in various fields.

"With the new lines, the company is increasing its capacity by producing uPVC and cPVC pipes up to 400 mm in diameter, with different classes for pressure and non-pressure applications," says general manager for Al Watania Plastics Yousef Ba-Zid.

WP offers a wide variety of plastic construction materials, which are in line with local and internatioal standards including ASTM, DIN and Saso.

"Our products can be used almost everywhere, including all types of pipe work and infrastructure jobs," continues Ba-Zid.

XPS (extruded polystyrene) insulation board (UL listed under No. 723) is one of the company's main construction material products that serves all kinds of building, warehouses and cold stores need, he says.

Another of WP's specialty products is the film materials, which find application in greenhouses, construction rolls and warning tape.

WP has established a strong presence in the GCC market by supplying major clients for years and has plans to cover other parts of the world in the very near future.

In the domestic market of Saudi Arabia, the company has been very active. "We believe in our products which have been used in a number of prestigious projects including Saudi Telecommunication Company (STC), Saudi Consolidated

Electrical Company (Sceco), Ministry of Post, Telephone and Telecom (PTT), sewage authorities, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education and the Girls Education Administration," he says.

"The competition in construction materials market is very high due to the presence of numerous local and foreign players," says Ba-Zid. "It is getting further complicated due to a variety of untested construction materials coming to the market. High competition has its own impact on prices and lack of stringent regulation and standards allows small manufacturers as well as some traders to offer poor quality products," he adds.

The company says it offers international quality materials at value-for-money pricing at the customers' doorstep. "Our company's policy is to continue to provide the market with quality products and overcome competition by developing our production efficiency, controlling our cost and being more selective in our market," says Ba-Zaid.

Keeping in mind that only the best will survive, WP carries out quality checks in its own laboratory and testing facilities on a daily basis, which ensures target strengths and quality are reached for all types of products, adds Ba-Zaid.