National Aluminium Products Company (Napco) is one of the leading extruders of high-quality aluminum profiles in the GCC.

Set up in 1986, the Muscat-based company has a production capacity of 8,000 tonnes per year and is currently running to capacity. Architectural elements account for 85 per cent of its output while the remaining 15 per cent caters mainly to the industrial components manufacturing sector. A powder coating line, two polishing lines and two anodising lines enable Napco to offer a wide range of finishes to its customers. This includes the special 'Naturall' wood and marble finish coating line.

Napco offers a wide range of profiles to suit every need - sliding, hinge and swing doors and windows, kitchen cabinets, curtain-walls, hand rails, louvres, and many other applications.

Napco's main market is the GCC with 80 per cent of its production sold within the region, the UAE being its largest followed by Saudi Arabia.

General manager Rahul Malhotra points out that the company's clientele can be broadly categorised as stockists or fabricators, with the latter demanding particularly high engineering skills and service capabilities.

''In Oman, we cover virtually every sector. In the UAE, we are strong in the fabricators' segment because of the quality of our products and the wide range we offer,'' says Malhotra. ''Our products have gone into most of the recent landmark buildings in the UAE.

"Outside the Gulf, our markets include Europe, southeast Asia, and Africa. We have also made some forays into the US market.''

Napco imports aluminum billets from Dubai Aluminium (Dubal) while its dies and tooling come from Europe.

''Napco believes that quality is built into the product - not checked into it,'' Malhotra points out. ''Quality has always been a paramount concern guiding the plant design, equipment selection and layout. All aspects of operation from selection of vendors to training of personnel are quality-related.

''The result is world-class quality products on par with international standards: Extrusion tolerances to BS 1474; and anodising standards to meet BS 1615 and BS 3987. Even tighter tolerances can be maintained when required.

''Napco being awarded the certificate of conformance to ISO 9002 is further proof that its systems for controlling and improving quality measure up to international norms.

''A tie-up with Wicona of Germany, part of the Norsk Hydro Group, one of the largest extruders in the world, only reaffirms the high standards that Napco conforms to. After a thorough inspection of the plant and an in-depth assessment of capability and various qualitative parameters, Napco was approved as the sole licensed extruder for Wicona in the Gulf region. We offer windows, doors and curtain-walling systems from Wicona for the high end of the market.''

For the mid-range, Napco has a licence to produce the UK's Brital facade systems for the Gulf market.

While conceding that there is currently excess capacity in the region, Malhotra quickly points out that each aluminum extruder has a niche market. ''We are hitting the quality extrusion market, where quality, not price, is of essence,'' he argues.

The company, which has 215 employees, expects to post a higher turnover this year compared to 1999.