Hammam Trading Company holds a comprehensive range of commercial kitchens and laundry equipment in its portfolio which are backed by wide-ranging skills right from designing to after-sales service.

The Dubai-based company recently put its expertise to good use for the kitchens and laundry facilities at the Taj Palace.

"For the prestigious Taj Palace, the company supplied and installed both laundry and kitchen equipment under a turnkey contract worth Dh5.7 million ($1.55 million)," says Rakesh Maihar, marketing manager of Hammam Trading's kitchen, laundry and refrigeration equipment division.

"In addition, our sanitary ware division supplied ceramic tiles and bathroom fixtures worth Dh1.5 million," he says.

Describing the company's scope of work on the project, Maihar says: "Hammam Trading undertook work on a number of kitchen and laundry facilities within the Taj Palace. The main kitchen and bakery, located on the ground floor, is designed to cater to the hotel, four restaurants, coffee shop, banquet hall, besides the adjacent furnished apartments.

''A kitchen at the lower basement level caters to the staff, while a fully-furnished kitchen on the mezzanine floor serves the 24-hour coffee shop. There is a large dishwashing area and kitchen on the sixth level which has the banquet hall with a capacity to accommodate 3,000 people. Another kitchen on the rooftop caters to the gazebo, pool bar, and the health club. The lower basement has a fully-furnished laundry.

''The consultant specified very high standards of finishes and services for this project. Our team had to work very hard to complete the job as per specifications.

"We were also able to meet requirements of Taj as well, which was involved as the hotel operator at a later stage of the project.''

Trend Food Services of Canada designed the kitchens with the equipment having been procured from the US, Germany, Italy and Europe.

All laundry equipment is from the US.

"We also did the initial designs for the kitchen and laundry facilities which were later modified by the consultant," Maihar adds.

Hammam Trading started work on the project in November 1999 and completed it in June 2001, having been among the four subcontractors involved with the project right from its inception.

Established in 1986, Hammam Trading is staffed by highly qualified engineers and a factory-trained installation team, he says. Part of Juma Al Majid Group, Hammam Trading represents a number of leading companies from the US and Europe. The company has its own design department.

"With a reputation for reliability and high service standards, the company has catered to the requirements of a long list of prestigious clients. It has undertaken numerous projects for government departments, hotels, palaces, restaurants, villas and educational institutions,'' Maihar adds.

It is currently carrying out work for the Skywalk Tower project and a large kitchen at Zabeel Palace.

Some of the major projects executed by the company are: Dusit Dubai, JW Marriott, Dubai Police Complex at Al Hudaiba, Abela and Co. (all the restaurants in the arrival and departure areas in Dubai International Airport and also the Airshow site), Higher College of Technology, Forte Grand (Le Meridien), Jebel Ali Hotel, Shell Inn International, Chillies Restaurant, all in Dubai; Sharjah University in Sharjah, Holiday Beach Hotel and Higher College of Technology, both in Fujairah, Police Headquarters at Tarif in Abu Dhabi.