Having launched into the rebar cut-and-bend business a few years ago, Abdali Essa Al Nooh Cut and Bend Steel Factory is on course to establish itself as one of the leaders in the field.

The division, which started its association with the Riffa Views project through the supply of a small volume of cut and bend steel to one of the contractors, says it is close to supplying more than 75 per cent of the cut and bend requirements for the villas at the landmark development.
“To date, we have supplied more than 12,000 tonnes of steel for all the major contractors, who have been associated with the construction of over a 1,053 villas at the project,” says Maki Al Nooh, general manager of the company, which is part of the Al Nooh group.
“Originally our role within the project was limited to the supply of steel. However, later on we decided on offering value-added services to the contractors and broached the idea of offering cut-and-bent rebar to contractors. Since the arrangement was time-saving, it was accepted and now we have supplied a major portion of the cut-and-bend steel requirements for the project, says Al Nooh.
Commenting on how the group got hooked up to the new business idea, he says: “The recent boom in the construction industry and the increasing number of hi-rise buildings has created a growing demand for cut-and-bend steel. In such as situation, our company facilitates contractors to outsource cutting and bending of steel to pre-tailored bar-bending schedules, get the mesh delivered, installed and set up for concrete pour on site. Such an arrangement has helped contractors free up their resources and in turn allowed them to achieve faster time schedules.”
One of the other benefits of getting the cutting and bending outsourced is that it allows a reduction in the wastage of steel, which in the last few months has turned into one of the most expensive building materials, he explains.
He adds: “Although there have been a couple of contracting companies in the kingdom operating cut-and-bend facilities for a while, these units had been set up primarily to meet their own requirements. Since we have been involved with the supply of steel products for a long time, it was quite natural for us to provide the value-added service that could sustain as a business model on its own.
“It was Hussain Al Nooh, the general manager of Al Nooh Wood Design, who suggested the idea and initiated a feasibility study to start the division,” says Al Nooh, explaining how the idea came into being. “The plan was to enable Al Nooh group to vertically integrate the value-added service to its building materials portfolio.
“The company currently utilises state-of-the-art German machinery, which can cut-and-bend steel bars to the required specifications and is run by highly qualified and experienced engineers and staff who ensure that the strict-quality standards are adhered to.”
In a short span of time, Al Nooh Cut and Bend Steel Factory has also entered into a number of alliances that are expected to widen the company’s products and services portfolio over the coming months. One of the products that the company has recently introduced in Bahrain and is soon to launch on the Jordan market is a steel coupler system that was used for the Bahrain-Saudi causeway project some two decades ago. The couplers, which are manufactured by US-based Erico (earlier Electric Railway Improvement Company) help reduce the time consumed in joining the steel rebar and steel wastage and can give far stronger joints, he says.
Called Lenton, the standard couplers are designed to splice the same diameter bars where one bar is free to move and can be rotated. The coupler has several advantages that include: a unique self-aligning taper-threaded design, which provides continuity and structural integrity; spliced bars that behave as continuous lengths of reinforcing steel bars; is designed to withstand man-made blasts, and other seismic events; is quick and easy to install; develops higher tensile strength than lap splicing; and provides full load transfer with the slimmest and shortest coupler possible.
“These couplers help bring about an eight per cent reduction in steel rebar requirements on a project,” says Al Nooh. “For example, if we are to consider a 28-storey building, the reduction that is brought about by the use of Lenton couplers could be as much as 455 tonnes of steel, which is quite a significant saving.
“In addition, the couplers also do away with the need to use binding wires and since they do not necessitate the joining of rebar along the length, they help reduce the diameter of columns without compromising their structural integrity.”
The company plans to organise seminars for consultants and contractors on the advantages of the couplers in the coming months, especially as the kingdom gears up to start work on several more mega projects.
Established 50 years ago, Abdali Essa Al Nooh and Sons, has over the years become recognised as one of Bahrain’s oldest and trusted business communities. Today, the company represents some of the leading brands in the building materials sector and sources materials from across the globe.
Apart from Abdali Essa Al Nooh Cut and Bend Steel Factory, the group includes six other divisions which are: Al Nooh Wood Design, which undertakes complete turnkey interior projects; Hameed Al Nooh Constructions (Hacons), which is a Grade A contractor offering civil and contracting services; Al Nooh Fencing, which manufactures and markets PVC (polyvinyl chloride)–coated or galvanised chain link fencing and barbed wire; Al Nooh Service Station, which operates a state-of-the-art facility for carbide tipping and sharpening tools and blades of all kinds; and Super Foods, which is an importer of various food items; and Ornate, which is a joint venture with Andalusian Ornate Décor Company offering Moroccan Zaleej, gypsum, wooden, brass accessories and traditional decorations.