The factory at TechnoPark, Dubai.

DANUBE Group recently set up a factory at TechnoPark in Dubai, UAE, to manufacture fire-rated aluminium composite panels under the brand name Alucopanel.

The factory, spread over an area of 1,500 sq m and set up at a cost of $5 million, has a daily production capacity of 4,000 sq m.

Commenting on the new product, Anis Sajan, managing director of Danube Group, says that in the event of a fire, the panels ensure that the blaze does not spread quickly to the whole building.

“Alucopanel is tested and complies with ASTM E84 (class A) as per new rules and regulations from Dubai Civil Defence,” Sajan says.

The company is currently exporting the panels to the Middle East and Africa region and Russia.

“We are awaiting UAE Civil Defence approval and once we get the certificate, we will start selling to the UAE market,” Sajan says. “With the approval, we expect the demand for our product to increase significantly. We are also looking at doubling the production capacity to meet the demands. The company has space for an additional production line.”

The panels are available in the standard size of 1.25 by 3.2 m, but we can also custom design,” he adds.

Danube showcased the new range at The Big 5 Dubai last year along with other new products including water heaters.

“We offer two types of water heaters – storage and instant. Sold under Milano brand, the water heaters range from 10 litres to 100 litres capacity in horizontal and vertical models,” he says.

Danube expects its sales for 2014 to touch Dh2 billion ($544 million).

“We have been growing 15 to 20 per cent year-on-year and hope to have reached a 20 per cent growth in 2014,” Sajan says.

Established in 1993 as a trading firm, Danube has grown into one of the largest building materials companies in the region offering more than 25,000 products.