The Danube Group, in conjugation with Alucopanel USA, on Monday celebrated the opening of the first and only Aluminum Composite Panel Factory in the Middle East.

The new facility is located in Dubai's Technopark, and is solely dedicated to the production of non-combustible ACP's and related materials. Production of the A2 composite panels at the Alucopanel Middle East facility is scheduled to begin immediately after the official launch of the production line, which has an expected capacity of four million square meters annually, making it the largest production facility in the region.

The new facility follows closely on the heels of the new fire code released by the UAE Civil Defense. In the face of mounting fire-related accidents, earlier this year, Danube Group opened conversations with local government bodies, appealing for the use of non-combustible panels. Further to which, the UAE government has passed on a mandate to cladmid-rise and high-rise building with only Euroclass A2 materials.

Almost 90 per cent of the buildings built in the GCC before the year 2012, are cladded with non-fire-retardant grade Aluminum composite panels, which is the main reason for the recent fires witnessed at residential and commercial projects in the UAE. The devastating aftermath of the incident left numerous residents homeless, and resulted in the loss of their belongings and possessions. The damage can be significantly reduced with the installation of the new panels.

Rizwan Sajan, founder and chairman of Danube Group, said: "We have been able to successfully set up this facility with the support of the UAE government, and are extremely happy to be the first and only company to make available the non-combustible ACP. Being an active participant in the real estate industry in the UAE, the introduction of the new law by the UAE Civil Defense, to use A2 materials is a new light to ensure customer safety and eliminate the loss of life due to fire."

Sajan also revealed that it took the company a year to set up the new facility, however plans for the facility were in the works for more than a year. He explained that Danube had invested in the required machinery quite early on, and that it had always been the company's vision to bring the new panel technology to the UAE. He also noted that the company was anticipating great demand for the new panels in the coming years.

Spanning an area of over 50,000sqf, the new manufacturing facility denotes an investment of Dh100 million, which will make available over 15 metallic finishes as well as 15 solid/plane finishes in more than 10,000 colors that can be customised to suit the requirements of a wide array of developers across the region. All products under the Alucopanel Middle East portfolio adhere to the highest standards and have received international certifications including the Exova Warrington fire-UK, Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants-UAE and BM Trada UK.

Zohaib Rahman, division head of Alucopanel Middle East, revealed that there are currently more than 270 buildings, ready for handover, which are on hold due to the new requirement by the Civil Defense. He also revealed that the Riyadh Metro project would be utilising the new panels along with seven to eight more megaprojects in the region. To keep up with the demand in the region, another sister facility is in the pipeline which will be completed by Q1, 2017.

"Panels produced by Alucopanel do not allow the diffusion of flames and restricts smoke, which discourages the spread of fire in an upward motion. The application of the non-combustible from Alucopanel in development projects in and around the region will definitely elevate fire safety in the region, representing a new era in building materials," noted Rahman.

Rohma Sadaqat I am a reporter and sub-editor on the Business desk at Khaleej Times. I mainly cover and write articles on the UAE's retail, hospitality, travel, and tourism sectors.Originally from Lahore, I have been living in the UAE for more than 20 years. I graduated with a BA in Mass Communication, with a concentration in Journalism, and a double minor in History and International Studies from the American University of Sharjah.If you see me out and about on assignment in Dubai, feel free to stop me, say hello, and we can chat about the latest kitten videos on YouTube.