Gemini Building Materials, a leading importer and trader of building materials in the UAE, has broken ground on its new manufacturing facility at Khalifa Industrial Zone in Abu Dhabi (Kizad).

The new Gemini Technical Industries unit will be coming up on a 11,668-sq-m plot of land in the industrial zone’s KP-5 area.

This will be Gemini’s next big venture in addition to its 18 branches and four logistics points which are spread all over the UAE and Oman.

Gemini said the manufacturing facility will focus on producing quality and competitively priced building products namely aluminium ceilings, T–Grid ceiling suspension systems and metal profiles that cater to the ‘interior finishing’ market.

The company said it has taken on this venture to meet the need for consistent quality, smooth supply chains and better pricing in the market.

Gemini secured the land at an investment of Dh30 million ($8 million) for the construction of the manufacturing unit, said a statement from Abu Dhabi Ports.

Commenting on the ground-breaking, Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO, Abu Dhabi Ports, said: "We are very pleased to see the beginning of construction of Gemini’s new facility in Khalifa Industrial Zone. Our adjacent flagship deep-water Khalifa Port will prove vital for the facility’s import and export activities and significantly expand Gemini’s regional and global market reach."

"Khalifa Port and its industrial zone provide an unprecedented intermodal transportation network, which addresses our customers’ needs for optimum supply chain connections and efficiency," he added.

KP Ganesh Babu, the managing director, Gemini Building Materials, said: "We have been part of the Middle East construction industry since 1995. The move to Khalifa Industrial Zone will strengthen our business offerings while boosting our services and competitiveness, especially with regards to regional and international markets."

The facility in Khalifa Industrial Zone, he stated, was expected to show an annual increase between 12 to 15 per cent and offered an opportunity to widen the product range.

“We strive to excel in the construction sector through world-class products and services, as well as strong and long-term relationships with our valuable customers. As we grow in our role as industry leaders, we aim to create value to our customers and bring innovation into the market while expanding our horizon and the Khalifa Industrial Zone will provide us with an excellent business platform to achieve this goal.”

Established in 1995 at Abu Dhabi, Gemini is a building materials supplier, offering drywall, ceilings and decor solutions to businesses catering to residential buildings, private homes, hotels, hospitals, shopping malls and public buildings.

Gemini currently operates across most of the industry sectors in the UAE and Oman.-TradeArabia News Service