Unibeton, part of Al Fara'a Construction Group of Companies, was formed in 1990 and has subsequently expanded to include eight plants across the UAE. As the leading concrete supplier for many of the regions landmark projects such as the new Garhoud Bridge and RTA road interchange projects, Unibeton is also the prominent ready-mix concrete supplier for construction projects currently underway. Take the Jumeirah Palm project for instance. Here, the company has recently installed two state-of-the-art batching plants on the Palm Island which include world class and cutting-edge technology giving superior batching accuracy and excellent output, to maximise efficiency. When it comes to concrete, it's all about speed, quality and supply and Unibeton enjoys a reputation for executing projects within time and to guaranteed quality levels, setting it apart from others and enabling the company to be listed in the exclusive category of brands who consistently win projects by invitation.
Another factor of their success, Unibeton admits, is the publicity they received during a record breaking concrete pour for the Al Attar Sky Spiral tower. The milestone 20,000 m3 concrete pour - which is the equivalent of filing 9 Olympic sized swimming pools - laid the basement of Al Attar Sky Spiral, a 49 level, residential tower in Al Sofouh. Demanding the highest levels of technical and logistical expertise the mammoth 35 hour pour was finished on the 7th of September, 2007, and leveraged the combined efforts of Unibeton's nine, strategically located concrete batching plants - with a nominal capacity to generate up to 1000 m³ of concrete per hour - more than 150 transit mixers and 15 mobile and 6 standby pumps. Keeping the concrete at the correct temperature was also important; with ambient temperatures around 40ºC they had to maintain the concrete at the specified 32ºC with the use of over 1,500 tonnes of ice. Unibeton General Manager Engr. Mohammed Shedadeh adds "We had a dedicated team of the best in the business: scientists, technicians, engineers and other skilled employees all with a commitment to quality and to testing the untested, so I was always confident that we would deliver this landmark pour on time and with the highest quality results".
Unibeton continues to develop and expand at an extraordinary rate whilst embracing world-wide technological advancements, for example their batching plants have recently been upgraded with latest German technology and provided with new 3 and 4.5m3 BHS twin shaft mixers as well as extremely accurate load cells for weighing of water and admixture. As well as the latest technology, consistently sound management has helped the company grow into the huge organisation it is today. Shedadeh concludes, "Because of the logistical complexity of many of our larger projects, a highly trained, co-operative team of experts is crucial to success. We stand united and this is why we stand strong". Some may call Dubai a 'concrete jungle', but with Unibeton in the picture that might not be a bad thing at all.
Green Concrete
Always committed to CSR, Unibeton's commitment to total quality management (TQM) extends to every area of its operations and they are one of the few Ready Mix Companies accredited to QHS&E Management System. To help to build a more sustainable environment, Unibeton is focusing on Green; environmentally friendly concrete with low carbon dioxide emissions to produce energy saving construction. As the largest Ready Mixed Concrete Company in the Gulf, Unibeton is not only a member of the Emirates Green Building Council but also leading the field with the promotion of Green sustainable concrete by using materials that represent a 75% saving on carbon dioxide emission against the more traditional type of conventional concrete made from Ordinary Portland cement. The greatest focus on green concrete is with the use of partial cement replacements such as PFA & slag. This is an impressive improvement, considering that every month more than a million cubic meters of concrete are poured in what must surely be the world's greatest construction frenzy.