The chief executive officer of the Bahrain-based Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mill Company (Garmco) has said the company is looking to open sales and service centres in new locations in a bid to diversify its customer base.

Speaking at the MEED Middle East Aluminium conference in Dubai, Adel Hamad, said the company is increasing production through the construction of a new $350m 160,000 tonnes-a-year rolling mill next to the Sohar Aluminium smelter in Oman, and the time was right to expand its operations overseas.

“We are looking to opening sales offices and service centres in Canada, South America, North Africa India and Japan,” Hamad says. “Rolling mills are hugely dependent on volume so you don’t want to lose your sales in any period.”  

“If you depend on one market you are more likely to fail,” he adds.

The Oman rolling mill project is a joint venture between Garmco, Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority (Adwea) and Takamul, the investment arm of the state-owned Oman Oil Company.

Bids for the engineering, procurement and construction contracts for Sohar aluminium rolling mill have been submitted and a decision is expected in June 2010 (MEED 01:03:10).