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“Integrity is at the Heart of Everything We Do at SIDERISE”

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In a conversation with Window & Façade Magazine, Mayank Sharma from Siderise Insulation shared his views on the current situation of the industry, Siderise’s products, and the trends in the thermal and fire protection products in the market. Excerpts…

Please brief us about your Siderise’s journey? What are the milestones you have achieved?

My Siderise journey has been a roller-coaster ride, travelling across the globe for multiple seminars, industry events, and extensive product testing. For me, my greatest achievement while working in SIDERISE Insulation has been supporting and developing a local technical support team in the Middle East as we grow and explore new territories. My role is a very interesting and intriguing one as I aim to be the knowledge link between key people who influence the performance requirements of buildings. For example, translating the laboratory and field monitoring research into something designers and site contractors can use each day.

Tell us about your product offerings? What benefits do they offer?

SIDERISE are the market leaders for developing specialist fire, thermal and acoustic solutions for the construction industry. Our range includes high-performance fire stopping products for applications including floor and wall compartmentation. Our passive fire protection systems are industry-leading and third-party certified. The SIDERISE curtain walling firestop was the first to market internationally, and our reactive solution for ventilated façades was the first within the Middle East.

Name some of the major projects in the Middle East in which your products have been used?

SIDERISE is proud to have been involved in projects all over the world. Our technical team works closely with the architects, contractors, and installers throughout each project to bring them successfully to fruition. We would like to share some of our successes with you that includes Coca-Cola Arena, Royal Atlantis, One JVC, Jumeirah gate, various towers within Dubai Creek Harbour, Vida Residence Downtown.

What sustainability means to Siderise?

A commitment to sustainability is the only way forward for SIDERISE. We must help provide solid solutions that reduce the impact of the built environment on the environment and the world’s natural resources. We are committed to delivering high performance, sustainable, and cost-effective insulation solutions for the industrial and built environments, and at the same time, minimising the impact of our products on the wider environment. It is fantastic to be working toward such an objective and we have some incredibly committed colleagues. I must admit this is one of the things that most attracted me to this job.

As part of our commitment to sustainable development, we focus on how our products are made, transported, and used, as well as on what happens to them at the end of their service life. We do this across the SIDERISE Group using a series of ‘Lean’ principles which achieve:

•  Sustained continuous improvement
• Increased production efficiency
• Increased customer value

You are one of the leaders in the industry. What are Siderise’s USPs and how it has maintained a consistent growth since its commencement?

SIDERISE Insulation’s market-leading support for the architect, designer, and specifier, selecting the right solutions for your project is one of the keys to its success. You can trust us to keep our promises, and we can offer excellent lead times thanks to our technologically advanced manufacturing plant and skilled workforce. Customer service is at the heart of everything we do, which is why we do all we can to make specifying and using Siderise products easy for our customers.

What are the current trends in thermal and fire protection products in the Middle East?

One JBR and Meydan Tower JBR, Dubai

Passive fire protection material market size is poised to surpass USD 27 billion by 2024 – according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. The desire for taller structures and with a strive for improved energy efficiency by adding exterior insulation, we sometimes encounter potential conflicts with fire and life safety codes.

With the popularity of building certification programmes to net-zero energy building initiatives to the active building enclosure movement, expectations continue to increase for building performance, facility life, and occupant health and safety. Because two of the most critical aspects of high-performance buildings are air/water tightness and the enclosure’s thermal performance, the necessity of using more insulation, and high-quality air/water barrier and flashing materials, will continue to increase as the industry trends toward highly energy-efficient building envelopes.

What is the current situation of your industry when the world is facing this COVID-19 challenge?

We cannot ignore that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a global impact on the delivery of construction projects. A capital liquidity crunch is the main issue for the property and construction sectors. Investment has been reduced across the market due to the blocked cash flow of developers. For developed projects, the commercial business has been affected by the huge fluctuations in retail that have led to rental income decreases, while companies may decide to reduce office floor space to reduce rental costs. If this situation cannot be mitigated, a greater impact will be seen on future development projects.

The business has been slower for both developers and consultants, but, working on the assumption that the government will implement the appropriate quantitative easing measures to boost property development, the impact will be likely short-term instead of resulting in a crisis. Due to the current severe pandemic situation globally, the outlook is not clear yet.

Boulevard Heights and Residences, Dubai

We will therefore likely see new construction contracts, entered into in the post- COVID-19 era, to expressly provide for such risks, including, for example, government lockdown and quarantine measures, supply chain delays/shortages, and health and safety measures. In the era of global integration, we are closely linked. If the world economy falls into a depression, no one will be exempt – including us. Currently, the general situation is going in a good direction.

What practices should be adopted by the industry to overcome these challenges and deal with the after-effects of this pandemic?

Mankool Mixed Use, Dubai

A feature of construction projects is the relatively long construction period, which usually lasts for a few years. Therefore, the impact of this year may cause a greater impact next year or the year after. If we have a rapid economic recovery in the second half of the year, the overall industry will be able to develop steadily in 2020 – the risk resistance capacity of the construction industry is relatively strong.

The COVID-19 outbreak has changed the way people live and work to some extent. What we needed to do in person before may not be necessary now – for example, in our site work, there are now artificial intelligence automation machines that can help. Meanwhile, our clients are also gradually changing from the real estate industry to logistics, e-commerce, AI automation, and other diversified industries. SIDERISE has developed a simple-to-use inspection application to enable the efficient recording and assessment of the installation of our products – and the issue of the recorded information in a clear and concise report.

It allows the user to effectively inspect, record, and seamlessly audit the quality of the installation work. Importantly, this process highlights any issues in need of a resolution.

What are the major opportunities for your business in the Middle East?

The World Expo has long since been regarded as a valuable regional showcase, and Dubai is promising to ‘astonish the world’ when their turn comes around in October next year. The United Arab Emirates will play host to approximately 180 countries with Expo 2021, and more than 25 million worldwide visitors are expected to attend the six-month showcase of global innovation and technology.

On the other hand, the 22nd edition of the world’s premier football showcase will be held in the Middle East for the first time, and extensive new infrastructure will be required to bring the event to life. Seven new state-of-the-art stadiums are being built to host the event, with designers drawing upon aspects of Qatari culture in their work. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia is a country changing at quite a speed. After opening its doors to tourists in 2019, the world’s eyes have turned to the Kingdom, and it has plenty to show off.

What are your goals and plans for the next 4-5 years?

My primary goal will be to continue providing market-leading support to all our associated stakeholders along with considerable geographical growth within the region by driving, developing, and growing architectural specifications across the region. We also see great potential within the APAC region in the coming years.