The Dubai-based company will promote Aleris’ premium aluminum in the GCC region

Dubai, May 16, 2017 - Aleris Corporation, a leader in the production of rolled aluminum for critical surface applications, announces today that it has signed an agency agreement with MJ Building Materials TradingDMCC, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. As a result, the company will have the exclusivity for the promotion of Aleris’ 55HX®, a premium aluminum for architectural applications, in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

“Our 55HX® is already a well-known brand in the European advanced architecture market, and it will grow further in the Gulf region thanks to this partnership. By combining MJ Building Materials’ experience in the region and Aleris’ know-how in architectural applications, we will strengthen our position in the Middle-East,” said Johan Petry, Vice President Aleris Industrial Products.

The 55HX® is a premium material that has been developed to meet the requirements of the architectural space. It can be used for inside and outside applications, including façades, wall cladding, ceilings and roofs. One of the projects where this material was selected is the façade of the eye-catching Rézo building in Paris, thanks to the following unique properties:

Flexibility: 55HX® can be creatively shaped to adapt to almost any design
High surface quality, further improved after anodization to obtain superior UV, scratch and corrosion resistance while keeping its unique metal look
Color uniformity across various batches, which provides consistency in color and gloss.

According to Modar Al Mekdad, Chairman MJ Building Materials TradingDMCC, “many ambitious high-end projects are currently being developed in our region and we see a lot of potential in the use of aluminum for architectural applications. Therefore, it is obvious for us to collaborate with Aleris, which provides high quality material. In particular, its 55HX® meets all essential criteria for construction in the GCC region.” Indeed, the 55HX® is currently the only plain aluminum that meets the stringent fire requirements of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 285).

With an extensive range of innovative aluminum solutions, Aleris has been recently involved in a few major international architectural projects, such as the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City, the Grand Egyptian Museum or the new Riyadh bridge (still under construction).