Expanding horizons in the Middle East – Liberty

Pictured: The Liberty Building Solutions FZE team

Three years after being established in Dubai, Liberty Building Solutions FZE is preparing to move into new premises and to grow its product range.

The name Barton has been a trusted name in conduit tubing for more than 100 years. Manufactured both in the UK and abroad, the Barton range of insulation products is exported to clients throughout Europe, the Middle East, East Asia and Australia.

Liberty Building Solutions FZE was established in Dubai in 2016 following the acquisition of Barton’s parent company, the UK engineering group Caparo Industries, by Liberty House Group. The new business was tasked with distributing the Barton range of premium insulation materials across the Middle East. Products for the market included the range of rigid and flexible steel conduit tube, malleable iron, steel and brass conduit fittings, and electrical enclosures and switch boxes. Also included were steel trunking and other products designed to protect electrical cable installations.

Proven track record
“The Middle East – and specifically the UAE – is the largest market for the Barton and other Liberty-owned cable management ranges,” says Liberty Building Solutions CEO Richard Botting. “The products have a proven track record of performance in this harsh environment, which combines the extremes of heat, salinity, humidity and dust”.

Barton products are typically supplied to large-scale projects encompassing mass transportation, energy, healthcare, education, leisure and travel, commercial and residential developments, tall and super-tall towers, sporting arenas and places of worship – anywhere the safety of the public is critical, says Richard.

The team at Liberty Building Solutions has considerable product and application knowledge and enjoys excellent working relationships with long-established customers in the region. These, combined with a deep understanding of end-client requirements, enable the business to provide premium-quality solutions to the electrical engineering sector of the construction market.

New premises
Now, three years after it was established, Liberty Building Solutions is planning to relocate to larger premises within the Jebel Ali Free Zone. This will allow for business growth and for the introduction of light manufacturing operations alongside the warehouse activity.

“At present, the business operates a warehouse and leases space from third-party-logistics providers inside the free zone,” Richard explains. “The move to the bigger facility enables all activity to be consolidated under one roof, improving operational efficiency and customer service. The additional space also enables us to bring in-house certain light manufacturing activities that are presently subcontracted, again improving costs and service.”

Meanwhile, Liberty Building Solutions is also expanding its product offering. The business is the exclusive distributor in the UAE for Ramtech Electronics Ltd, a UK specialist in wireless technology which manufactures the WES+ wireless fire-alert system, an innovative fire alarm system specifically developed to meet increasing health and safety legislation surrounding construction-site safety.

Liberty is distributing this through its subsidiary business, Liberty Fire and Safety Equipment LLC, which has already successfully supplied concert venues, construction sites and exhibition halls with fully installed systems.

Richard says, “Whilst protecting and growing the core Barton cable management business, Liberty Building Solutions must continue to add new products and services, diversify and expand in order to remain relevant and competitive within the industry sector that it competes.”

Projects Liberty Building Solutions FZE has supplied in the Middle East

• Dubai and Doha (Qatar) metro systems
• International airport passenger terminal and concourse expansions in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait, Muscat, Riyadh and elsewhere
• Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant (UAE) and other electrification projects in Oman, Qatar, Saudi and UAE
• Cleveland Clinic, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Al Ain and other hospital projects
• Burj Khalifa, currently the world’s tallest tower
• Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi
• Developments for FIFA 2022 World Cup and Dubai EXPO 2020