Sulb Company

What Sulb Company does

SULB Company B.S.C.(c) is a Bahrain-based, fully integrated structural steel manufacturer serving construction, infrastructure, and industrial customers across the GCC and international export markets. The company operates two plants — a fully integrated facility in Hidd, Bahrain encompassing a Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) plant (Midrex/Kobe Steel technology), an Electric Arc Furnace Melt Shop (SMS Concast), and a Heavy Section Mill (SMS Meer), and a light-to-medium section rolling mill in Jubail, Saudi Arabia — together covering 540,000 square metres with a combined DRI design capacity of 1.5 Mtpa and steelmaking capacity of 0.97 Mtpa.

The product portfolio spans the full vertical chain: Hot and Cold DRI, Billets and Beam Blanks, and finished sections including Beams and Columns (up to 914mm), Angles, Channels, and Flat Bars. Products are certified to JIS, ASTM, European (EN), Korean (KS), Chinese (CNS), and Indian (BIS) standards, enabling exports to MENA, South Asia, the Far East, and Europe. In 2023 the company set all-time production records of 1.619 Mt DRI, 1.265 Mt Melt Shop, 653,000 tonnes Heavy Section Mill, and 411,000 tonnes at Saudi Sulb, operating consistently at 110% of rated capacity.

SULB is a wholly owned subsidiary of Foulath Holding (acquiring the remaining 49% from Yamato Kogyo in 2026), with Bahrain Steel — a sister company located adjacent to the Bahrain plant — supplying iron ore pellets for the DRI process. The go-to-market is B2B enterprise field sales through regional offices in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, serving named projects such as Bahrain International Airport Extension, Riyadh Metro, and Oman Renaissance Museum. Revenue is generated through direct sales of finished structural steel to construction firms, fabricators, and contractors, plus merchant sales of Cold DRI and Billets to MENA and South Asian buyers.

Name

Sulb Company

Legal name

Sulb

Website

https://sulb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

SULB is a Bahrain-based, fully integrated structural steel manufacturer operating twin plants in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, producing DRI, billets, and finished beams, columns, angles, channels, and flat bars for GCC infrastructure, industrial, and construction customers alongside international export markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Steel Manufacturing

NAICS

Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing (33111)

akta.pro primary industry

Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) & Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) Production (IMAKABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) Steelmaking (Incl. DRI/HBI-Based) (IMAKABAB), Concentrates & Intermediate Feedstocks Marketing (Concentrates, Cathodes, Anodes, Alumina) (IMAKAJAJ)

Keywords

• Structural steel manufacturing
• Direct reduced iron
• Heavy section rolling
• Integrated steel production
• Structural steel sections

Headquarters

HQ city

Hidd

HQ country

Bahrain

HQ region

Middle East

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Structural Steel Products: SULB generates revenue through manufacturing and selling finished structural steel products including beams, columns, angles, channels, and flat bars. The company operates two integrated plants in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, producing from DRI through to finished steel sections. Revenue comes from direct sales to construction companies, steel fabricators, contractors, and industrial customers across the GCC and international markets.
2. Semi-Finished Products: Sales of DRI (Direct Reduced Iron) and Billets to customers across the MENA region and South East Asia. The Bahrain plant produces both Hot DRI for in-house consumption and Cold DRI for external market sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SULB manufactures medium and heavy structural steel sections for construction and infrastructure markets. It operates two integrated plants in Hidd, Bahrain and Jubail, Saudi Arabia, producing from Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) and Billets to finished products including beams, columns, angles, channels, and flat bars. The company supplies steel fabricators, contractors, and industrial customers across the GCC and international markets.

Product overview

Sulb Company is a specialized and fully-integrated producer of structural steel products, operating from DRI (Direct Reduced Iron) and Billets to finished light-to-medium and heavy structural steel sections. The company operates two strategically located plants—one in Hidd, Bahrain and another in Jubail, Saudi Arabia—covering 540,000 square meters. The Bahrain plant encompasses the entire process from DRI production through steelmaking (Melt Shop) to finished products (Heavy Section Mill), while the Saudi plant focuses on light and medium section rolling. The product portfolio includes DRI, Billets, Beams & Columns, Angles, Channels, and Flat Bars, covering sizes from 40mm angles to 914mm beams and serving international specifications including JIS, ASTM, European, Korean, and Indian standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) Premium ore-based metallic raw material made by removing chemically-bound oxygen from iron oxide pellets without melting. The Bahrain plant produces Hot DRI for in-house consumption and Cold DRI for external market sale, with 1.5 million tonnes/year designed capacity.
• Billets Continuously cast steel semi-finished products produced in the Melt Shop using SMS Concast technology. Available in sizes including Billet 150x150mm, Bloom 200x200mm, Bloom 200x280mm, and Beam Blanks in multiple dimensions, produced to stringent customer requirements.
• Beams & Columns Structural steel beams and columns for construction applications. Includes American HP/W shapes, Australian UB/UC, European HE/IPE/UB/UBP/UC, Japanese H beams, Korean H/HP beams, Indian NPB/WPB, and SULB-specific Solar and UB profiles, with sizes up to 914mm beams.
• Angles Equal leg angles produced in various steel grades according to European (EN), Japanese (JIS), Indian (IS), and other international standards. Available in sizes from 40mm to 250mm for construction and infrastructure applications.
• Channels Structural steel channels including European UPN, Japanese JIS, and SULB UPSL profiles, used in construction and infrastructure projects.
• Flat Bars Flat steel bars in various widths and thicknesses according to Indian, European, and SULB specifications, used in construction and fabrication applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• DRI production: 1.619 Million Tonnes achieved in 2023
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Yamato KogyocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Yamato Kogyo (49% stake) partnered with Foulath Holding (51%) to establish SULB in 2009. Yamato Kogyo provides technical expertise and Japanese steel-making standards to the joint venture. This partnership enables access to Japanese technology and quality standards in the Middle East steel market.
• Bahrain SteelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBahrain Steel is SULB's sister company and adjacent neighbour that produces high-quality iron ore pellets. Located immediately adjacent to SULB Bahrain, Bahrain Steel supplies the iron ore pellets used in SULB's DRI process. This vertical integration ensures reliable raw material supply and cost efficiency.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Emirates Steel Arkan: UAE-based integrated steel producer with DRI/EAF capacity producing heavy sections, structurals, and rebar. Directly competes with SULB across GCC infrastructure markets and serves overlapping customer base of construction and industrial projects.
• Hadeed (Saudi Iron and Steel Company): Saudi Arabia's largest integrated steel producer and SABIC subsidiary, operating DRI/EAF facilities in Jubail. Headquartered in the same industrial city as SULB Saudi, competing for the same Saudi construction and infrastructure customers with similar long products portfolio.
• Yamato Kogyo: Japanese steel manufacturer and SULB's former JV partner (49% stake divested to Foulath in 2026). Specializes in structural steel sections using electric arc furnace technology—same product category and manufacturing route as SULB, with technical collaboration history.
• Qatar Steel: Qatar-based integrated steel producer using DRI/EAF route to produce rebar and sections. Sister entity to Foulath Holding (which owns SULB), serving overlapping GCC infrastructure customer base with similar production technology and end-market focus.

Broad incumbents

• JSW Steel: India's largest steel producer with integrated DRI/EAF operations producing structural and long products. Competes with SULB in the Indian market where SULB holds BIS certification and exports structural sections.
• Tata Steel: Global integrated steel major with DRI/EAF operations producing structural steel products. Significantly larger and more diversified than SULB, but operates similar production technology and competes in adjacent Indian and Asian structural steel markets where SULB exports.
• Nucor Corporation: Largest North American EAF-based steel producer and a leader in DRI/EAF technology. Operates similar production route to SULB (DRI/EAF producing structural sections) and represents the benchmark for EAF operational efficiency that SULB's 110% capacity utilization emulates.
• ArcelorMittal: World's largest steel producer with integrated operations including DRI/EAF facilities in MENA (notably in Saudi Arabia via JV). Global market leader that competes with SULB on export markets and sets the global benchmark for steel pricing and technology.

Regional players

• Ezz Steel: Egypt's largest steel producer and the largest MENA-based steelmaker by capacity, producing long products including sections and rebar. Operates in the same broad MENA geography with comparable end markets, though primarily serves Egyptian and North African markets rather than GCC.

Others

• Bahrain Steel: SULB's sister company under Foulath Holding, producing iron ore pellets that feed SULB's DRI plant. Vertically integrated upstream supplier rather than a competitor, but operationally intertwined as the sole pellet feedstock provider for SULB's Bahrain facility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sulb_company
• Facebookfacebook.com/SULB.Company
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sulb-company

Compliance18 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sulb Company