Valve maker grows to ‘jewel in the crown’

Kef Holdings’ modernist and plush headquarters look out of place amid the smoke-spewing refineries and tatty warehouses of Sharjah’s Hamriyah industrial free zone.

But inside the complex, not far from a well-equipped community centre built for the workers, Kef has constructed a huge forge that churns out juggernaut metal valves for the oil and gas industry.

“We are trying to bring a whole new concept to the foundry business,” says Faizal Kottikollon, the founder and chairman of Kef. “The cliché of it is as a dark and shabby industry, and I wanted to change this.”