The hugely successful Saudi based Al Zamil is one of the Kingdoms largest private enterprises, spanning diversified industrial and commercial interests. This covers everything from air-conditioning manufacturing to food processing, steel fabrication and travel services.

There is also a banking and investment division, bringing the total number of employees to 8000. The family has a 25% stake in the Bahrain based Energy Centre Company. This could prove a huge windfall given the regions growing power demands, with the stake adding US$200m to the familys wealth.

The group was founded by the late Sheikh Abdullah Al-Hamad Al Zamil, a Saudi Arabian entrepreneur, who established a modest trading entity selling food items and textiles in the Kingdom of Bahrain in the 1930s. Later, he expanded his business successfully into real estate investments in Saudi Arabia.

Zamil Groups directors now comprises 12 sons, led by chairman Mohammed and director Abdulrahman, the latter who also sits on the Kings 90-strong advisory council. Khalid Al Zamil is a director of Gulf Navigation Holding which will soon be listed on the Dubai Financial Market.

The groups Saudi International Petrochemicals is capitalised at US$13bn, its National Power Company at US$55m and its low-cost airline Menajet that has yet to launch successfully is worth US$50m. Shares in another venture Sahara Petrochemicals rose 230% on the Saudi stock exchange when it was floated in 2005.

But the groups real wealth lies in several other ventures, notably the Zamil Industrial Investment division which exports to 70 markets worldwide. Zamil Industrial Investment Co. will spend more than US$80m to expand its business in pre-fabricated steel buildings in the UAE, Egypt and Asia this year. The value of the overall GCC market alone is US$1bn, or 500,000 tonnes of steel buildings produced yearly.

Zamils upcoming factory in Ras Al Khaimah will begin with a production capacity of 30,000 tonnes, with plans to ramp up output in the future. The division announced a net profit of US$25.9m for the first half of this year, an increase of 83.2% over the same period in 2005. Total turnover for the first half of this year was US$356m, an increase of US$38.2m, representing a 12% growth over the same period in 2005.