A Maltese group which produces aluminium, wood and stainless steel fixtures is negotiating a franchising deal with a company in Dubai.

ServGroup, which incorporates AluServ, SteelServ and WoodServ, already exports to Dubai, although its main overseas market is Libya.

Managing Director Mark Vassallo said this morning that the group was born 20 years ago with two employees and now had almost 80 people and invests €100,000 in machinery every year.

"We will be investing more in machinery and employees and are looking for a more spacious factory than the one in Mriehel," Mr Vassallo told Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi during a visit this morning.

He said the group started exporting, to Libya, in 2002. Exports consist mostly of doors, windows and other fixtures.

He said that the group had won the €2 million contract to produce and install fixtures in the first SmartCity block, where it used 4,000 square metres of glass, 2,500 square metres of wall cladding and 500 metres of railing. It is in the process of finishing 48 glass doors, and 60 fire doors, among other fixtures. 24 of its workers have been working full time on the SmartCity project since the beginning of this year.

Dr Gonzi described the group as a success story and said that it showed how the manufacturing sector was still strong and could thrive even more when it established new export markets.

He said that the group had managed to tap into EU funds to improve its products and presence on the market in Malta and abroad. It was interesting to note that some of its workers were former shipyard employees who were now using their skills elsewhere.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by Parliamentary Secretary Jason Azzopardi and Parliamentary Assistant Franco Debono.