Qatar Steel was formed in 1974 as one of the first integrated steel plants in the Gulf. Commercial production began in 1978 and the company became wholly owned by Industries Qatar in 2003. Today the Qatar plant and offices, located in Doha, occupies an area of 707,000m2, adjacent to a further 375,000m2 plot reserved for future developments. The company also operates a UAE based subsidiary – Qatar Steel Company FZE in Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai. This was established in August 2003 to meet the growing demand for high-quality steel wire-rod products within the GCC, as well as in the international markets.