Abu Dhabi carrier welcomed over 1.4 million passengers last month
Steel manufacturing sector in the UAE is currently witnessing standard trends with improvement in growth by 15 to 20 per cent compared to that of the last year, thanks to the announcement of major infrastructure development projects across the country. From the steel industry standpoint, local manufacturers are in a strong position to cater to each of the upcoming projects.
The state-of-the-art steel plant of Conares spread in an area of over 1.5 million square feet at Jafza currently manufactures steel pipes and rebars. The rebars form about 20 per cent of the UAE market share and the pipes cater to 25 per cent of the total market demand in the region. Operational in these two major segments of the steel industry, Conares has carved a niche for itself and grown to be a key manufacturer. Its global and regional presence gives Conares a competitive advantage in sourcing raw materials. Conares has been growing to deliver 1 million tonnes of steel annually. Being a 100 per cent privately owned entity, the company's assets exceed $300 million of investments in the UAE.
Commenting on Conares' outlook for 2017, Bharat Bhatia, Founder and CEO of Conares, said, "We have seen major developments in 2016. The extended support from Jafza has been key in helping us achieve major milestones. The overall outlook for the steel sector is mostly positive with 2016 having witnessed steady growth. In the international market; iron ore, coking coal and scrap are in the range of $300. As a prediction, I would say steel would be Dh1,875 to Dh1,900 per tonne - and that is at a minimum. The steel market mostly can be viewed with only a short-term outlook.
"2016 has been fairly good with a consumption of 3 to 3.2 million tonnes of steel, while in 2017 we expect the market to grow to about 3.5 to 4 million tonnes. Looking further at 2018 and 2019, there will be moderate growth. The steel market in the UAE is very active with the local producers being able to match up to the international prices and the country's growing demand. We are indeed very thankful to the UAE's Ministry of Economy for the support extended to us. We actively seek further considerations from the Government to protect the interests of local producers in the Emirates. The competition among the indigenous and international imports is fierce with the UAE manufacturers matching up to the prices at most times."
Apart from the announcement of major landmark projects; the improved efficiency of supply chain ecosystem in the industry, the capacity and technologies in place to cater to the requirement, and facilitating the adoption of latest innovations in production have also played a key role to signal a boom in the steel industry. Moreover, steel manufacturing has been vital to the growth of non-oil-dependent gross domestic product, further serving the economic diversity.
Abu Dhabi carrier welcomed over 1.4 million passengers last month
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