Adopting creativity as a lifestyle at DP World

In an effort to encourage innovative ideas, DP World recently launched an electronic platform to enable the adoption of best ideas.

Innovation is a part of DP World's lifestyle, translating the efforts of its leadership to transform ideas into best practices to benefit society as a whole.
As a leader in the international ports industry, DP World adopts innovation in line with the directives and vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. This is realised by developing and utilising smart applications in enhancing the safety and efficiency of operations throughout their massive international portfolio.
In an effort to encourage innovative ideas, DP World recently launched an electronic platform to enable the adoption of the best ideas that support increased productivity, reduce costs and carbon emissions.
The company successfully increased the productivity of its ports by 30 per cent across its portfolio without the need for an increase in energy consumption so contributing to environmental preservation.
Key innovations, applications

Rise of ideas and global entrepreneurship DP World launched TURN8 to incubate ideas and encour-age innovative entrepreneur-ship on a global scale, as a quest to back economically feasible enterprises. The ini-tiative established 23 start-up companies around the world with a market value of approximately $30 million around the world.

The company launched many innovative initiatives under the leadership of Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, its chairman, and Mohammed Sharaf, its chief executive officer, who follow the approach of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Shaikh Mohammed, to make 2015 a year for innovation and establish the UAE as an innovative hub.
The most notable plans contributed to increasing the productivity of the ports that the company operates in the UAE and worldwide, such as Jebel Ali, the largest man-made port in the world.
Initiatives and future plans
The most important standards DP World has adopted include sustainability and safety, besides increasing productivity through innovative applications and practices within its container handling operations.
One of the major initiatives was the installation of 350 cranes in its ports around the world. They are equipped with devices that are able to generate their own power, allowing them to use their own energy to operate and move as they work.
This has increased productivity by 30 per cent without the need to increase energy consumption, saving enough energy to power nearly 1,400 homes in the UAE every year.
It has also contributed to environmental preservation by keeping the lid on carbon emissions and preserving around 10.5 million trees around the world. This innovation was designed by technicians in the company.
The writer is the vice-president of innovation at DP World. Views expressed are her own and do not reflect the newspaper's policy.

• Dubai