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Swedish State Secretary Visits Scania Assembly Plant in Jafza

DUBAI - Swedish State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Enterprise and Energy Ola Altera, Swedish Ambassador to the UAE Bruno Beijer, and UAE Ambassador to Sweden Shaikha Najlaa Al Qassimi visited Swedish truck and bus manufacturer Scania’s new green industrial facility in the Jebel Ali Free Zone recently.

The Swedish delegation, in the UAE to participate in the World Future Energy Summit that concluded in Abu Dhabi recently, met with Fabio Castello, General Manager, Scania Middle East and Dr Mohammed Al Banna, Senior Vice-president - Commercial Sales - Jafza.

The delegation was taken on a tour of the facility and briefed on the energy-saving aspects of the assembly plant in Jafza. The Scania assembly plant is the Swedish auto giant’s first such facility in the region.

Located in a 20,000 square metre industrial site, the facility meets the highest environmental standards and is a Green Building, Gold LEED certified. The facility uses recycled water, in a system that reduces consumption of fresh water by 85 per cent. Moreover, the use of solar panels and special materials reduce result in 25 per cent less energy consumption.

The facility has the capacity for customisation of about 1,400 vehicles per year. Operations include mainly vehicles for construction, such as tipper and concrete trucks, but the facility is also adapted for long haulage, distribution trucks and bus chassis assembly.

Commenting on the green building, Fabio Castello stated: “We strongly believe in sustainable and green technology and its application in our daily lives and in our operations. Globally, our product range that includes buses, trucks and engines complies with the sustainable city concept. We hope to improve our energy efficiency each year. Scania believes that corporations have a responsibility towards the environment and communities they operate in.”

Dr Mohammad Al Banna said: “Jafza is proud to play host to a globally respected and socially responsible company such as Scania. The company’s policies mirror our own. Over the years, Jafza and its parent company Economic Zones World has been increasingly prioritising sustainable practices and CSR in its operations worldwide. Jafza has initiated several green campaigns to encourage Free Zone tenants to be more environmentally aware and also houses green warehouses and LEED certified green buildings.”

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