Wilo opens Mideast facility at Jafza

DUBAI - Pumping systems manufacturer Wilo SE inaugurated its new facility at the Jebel Ali Free Zone, or Jafza, a move which will further strenghthen its footprint here in the region, a top official said.

By Alvin R. Cabral

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Published: Wed 24 Nov 2010, 10:52 PM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 11:33 AM

“Dubai… allows us to organise our market in the Gulf area,” Wilo Middle East FZE Managing Director Simon Mrad told Khaleej Times in an interview during The Big 5 exhibition on Tuesday.

Because of the emirate’s strategic location, Mrad said that Wilo “is able to find the right people to handle our products.”

Wilo, based in Dortmund, Germany, began in 1872 and specialises in water pumping systems. It is currently number six in the world with a turnover of over €1 billion in 2010. It operates in over 70 countries and has a workforce of over 6,500. The company started its own hub at Jafza in 2008, but has been present in the UAE for over 20 years through its local distributors.

Wilo’s new facility will allow it to further boost its standing in the region, which has been growing over 25 per cent since 2008, which is commendable because this was achieved at the height of the financial crisis.

The inauguration was attended by Jafza Commercial Sales Vice-President for the UAE Dr Mohammed Al Banna, Wilo SE Executive Board Member Alexander von Schweinitz and other senior managers from Wilo. Mrad said that municipal water markets will increase the region’s pump business by up to 50 per cent. “With growing markets in building technologies and the introduction of high efficiency pumps, customers’ needs for technical support and service have become more urgent.”

“The region is an important market for us… [also] recently, Wilo was appointed as the exclusive suppler to the Dubai Metro strategic project due to high responsiveness, technical elaborateness and excellent after-sales support,” he added.

Mrad said that Wilo has been doing “great” in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Yemen, and that Dubai “is a good platform” for the company to expand further.

alvin@khaleejtimes.com



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