Saif Al Khaili in Dh280m Kizad factories deal

Conglomerate will set up two plants, one to produce chlorine derivatives and the other ready-made meals.

Saif Al Khaili Group, an Abu Dhabi-based diversified conglomerate, has signed a Dh280 million deal to set up two factories in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi.

The first plant will be the UAE’s first to produce caustic soda and other chlorine derivatives to be used in industries including aluminium, oil, steel and chemicals. Known as the Emirates Chemical Factory, it will have a production capacity of 400,000 tonnes per year.

The second plant, to be based in Kizad’s food cluster on a 284,435 square feet plot of land, will produce ready-made meals for industrial catering. It will be capable of producing 70,000 meals per day.

“As caustic soda is currently 100 per cent imported, the Emirates Chemical Factory, as the first producer in the UAE, will contribute significantly to the local market and further reduce our import dependability, in line with Abu Dhabi’s economic vision 2030,” said Khaled Salmeen, chief executive of Kizad, the capital’s industrial free zone, in a release yesterday.

Kizad was launched by the Abu Dhabi Government in 2010 with a mandate to help spearhead the emirate’s diversification goal and attract new technology and jobs across several sectors including food processing, logistics, chemicals and mixed-use manufacturing. Kizad has managed to bring in foreign companies from countries such as Germany and India, but it has also made progress in enticing local firms. Emirates Global Aluminium is an anchor tenant within Kizad, while Emirates Steel, another industrial heavyweight, also has a presence.

“We chose Kizad to be the place of production for both of our facilities because it offers an excellent logistics infrastructure coupled with highly competitive operating costs. Our proximity to Khalifa Port will also be of great benefit, allowing us to access new markets outside the UAE”, added Louai Kasem, a vice president at Saif Al Khaili Group.

Established in 1999, Saif Al Khaili Group has been expanding into various business lines within the UAE over the past 15 years. Its strands include hospitality, informational technology, healthcare services, oil and gasfield services and military and security equipment trading.

Officials hope that by 2030 as much as 15 per cent of the emirate’s GDP will stem from Kizad, which covers 418 square kilometres in total.

Follow us on Twitter @Ind_Insights