Doka Gulf FZE relocates into expansive new facilities in Jafza

Looking to the tremendous growth opportunities in the U.A.E., the company has invested in expanding its operations and has now moved to a newly constructed 50,000 square metre facility, more than twice the size of the previous Dubai premises. Doka Gulf’s state-of-the-art headquarters include country management offices and a significantly larger warehouse and yard. The new location houses the largest Doka formwork ex-stock in the Middle East and provides ample space for Doka’s pre-assembled Ready to Use system solutions and product inspection and reconditioning services..

An official grand opening ceremony was held today ( March 29, 2011) with dignitaries from the Doka Group, its parent company Umdasch Group, the Austrian Embassy to the UAE, and Jebel Ali Free Zone in attendance, including Umdasch Group CEO, Dr. Andreas J. Ludwig and Doka Group CEO Josef Kurzmann.

Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, General Manager Peter Vogel said, “The United Arab Emirates is admired for its innovation and speed in complex, large scale construction and infrastructure projects. Having worked on projects such as Burj al Arab and Burj Khalifa, it is a vibrant and important market for Doka – whose expansion is led by the UAE’s extraordinary opportunities. The centralization of our yard, warehouse and offices in the new Jebel Ali facility will further strengthen Doka Gulf’s customer service capabilities, enabling Doka to stand behind its product innovations and market leadership for the upcoming years.”

The Austrian Ambassador to the UAE, Dr. Julius Lauritsch, welcomed the economic driving force of DOKA for the Austrian economy as a whole and especially for the economic relations between Austria and the UAE.

“Whereas in 2009 due to the economic crisis we observed kind of a decline of Austrian exports to the UAE, the exports from Austria rebounded strongly in the year 2010 by increasing 16 % with a total number of EUR 498 million. Imports from the UAE last year surged by 100%, totaling EUR 39 million”, the Ambassador said.

Furthermore he stressed that DOKA’s local commitment to increase its presence in the UAE is a positive sign for expanding bilateral relations.

Salma Hareb, Chief Executive Officer, Economic Zones World, the parent company of Jafza, on the occasion said, “Doka has an established regional footprint. The new move reflects foresight on the company’s part and confidence in Jafza and Dubai’s strong standing as the regional trading hub and centre for infrastructure solutions. We hope the facility helps the company rapidly expand its market share and reach a wider base of clients. In the realization of its local and regional business aspirations, Doka has Jafza’s continued support.”

To close the event Doka was recognized by Salma Hareb with a congratulatory plaque.

Since its 1958 beginnings in Austria, Doka Group has experienced rapid growth and currently operates with annual turnover of 762 million Euros, employing around 5300 people in 165 sales and logistics operations across the globe. Doka Gulf FZE opened its first office in the United Arab Emirates in 1993 with just 4 employees. Today, in addition to the new headquarter facility, Doka Gulf has over 170 employees in the U.A.E. and branch sales and service offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. Recently Doka was named by Construction Week Magazine as one of the most influential suppliers in the Arabian Gulf.