KEZAD, Emtelle to develop $50m manufacturing facility

Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD) Group and Emtelle, a global manufacturer of passive fibre-optic network solutions, on Tuesday signed an agreement to build one of the world’s largest facilities for the manufacture of fibre optic ducting and pre-connectorised solutions.

Emtelle will invest approximately $50 million in three phases of manufacturing. The building, located on a 48,000 sqm land plot, will be leased under a Build-to-Suit agreement with KEZAD.

The facility will allow Emtelle to expand its manufacturing capacity of microducting, bundled ducting and pre-connectorised solutions for fibre-optic networks, turbocharging network deployment both in the region and worldwide from this hub in Abu Dhabi.

The agreement is the latest step in the expansion of Emtelle in the Middle East, following the acquisition and rebrand of AfriPipes Middle East in 2021. Emtelle is also undertaking a major expansion into North America with the opening of a manufacturing facility in North Carolina.

Mohamed Al Khadar Al Ahmed, CEO of KEZAD Group, said, “The UAE has always been at the forefront of technological advancement in the region. Emtelle’s establishment of its central global hub in Abu Dhabi speaks volumes of KEZAD’s ability to connect businesses to the world. Today, we are proud to be at the beginning of an era where digital connectivity of the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region will be made in KEZAD.”

Tony Rodgers, CEO of Emtelle Group, said that opening the new KEZAD manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi aligns perfectly with Emtelle’s strategic direction, noting that, “it significantly shortens the supply chains and guarantees both existing and new customers the security of supply.”

“In addition, the expansion allows countries across the Middle East and Asia to significantly enhance their networks at rapid speed, whilst meeting the unprecedented increased demands for pre-connectorised, blown fibre and ducted solutions,” he added.

Sanjay Nischal, Managing Director (Middle East & Asia Pacific) at Emtelle Group, stated that this facility will export 95 per cent of its manufactured products globally, leveraging the end-to-end infrastructure presented to Emtelle by KEZAD.

The Emtelle facility is the second Build-to-Suit agreement that KEZAD has signed. In November 2022, KEZAD Group broke ground on the UAE’s Largest E-Commerce Fulfilment Centre for noon.com.

KEZAD Group, a subsidiary of AD Ports Group under its Economic Cities & Free Zones Cluster, is the largest operator of integrated and purpose-built economic zones in the United Arab Emirates. Providing competitive business ecosystems that encourage unprecedented growth, KEZAD Group is a key strategic enabler of Abu Dhabi’s vision for the diversification of its economy.

KEZAD Group’s vital infrastructure and services span 12 economic zones (located in Abu Dhabi City, Al Ain City and Al Dhafra Region) covering a total area of 550km2 and including more than 40 staff accommodation complexes under its subsidiary KEZAD Communities.

KEZAD Group provides strategic market access, lower operating costs, and ease of doing business to more than 1,750 investors from 17 key industrial sectors. KEZAD Group’s ecosystem provides world-class transportation infrastructure with multimodal connectivity, 100 percent foreign ownership, 100 percent repatriation of capital and profit, the potential for duty-free trade within the region, and advanced technology platforms.

As demand for domestic production of pharmaceuticals increases across the GCC region, Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi - KEZAD Group, the integrated trade, logistics, and industrial hub of Abu Dhabi, showcased the competitive advantage Abu Dhabi offers to researchers, manufacturers and distributors looking at Arab Health 2023.

As the premier economic zone for life sciences in the Middle East and North Africa, KEZAD already hosts many pharmaceutical manufacturers, life science businesses, laboratories, packing businesses and supporting services, including several leading organisations such as Hope Consortium, ADCAN Pharma, Neopharma, Medisal, National Reference Laboratory, and Pharmatrade, including the G42, which announced the development of one of the largest vaccine production facilities in KEZAD last year.

Currently spread across 1.6 square kilometres and supported by multi-modal transport links via land, sea, air, and upcoming rail, KEZAD’s healthcare and life science ecosystem offers fast set-up times for companies through a range of solutions including serviced land plots and diverse built-to-suit facilities, in addition to critical storage options with standard, cool and cold warehousing solutions available.

Strengthening government efforts to position the nation as a regional centre for pharmaceutical manufacturing, the ecosystem also benefits from strong institutional backing to facilitate rapid licensing, permitting, and product registration.