A document, published by Truth Economic Consultancy and commissioned by Dubai Investment City, has stated that the number of manufacturing and industrial units in the UAE increased by 63 per cent during a six-year period to the end of 2010.

The factory units grew from 3,036 in 2004 to 4,960 in 2010 - an average annual increase of 8.5 per cent.

The document also set predictions for the six-year period to 2017. It suggested that the industrial sector is currently responsible for around 10 per cent of the UAE’s GDP, but forecast that this will grow in the next few years as other markets, such as construction, are significantly more mature. The amount invested in the sector grew by an average of almost 10 per cent a year to $30 billion in 2010.

It predicted growth of 48 per cent in industrial investment to $44.3 billion in 2017. The number of people working in manufacturing is also expected to grow by 52 per cent to 580,556 in the same period.

Abdulla Belhoul, managing director of Dubai Industrial City, part of Tecom Investments, said: “We at Dubai Industrial City, believe in the comprehensive nature of the industrial sector, which cannot be developed effectively and efficiently without providing all the necessary industrial requirements for success and growth such as infrastructure, roads, labour villages, modern offices, and energy.”