Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ), a powerhouse business and industrial hub strategically located in the heart of Ras Al Khaimah, continues to play a critical role in the emirates growth story with the recently launched Ras Al Khaimah Industrial Strategy.

Launched in 2019, the Ras Al Khaimah Industrial Strategy was developed through extensive research to achieve the goals set in the Ras Al Khaimah Vision 2030, said Ramy Jallad, group CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ).

“The goal is to increase manufacturing jobs and boost the manufacturing sector’s contribution to Ras Al Khaimah’s economy by 2030,” Jallad told the Gulf Industry in an exclusive interview.

In line with the strategy, Jallad revealed that RAKEZ is currently enhancing its zones and master planning three RAKEZ industrial zones to create industry clusters that will focus on the pharmaceutical, waste management, energy efficiency/renewables, and additive manufacturing sectors.

Jallad: optimistic

“The goal is to support infrastructure development and grow the industrial base of companies, while ensuring good governance and compliance with UAE rules and regulations,” he added.

The authority is also building new warehouses and labour accommodations and attracting global master developers, he said, with an aim to support infrastructure development and grow the industrial base of companies.

“We are also maintaining our award-winning customer experience by simplifying processes and making turnaround time faster for seamless client journey,” Jallad said.

“With all of these, we are optimistic that this year and the upcoming years will continue to have an upward trend,” he added. 

RISING NUMBERS

According to Jallad, RAKEZ, witnessed a 14.6 per cent increase in the number of active companies between 2017 and 2019, rising from 13,000 in 2017 to 14,900 in 2019.

RAKEZ currently hosts 14,900 companies and is witnessing diversified investments. These are led by the trade sector, at 45.5 per cent, followed by services sector at 33.31 per cent, general trading sector at 8.28 per cent and industrial sector at 5.31 per cent, among others. Other businesses vary between media, E-commerce and educational firms from more than 100 countries, and serving over 50 sectors.

Of these, 770 companies are in the manufacturing/industrial field, compared to 600 companies in 2018, a 23 per cent increase compared to 2018. The companies represent various sectors, such as automotive, spare parts, plastics, industrial equipment, packaging, F&B, and paper products sectors. The provision of state-of-the-art infrastructure allowed companies to leverage these strong facilities, ultimately improving their business in the zone, he explained.

“Having these companies operate from our zones and manufacture and move goods all over the world only proves that Ras Al Khaimah is vital to the global supply chain,” he said.

“Given the growing competition in the market, RAKEZ has experienced tremendous growth,” Jallad said. “We are continuing on an upward trend because of our philosophy of customisation. We have every solution for every business need,” he added.

TAILOR MADE PACKAGES

Amongst its main achievements, Jallad noted that the economic zone has launched an exclusive product that is designed to help businesswomen. “RAKEZ BusinessWomen Package is a first-of-its kind product in the UAE designed to encourage the rise of women entrepreneurs globally,” he said.

The product has already got 270+ registrations in just three months since its launch in September till December, 2019.

RAKEZ is building new warehouses under the new master plan

RAKEZ also launched Mubader Package for aspiring young entrepreneurs, in particular, targets fresh graduates and final year students. Starting from Dh650 per month, the package includes a licence, shared workspace, and ongoing support services.

According to Jallad, with over 50 sectors and both free zone and non-free zone entity formation, RAKEZ has six specialised zones: Al Nakheel and Al Hamra Business Zones for the service and commercial industries; Al Hamra, Al Ghail and Al Hulaila Industrial Zones for manufacturing and large industrial projects; and RAKEZ Academic Zone for educational institutions and service providers.

“Within our specialised zones, we have formed clusters of companies that draw productive advantage from their mutual proximity and connections,” he added. 

Among its leading industrial clusters is the armoured vehicle cluster which comprises of around 15 companies which manufacture various products such as: armoured fire-fighting equipment; safety glass; protective garments and vests; security devices and equipment, and other related industries.

This cluster in the specialist field of armoured vehicle manufacturing includes: Streit Group, the largest armoured car manufacturer in the world and International Armored Group FZE, one of the most modern armoured vehicle conversion workshops in the Middle East.

RAKEZ also houses the construction cluster which has construction materials, service providers, equipment and it is also working towards building a solid media cluster.

INFERASTRUCTURE ON A ROLL

“We are committed to offering a supportive ecosystem for our clients; hence, we are focused on improving the environment we provide to businesses of all sizes,” Jallad said.

Among the infrastructure development projects that RAKEZ has completed over the past months are: two new service centres in Ras Al Khaimah and one in Abu Dhabi to provide its clients a more seamless experience when processing their requests; it has built a new labour accommodation at Al Ghail Industrial Zone; rehabilitation and enhancement of the roads at Al Hamra Industrial Zone; extended roads in Al Ghail Industrial Zone; and opened a new customs inspection gate at Al Hamra Industrial Zone.

As regards the ongoing projects, master planning of Al Ghail Industrial Zone and master planning the expansion of Al Hamra Industrial Zone are currently underway.

“Both expansion projects are expected to be completed by Q1 of 2020,” Jallad  informed. According to him, while roadworks and street lighting in Al Ghail Industrial Zone are expected to finish by Q4 of 2020, street lighting refurbishment and retrofit project for energy savings in Al Hamra Industrial Zone, expected to finish by Q1-2020. Construction of new warehouses in Al Hamra Industrial Zone is expected to finish by Q1 of 2021 and energy retrofit project for 9 RAKEZ buildings, expected to finish by Q2 of 2020.

Jallad stressed that RAKEZ offers the right environment for firms and businesses by adopting a seamless system for license services. Furthermore, RAKEZ provides various types of utilities and facilities to meet the needs of investors and entrepreneurs, including office units, offices, warehouses and land parcels open for development.

In addition, RAKEZ offers one-stop integrated services, with a dedicated E-portal which enables customers to submit and track their requests and transactions, allowing them to easily complete the renewal of business licenses and rental contracts online.

Furthermore, RAKEZ offers a wide range business licenses, covering educational, industrial, services, commercial, general trading, E-commerce, media and professional licenses, and more. RAKEZ also released a special package dedicated to businesswomen and signed a number of strategic deals and partnerships with 4 leading UAE banks, which will act as banking partners to provide benefits that are specially designed for RAKEZ’s customers.