Leading Emirati total facilities management company Farnek has announced the opening of its new Abu Dhabi office, underscoring the importance of the FM market in the UAE capital.

The new state-of-the-art office, located in Mohammed Bin Zayed City, will provide an enlarged base for Farnek’s growing headcount in Abu Dhabi, which now exceeds 1,000 employees, said the company in a statement.

This will allow Farnek not only to provide even greater levels of customer service to its existing clients but also to tap into the UAE capital’s burgeoning business potential, it stated.  

Speaking at the opening, CEO Markus Oberlin said: "Our investment in new offices, headcount and equipment, highlights our commitment to building owners and managers effective in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the wider South and Western regions."

“After 37 years of impressive growth in the UAE, this move undoubtedly strengthens our market position in the FM sector and gives us added opportunities to compete for new FM contracts in Abu Dhabi,” he stated.

According to the research company TechSci, the facilities management industry in the UAE is estimated to be worth $6 billion and expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of up to nine per cent or $500 million per annum over the next five years.

“In the UAE capital, this will be driven by Abu Dhabi's Vision and Urban Development Master Plan for 2030 as well as a raft of infrastructure developments in and around the Khalifa Industrial Zone (Kizad), that will ensure a decade of robust and sustained growth,” remarked Oberlin.

Farnek’s existing portfolio of clients in Abu Dhabi includes the FM and MEP services for Al Forsan Real Estate; Abu Dhabi General Services Company’s Musanda project; the East and West Tower projects by Al Saqr Properties and the Al Falah community developed by Aldar.

Farnek also has contracts with Etihad Airways for housekeeping and MEP services as well as for Etihad First and Business Class lounges.

Oberlin pointed out that the new office announcement follows the formal signing of a business partnership agreement with Badria Almulla, the chairperson of the Abu-Dhabi-based International Emirates Business Group, earlier this year, which allowed Farnek to set up its own dedicated security company in Abu Dhabi, with a clear focus on increasing its market share.

With existing security contracts in the banking, residential real estate and industrial premises, initially Farnek will station 100 guards at the new Abu Dhabi office and increase resources in line with market demand, stated the top official.

The company plans to have over 500 security personnel permanently based in Abu Dhabi by 2020, he added.-TradeArabia News Service