A new UAE-based company, Ras Al Khaimah Engineering and Design (RED), has announced plans to manufacture European standard furniture locally at its new facility in Ras Al Khaimah.

RED will start production of high-end furniture and partitioning systems from its 7,000 sq m unit in the coming months, said a top company official.

'There is a huge opportunity for locally-produced quality goods, due to the UAE’s reliance on imported products. For local clients seeking high quality European styling, most have no option but to wait for expensive orders from Europe,' Hani Al Qasem, managing director of RED, pointed out.

“By working closely with our European manufacturing partners and our clients, we will be able to deliver European standard furniture to the Middle East and Indian markets in half the time and far more cost-effectively,” Al Qasem noted.

The commercial furniture can also match the expensive European imports for quality, he added.

The company will be officially launched at 'The Office Exhibition' which runs from March 3 to 5.

RED will meet the demand from UAE companies, hotels and retailers for cost effective, functional and stylish furniture solutions, and faster delivery, he noted.

'The company will produce furniture under its own brand, as well as partner with several leading European designers,' he explained.

RED has signed an agreement with Italian partitioning system designer, Lafano, for access to the technical designs and engineering expertise, as well as guaranteeing exclusivity of production in the region.

'In addition to the enterprise with Lafano, RED is finalising negotiations with other leading European office and furniture designers,' he added.

Sinead Bridgett, exhibition director at dmg world media, organisers of The Office Exhibition, said that while the UAE is an incredibly attractive market for imports, it is also becoming a producer and exporter in its own right.

“RED’s decision to manufacture European furniture products in the UAE highlights a maturing market and a strengthening of relationships between international and Middle Eastern manufacturers,” she said.

“Despite the current global economic climate, there is still a strong demand for office space in the UAE and a desire for innovative fit-out and design, including the latest furniture coming out of Europe,” she added.-TradeArabia News Service