Dubai is increasing its investments in next-generation manufacturing, which already includes hundreds of sophisticated factories. The emirate's premier industrial park, Dubai Industrial City (DIC), is home to steel and food firms as well as pioneers of the smarter, more sustainable future of production.
DIC is home to several state-of-the-art facilities, including the massive Enviroserve facility, which recycles e-waste from all over the Middle East and Africa; Dubatt, the first integrated battery recycling facility in the emirate; Sokovo's cutting-edge vertical farm; and Unilever's Dubai Personal Care (DPC) facility, which was named one of the world's most technologically advanced factories by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Dubai has been successful in promoting modern manufacturing, as evidenced by this collection of innovative facilities. The emirate is only beginning, though, with a number of big projects already under way. By the end of the decade, the Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030 seeks to boost the emirate's GDP by an additional $43 billion through exports and manufacturing, with a particular emphasis on next-generation manufacturing.
The Dubai Economic Agenda "D33," the emirate's major economic plan that seeks to double the GDP of the emirate by 2033, is complemented by the industrial strategy. Dubai's Green and Sustainable Industry Plan, which is creating a framework for carbon credit trading in the Dubai Financial Market and intends to increase the export of environmentally friendly goods, was introduced as part of the initiative's first phase. This latter ambition is linked to another D33 goal, which is to rank Dubai among the top five global logistics hubs. In an effort to boost its commerce in products and services to around $7 trillion, Dubai, which already has a robust logistical infrastructure, is expanding its global trade map by 400 locations.
The rapid evolution of Dubai's manufacturing sector is attributed to its "outstanding infrastructure, ambitious industrial strategy, and an ability to attract highly skilled personnel," according to Dr. Jagjit Singh Srai, Co-Chair of the WEF Future Council on Advanced Manufacturing and Production, which oversees the Global Lighthouse Network.
According to Kadous, Dubai provides a number of benefits for a location like DPC, including "connectivity with the entire globe." DIC is connected to the larger GCC by two roadways. Less than forty-five minutes separate you from two major ports and two major airports. It takes eight hours to reach two-thirds of the world's population.
The sophisticated logistics infrastructure in Dubai supports these links. For example, Jebel Ali Port has automated cranes, a 3,900 square meter cold storage facility, and the successful pilot of DP World's BOXBAY high-bay storage system. In as little as six hours, full container cargoes can be transported from Dubai International Airport to Dubai's ports. When it comes to logistics performance, the UAE is in eighth place globally.
However, Kadous claims that the emirate's talent pool is its greatest advantage over rivals. "DPC's success is largely dependent on its employees, and Dubai provides us with the chance to hire the best talent." The Boston Consulting Group has named Dubai one of the world's top talent centers because of the emirate's recent expansion of its visa program and the significant incentives it provides to highly qualified professionals looking to move.
Dr. Srai claims that the existence of iconic establishments like DPC demonstrates that Dubai possesses "the skill sets required and supporting ecosystem to effectively deploy advanced technologies."
The emirate is also taking use of its position. Dubai is setting the standard for a smarter, more sustainable manufacturing future with the scope of its support for next-generation industries.