Emirates Neon, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s signage and outdoor advertising market pace setter, has established a dedicated company to manufacture road and traffic signs to meet demand in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
ABC industries will fabricate specialized signage products, including engineered traffic signs, sign supports, non-ferrous gravity dire castings and overhead gantries. It will also carry out porcelain enameling, steel vitreous enameling, polyester power coating and PVDF coating.
The new company employs over 250 engineers and technicians at its 65,000 square foot facility in the UAE. According to General Manager Sathar Thyab Ali, the company has already bagged a number of significant orders.
"Massive investment in roads is fuelling the demand for signs throughout the Middle East. We are very confident, that as more roads are built, to meet rapid regional growth in vehicle use, the market will continue to expand strongly," said Rehan Merchant, executive director at Emirates Neon.
In Dubai road projects worth $ 584 million are underway in four different parts of the emirate and three new projects will shortly be started at a total cost of $ 153 million. Last year, Dubai invested over $ 2.7 billion in road and traffic improvements and expansion projects, according to a company press release.
Elsewhere in the region, Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in roads infrastructure and has signed contracts worth over $400 million for the next three years. Work on a $1.4 billion Saudi highway involving 776.5 kilometers of roads is also underway.
In Oman, two new roads linking the Sultanate with the UAE and Saudi Arabia are under construction in a $50 million project that will be completed in less than three years. In total, 256 kilometers of new roads will be built.
And in Qatar the construction contract for a $192 million project to provide an 82 kilometer, four-lane, dual carriageway link between Doha and its premier oil and gas center, was recently awarded. In addition, work will start next year on the $1.5 billion Friendship Bridge,
linking Qatar and Bahrain by road for the first time.
Emirates Neon has been in the signage and outdoor advertising since 1976. It employs 310 people at its UAE headquarters. Among the company's UAE clients are Dubai Municipality, Dubai Civil Aviation, the Dubai Shopping Festival, Jebel Ali Free Zone, major hotels, shopping centers and blue-chip multi national companies. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
