French company Air Liquide opened a new manufacturing centre in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) following a $50mn investment.
The new engineering and construction centre was inaugurated by the ruler of the northern emirate HH Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi and in the presence of the French embassador for the UAE – HE Michel Miraillet.
The two dignitaries used the opportunity to praise the historical links between the UAE and France and call for future collaboration in key industries.Â
The Air Liquide centre boasts 33,000 sq metres of workshops, one 450m private jetty and 29 overhead cranes, two of which with 150 tonnes capacity. Â
Construction began in March 2013 and was completed in September 2014. The new Air Liquide RAK centre employs 62 permanent staff on site.
François Darchis, senior vice president of Air Liquide, said: “Air Liquide chose RAK because they wanted a site close to the sea and on the sea, a place where it’s not crowded, to be close to the customers, to gain a competitive edge.”
On the question of emiratisation, Darchis commented: “It’s better to be managed locally, the whole story of Air liquide has always been national, Russian in Russia, Chinese in China and it will be the same here, and we always need local people to speak the language of the customers.”
Â
