< Previous SUPPLIER NEWS www.fm-middleeast.com40 October 2021 AC On the occasion of International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, Taqeef, the originator of desert cooling systems in the UAE and the Middle East, has launched the region’s first range of invertor ducted split to further its commitment to supporting environment-friendly products. The new range by O General is the first complete line of invertor ducted split models, ranging from 1.5Tons to 5Tons, in the Middle East with zero Ozone Depleting Score (ODS) and the new environment friendly R32 refrigerant, ensuring a lower carbon footprint. Specifically created for the Middle East region, the O General invertor range conforms to new technical regulations and guidelines issued by the Emirates WATER Mai Dubai, the bottled water company fully owned by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has made a landmark milestone with the launch of the fastest bottled water production line in Asia, Oceania, and Africa (AOA) region. HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), inaugurated Mai Dubai’s game-changing water line, which was completed in collaboration with Sidel, leading provider of equipment and services solutions for packaging beverage, food, home and personal care products in PET, can and glass. The newly opened facility leverages Sidel’s ‘Super Combi’ technology to produce a maximum output of 86,000 bottles per hour. Mai Dubai is going to capitalise on this top-level performance to expand its bottled water business and Designed specifi cally for the Middle East, the new range by O General off ers faster cooling with less energy consumption and minimal impact to environment Taqeef launches region’s fi rst range of inverter ducted split air-conditioning with Zero Ozone Depleting Score The newly opened facility leverages Sidel’s ‘Super Combi’ technology to produce a maximum output of 86,000 bottles per hour Mai Dubai launches fastest bott led water production line in the region Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) and Abu Dhabi Quality Control and Conformity Council (QCC) for high Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) values. Hadi Ismail, chief sales officer, Taqeef said: “In a region where cooling is synonymous with quality of life, ensuring that the products we bring to the market are energy efficient has been, and always will be, our main priority. The new O General invertor range has been designed with the harsh climate and real-life operating conditions in the Middle East in mind. It achieves faster and efficient cooling when compared to conventional ACs, consumes less energy, and offer remarkable energy savings when compared to fixed speed compressor models.” The DC invertor technology contains a DC fan motor with invertor control system that helps achieve high operation efficiency using a sine wave, and a DC twin rotary compressor. The implementation of the DC twin rotary compressor allows for wider operation range, improved piping limitations and the introduction of new simultaneous multioperation ability. Taqeef will introduce the range in an event on 6th October in Dubai. cement its lead in the industry. “Establishing Mai Dubai bottled drinking-water company and factory supports the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to provide potable water according to the highest international standards and make Dubai the happiest city on earth for residents and visitors. Mai Dubai’s collaboration with Sidel comes at a time of increased consumer demand for bottled drinking water products in the region. The maximum output achieved in less time will enable us to effectively meet the need of our local communities while leveling up our commitment to hygiene, safety, and cost optimisation. This is also a major step towards Mai Dubai’s efforts to minimize waste of resources, especially during the water bottling process. Our mutually supportive partnership comes with numerous advantages that will ultimately benefit all our stakeholders, who include the wider members of our society,” said Al Tayer. “Through this latest investment in our water production facility, we are now well- positioned to make Mai Dubai the number one brand in the UAE market. Following our partnership, we are looking forward to developing a centre of excellence for bottled water in the Asia, Oceania, and Africa (AOA) region,” added Al Tayer. Mai Dubai factory. Fujitsu General outdoor inverter ducted split AC.www.fm-middleeast.com SUPPLIER NEWS October 2021 41 LIGHTING Scientists, city planners and lighting engineers are testing the latest developments for smart city applications in the “DOLL Living Lab”. Located in Albertslund, a suburb of Copenhagen, this combined test centre, exhibition space and innovation hub is Europe’s largest facility of its kind. Lighting technology provider Tridonic has initiated a three-year pilot project here to test new, intelligent solutions for sustainable outdoor lighting with the aim of enabling towns and cities to achieve significant cost savings and to offer new services for an intelligent lighting infrastructure that takes into account people and nature alike. At the DOLL Living Lab, Tridonic is working together with outdoor luminaire manufacturer WE-EF and IoT solutions specialist Paradox Engineering to establish the technical principles for intelligent connected city lighting. An outdoor solution with tunable white functionality is being used there for the first time. The technology enables different lighting scenarios to be selected, such as a pleasantly warm light in the morning. In the course of the morning, pathway lighting can fade up gently to a comfortable level and gently dim again if no movement is detected or if sufficient daylight is available. The colour temperature can continue to adjust throughout the day, slowly changing to energising light with a cool colour temperature. Traffic flow can be measured using sensors in the street lights and this information can be linked to the traffic light control system to reduce congestion in the city. Searching for a parking space will no longer be as agonising because sensors in the lights will detect free spaces and this information will be transmitted via the cloud to an app. The pilot project covers a single-lane approach road to Copenhagen. INITIATIVES Carrefour – owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim in the UAE – has rolled out several sustainable initiatives through partnerships with CHEP, the Middle East’s market benchmark in supply chain solutions, and GLS International, an expert in returnable packaging solutions. This will help reinforce Carrefour’s circular economy approach, which will drastically reduce waste and increase efficiency across Carrefour’s logistics and supply chain operations. Carrefour has deployed CHEP’s pooling system in all of its warehouses, which replaces single-use pallets with reusable blue wooden ones to make it easier and more sustainable to move items between its suppliers and stores. CHEP’s innovative solution ensures that supply chain packaging can be shared and reused whilst distributing Carrefour’s large range of products to more than 107 Stores across the UAE, including four DC warehouses. By replacing single-use pallets with wooden ones, CHEP will help Carrefour to eliminate 62 tonnes of carbon emissions and 4.4 tonnes of waste. CHEP is rated as one of the most environmentally friendly businesses in the world. Carrefour also partnered with GLS to replace its current one-way cardboard packaging delivery with returnable plastic crates across its entire supply chain, reducing waste en route between Carrefour warehouses and stores. Carrefour advanced tracking systems have been designed for returnable packaging management. Not only will this allow for more sustainable connections with local suppliers, but it will keep items from being damaged during transit, therefore also reducing food waste. Carrefour’s delivery vehicles are going green too. Its older, heavier trucks have been replaced with a modern fleet that can meet higher emission standards. The upgrade will ensure the trucks comply by the Euro Norms 4 & 5 standards. Tridonic is working together with outdoor luminaire manufacturer WE-EF and IoT solutions specialist Paradox Engineering to establish the technical principles for intelligent connected city lighting Carrefour advanced tracking systems have been designed for returnable packaging management Tridonic to test new, intelligent solutions for sustainable outdoor lighting Carrefour rolls out multiple circular economy initiatives The pilot project covers a single-lane approach road to Copenhagen. CHEP pallets. 5 MINUTES WITH... 42 October 2021 What does your role involve? As the CEO & founder of Grako and Gecko Middle east – my role includes daily operational and financial analysis and update meetings. Meeting all my senior staff to discuss their weekly objectives and challenges to offer them the help and support they need. And occasionally I go to client meetings for complex site inspections to define the scope and services. THIS MONTH: ALAIN EL TAWIL, FOUNDER & CEO, GRAKO AND GECKO MIDDLE EAST FMME delves into the roles and lives to understand what makes the region’s FM professionals tick 3.00 What is the most challenging aspect of your job? Making financially sound decisions for the investors while keeping the interest of my team and people at heart and a priority. What do you like to do in your spare time? I really look forward to con- necting with my family and neighbours over the pool or at a BBQ gathering. 4.45 What is the most memorable project and why? Burj Khalifa Light-Up Dubai LED installation Dec 2017. It was memorable for its complexity, and the amount of hurdles and challenges faced by the minute given the nature of the outdoors work at incredible heights during a winter month. Only a cohesive team was going to pull through all of these curve balls and deliver a mammoth task in every sense of the work in such tight timeline. My interaction with my team, the contractors, and the client during the long hours was what made it mostly gratifying and memorable. 2.05 0.00 Where do you see FM industry in 5 years? Besides the obvious global trends of utilising big data and AI, I believe the future of FM will be measured and defined in relation to its contribution and management capability towards a “circular economy” which aims to produce and procure goods and services in a sustainable way. FM companies will play very important role in making the UAE’s circular economy goal a reality by planning sustainable KPI benchmark, monitoring and solutions for the full lifecycle of their Assets and/or Facilities and by influencing tenants’ behaviours using the facilities. 4.05 www.fm-middleeast.com Managing Director Alex Reeve Group Sales Manager Vinay Ravindran Distribution and Circulation Manager Evijin Pathrose Distribution Coordinator Avinash Pereira Circulation Executive Rajesh Pillai 2021 What do you love most about your job? The best part is having face-to- face conversations regardless of the highs and lows of the operations. But nothing beats receiving that call of winning a project or a thank you email for the work and effort the team has put in. 1.45CELEBRATING SUCCESS AND ACHIEVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR ConstructionWeekOnline.com/egypt-awards #CWAwards MONDAY 11TH OCTOBER 2021 JW MARRIOTT HOTEL CAIRO Saraswati Agarwal Commercial Director T: +971 4 444 3352 M: +971 52 895 2214 Email: saraswati.agarwal@itp.com FOR SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES: Anthony Chandran Marketing and Events Manager T: +971 4 444 3685 Email: anthony.chandran@itp.com FOR EVENT ENQUIRIES: ASSOCIATE SPONSORPLATINUM SPONSORGOLD SPONSORGOLD SPONSORCATEGORY SPONSOR LAST CHANCE TO BOOK YOUR SEATSNext >