< Previous UPDATE www.fm-middleeast.com10 December 2021 Farnek has signed an agreement with Oriental Press to manage its carbon emissions and to realise its goal as the fi rst carbon neutral printer in the UAE and wider Gulf region. The fi rst phase of the project involves measuring the existing carbon footprint of the printing operation, including raw materials, energy consumption, production facilities, transportation, and other supply chain components. Once Oriental’s CO2 footprint has been measured, Farnek can then focus on eff ective ways to reduce existing emissions and subsequently plan to off set the remaining unavoidable emissions, using software provided by ClimatePartner, Farnek’s strategic carbon management partner. “That enables Oriental to off er carbon neutral paper products and pave the way for an upstream and downstream sustainability strategy, encouraging its suppliers and customers to become net zero too,” said Markus Oberlin, CEO, Farnek. “A positive environmental strategy is no longer an option for commercial organisations, consumers today are demanding products that are sustainable and it is not only the printing industry that can benefi t from carbon neutral products, the manufacturing industry in general can as well,” Established in 1952 the Oriental Group has grown to become one of the world’s premier printers, exporting products to over 80 countries worldwide. With modern manufacturing plants in Dubai and Bahrain, and Sales & Marketing offi ces in the Middle East and Europe, Oriental manufactures a comprehensive range of high-quality products in six business divisions: books, commercial printing, paperboard packaging, fl exible packaging, security printing, and digital. STAT ATTACK AGREEMENT Oriental Press signs agreement with Farnek to manage its carbon emissions 200MW Masdar announced it has signed an agreement with the Government of the Republic of Armenia to develop a 200-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) plant. The Ayg-1 project will be Armenia’s largest utility-scale solar plant. 85% The Ayg-1 project will be developed on a design, fi nance, build, own, and operate (DFBOO) basis and the project company will be 85% owned by Masdar, with the Armenian National Interests Fund, (ANIF, a government owned investment vehicle) holding 15%. $0.0290 per kWh In July, the Armenian Government announced that Masdar was the winning bidder for the project, having submitted a tariff of US$0.0290 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in a competitive process. 500 hectares The plant will span over 500 hectares, and will create numerous direct and indirect jobs. 1,720 kWh Armenia also has signifi cant solar energy potential, with an average annual solar energy fl ow per square meter of horizontal surface of around 1,720 kWh.Fit forgetwww.fm-middleeast.com EDITOR’S LETTER 12 December 2021 s the year comes to an end, we approach the future with cautious optimism. At least, I got that sense while compiling this year’s most coveted Top 50 FM Powerlist Most respondents conveyed imminent growth and positivity in the coming years, although the pandemic is still a major concern. Stuart Harrison, Emrill’s CEO, says that there are challenges that face every facilities management provider, multiplied by the market conditions resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. Emrill’s challenge – and opportunity – is to change market thinking. Rather than seeing facilities management as a cost, Emrill seeks to educate its clients that facilities management is an investment. It’s time to change Covid-19 challenges into opportunities, Tarek Nizameddin, senior executive director at Ejadah, tells me. To quote him: “Now is the time to shine for FMs. The role of facilities management has evolved during the Want to enter the debate? If you have any comments to make on these issues, email the editor at rajiv.pillai@itp.com. VIEWP INT The pandemic has been a great teacher to FM fi rms, which has helped them to adapt and grow for good; the true intent of FM has now come to the fore RAJIV RAVINDRAN PILLAI A lesson well learned A About the author Rajiv Ravindran Pillai is the editor of Facilities Management Middle East. pandemic where businesses have started relying on the FM team to guide the leadership on what is necessary to maintain efficiency and safety of all other business verticals.” However, the recent news of a new variant called Omicron that has an “extremely high number of mutations in the coronavirus strain”, has once again forced countries to reimpose travel bans. One of the major challenges most FM companies reported in the past year was tackling manpower shortage as migrant workers were unable to fly into the UAE, or the GCC. And then, as a result of this, there were innovative instances of FM firms sharing manpower resources from each other to bridge the gap. Deyaar Facilities Management is an example, where it won a contract during the onset of the pandemic and approached an FM firm to recruit the latter’s staff that had been put on furlough, thereby helping each other out. All in all, this pandemic has been an excellent teacher on how to adapt to the “new normal”, especially for the FM sector. This has indeed been a lesson well learned.From the iconic washfountain to today’s new Verge Faucet and Soap dispensers, Bradley has been a trusted name in hand hygiene for 100 years. www.100yearsbradleycorp.comwww.fm-middleeast.com14 December 2021 POWER 50 And yet another year goes by! This year’s list saw FM companies hold their positions well and come up with resilient and innovative solutions against the backdrop of a now fading pandemic, at least in the UAE. Before compiling this year’s list too, we sent out a questionnaire that was formulated in a manner to get a sense of how FM firms were performing over the last 12 months. Putting together a list of 50 FM companies is a daunting, yet exciting, task. Daunting largely because of the lack of single parameter to gauge on. And exciting, well, because, of the lack single parameter to gauge on. So to put it simply, the list is both objective and subjective in nature. By objective we mean considering the total revenue, profits, company size – these all have high weightage in ranking. At the same time, by subjective we mean, being active over the past year in terms of news, PR and other initiatives. It means that just furnishing a well-filled document without being known the last 12 months, will not gain you brownie points! As I have always stated this list does not reflect in anyway how your firm is actually performing in the true sense. That is something only your clients would know, and will be the true judge of that, which essentially makes the list debatable. Having said that the purpose of collating and compiling such a list is to only showcase, as per our educated judgment, the top active FM players in the region. This year too the challenges were in getting information from the players, and also including those who did not participate as we felt they still belonged in the list. All in all, it’s good to see several FM companies evolving and maturing over the year, despite the pandemic. It only seems to have made them stronger. I will say this once again, being in this list is an achievement in itself. I thank all participants and non-participants the very best over the coming years! About the author Rajiv Ravindran Pillai is the editor of Facilities Management Middle East. www.fm-middleeast.com14 December 2021 WHO ARE REGION’S TOP 50 FM ENTITIES IN 2021? 50 POWERwww.fm-middleeast.comDecember 2021 15 POWER 50 www.fm-middleeast.comDecember 2021 15 POWER 50 www.fm-middleeast.com16 December 2021 Despite the challenges and uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide, Imdaad sustained business growth and continued to successfully deliver on its contracts and commitments to customers. Jamal Abdulla Lootah, group chief executive officer, says: “As a testament that our clients value our strong track record in meeting their needs always with excellence, most of our existing contracts were renewed over the past year. We also onboarded new several prestigious new clients. It is worth highlighting that Imdaad is the FM provider of choice in the UAE’s banking sector, with many of the nation’s leading banks in our portfolio. Lootah says: “We are contracted to serve all the branches of Emirates NBD and Emirates Islamic across the country, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) in the capital city. This encompasses more than 250 locations nationwide, including 182 for Emirates NBD and 60 for FAB. Similarly, Imdaad’s FMS division is the preferred FM partner of the UAE’s major seaports including Khalifa Port, Dry Port, Rashid Port, Dubai Harbor, and Meena Harbor.” Over nearly one and a half decades since its establishment, Imdaad has established an unequaled footprint in the home market of the, with a large client base spanning diverse sectors across the country. Through its business division Imdaad Al Batinah, a joint venture with the Oman Environmental Services Holding Company (OESHCO, also known as be’ah), the firm has also built up a significant presence in the neighboring Sultanate of Oman. The company provides collection, transportation, and treatment services for municipal solid waste in the North Al Batinah and Musandam Governorates. A major pillar of its growth strategy is the continuous expansion of its market footprint within and beyond the UAE and Oman. In line with this, Imdaad has a keen focus on establishing its presence in other Middle Eastern markets with a special focus on Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt. JAMAL ABDULLA LOOTAH, GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Number of years in his role: 14 • Total number of years in the company: 14 • Number of years in the Middle East: 30 EMPLOYEES: 7,947 OPERATORS AND ENGINEERS: 376 FEMALE STAFF: 558 IMDAADPOWER 50 www.fm-middleeast.comDecember 2021 17 Emrill Services is a multi-award-winning integrated facilities management provider in the UAE, providing a full range of hard and soft FM and manned security services with innovative solutions tailored to support its clients, including cutting-edge energy solutions and real- time performance management systems. Emrill commands an exceptionally high level of client retention and has enjoyed continuous growth since its formation. Stuart Harrison, chief executive officer, says: “The single most significant opportunity for Emrill over the coming 12 months is to continue to engage with its valued customers and partners and develop bespoke solutions that meet their needs. Although the pandemic may have changed the landscape somewhat, increasing the demand for certain services and demonstrating the importance of the facilities management sector, the provision of facilities management services has fundamentally remained unchanged. Emrill remains committed to managing clients’ buildings and communities in compliance with world-class standards and regulations, ensuring those assets and spaces are always in peak condition.” Emrill has prioritised technology adoption to push service delivery boundaries. In the year following its award-winning Effy App’s launch, Emrill has developed and launched IoT-based infrastructure system management and a technician-specific ‘Emrill TechCompanion’ app to empower site- based teams and augment quality assurance. Emrill’s foresight in harnessing technology to be ‘Future- Ready’ has been a force multiplier during the pandemic. Emrill TechCompanion App empowers technicians working across multiple sites and shifts to use data and information to increase efficiencies, learn and develop, access essential tools and reduce risk of accidents, property damage, delayed problem-solving, lengthy outages and service interruptions, lack of competency and indispensable technicians. Harrison adds: “Emrill’s challenge – and opportunity – is to change market thinking. Rather than seeing facilities management as a cost, Emrill seeks to educate its clients that facilities management is an investment.” STUART HARRISON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Number of years in his role: 2+ • Total number of years in the company: 6 • Number of years in the Middle East: 9 EMPLOYEES: 7,667 OPERATORS AND ENGINEERS: 1,727 FEMALE STAFF: 911 EMRILL POWER 50 www.fm-middleeast.com18 December 2021 Bee’ah is the region’s sustainability pioneer, operating across industries, to create groundbreaking environmental innovations and provide smart solutions for future-ready cities. Founded in 2007, Bee’ah began its journey as a Sharjah-based public- private partnership company, primarily concerned with environmental and waste management. Mid 2020’s Bee’ah joined forces with PepsiCo, one of the food and beverage companies, to support the company’s commitment to collect and recycle the equivalent of 100% Aquafina plastic packaging produced in the UAE in 2021. PepsiCo’s local bottling partner, Dubai Refreshment Company will support this ambitious goal. As part of the partnership, Bee’ah will oversee the collection, transportation and recycling at their Material Recovery Facility (MRF) of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics. Bee’ah’s MRF is one of the largest and top producers of plastic recyclables in the Middle East with an annual capacity of over 600,000 tonnes. The mass collection project will utilise Bee’ah’s far-reaching network of recyclables collection systems in strategic locations, communities, malls and more across Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, to improve waste segregation and collection. Additionally, to ensure traceability, Bee’ah will leverage digital data capturing, weighing system, and GPS monitoring to track and report the progress of PepsiCo’s recyclables. HE Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO of Bee’ah, said: “As the Middle East’s sustainability pioneer, Bee’ah is leading the charge for a circular economy and zero-waste targets in the UAE and wider region. This partnership with PepsiCo addresses plastic pollution through Bee’ah’s holistic approach to integrated waste management, and we are proud to support companies in meeting their environmental, social and governance targets, while increasing the UAE’s waste diversion away from landfills.” Most recently, in a boost to environmental education in the UAE and the wider region, Bee’ah introduced a series of interactive games to engage and inform school- going students about the importance of sustainability. The games are designed for students from Grades 1 to 12, covering fundamental sustainability concepts such as minimising waste and conserving energy. KHALED AL HURAIMEL, GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Number of years in his role: 12 • Total number of years in the company: 12 • Number of years in the Middle East: 23 BEE’AHPOWER 50 www.fm-middleeast.comDecember 2021 19 Earlier this year Farnek launched HITEK solution 4.0. This new system allows Farnek to connect assets from multiple sites so they can be centrally managed and monitored by utilising the Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud, Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) based technologies. The system supports operational efficiencies, staff welfare, and sustainability while saving clients significant amounts of money by reducing manpower costs by up to 17% by transferring from traditional FM operational management to HITEK’s smart management. Farnek has also developed its hospitality division into an all-embracing hotel management company. Farnek started by providing a comprehensive range of outsourced and third-party services, including concierge services, housekeeping, property operations, maintenance, energy consultancy (POMEC). Now, under the trade name of Farnek Hotel Management, Farnek will expand its services to cover all aspects of hotel and resort management from initial consultation to day-to-day operations. This bodes well for the future with the UAE tourism sector experiencing a major rebound with a surge in hotel occupancy levels. Talking about a couple of challenges facing the business, Markus Oberlin, CEO says: “As the FM industry gradually recovers from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the costs of recruitment and onboarding are a real challenge. Moreover, the availability of tech-savvy talent is another issue, especially as digital FM services evolve more rapidly. While the necessary specialised training can be time-consuming, market demand is immediate. “The second major challenge is the effect of inflation on Farnek’s operational costs. One example is the cost of fuel. Having to mobilise thousands of workers daily, the increased price of petrol is squeezing tight margins further.” Some of the major contracts of Farnek include Expo Village Operator (hospitality services), Dubai Airport (trolley maintenance services), and Nakheel Circle Mall (cleaning services), among others. MARKUS OBERLIN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Number of years in his role: 16 • Total number of years in the company: 23 • Number of years in the Middle East: 16 EMPLOYEES: 8,476 OPERATORS AND ENGINEERS: 695 FEMALE STAFF: 1,117 FARNEKNext >