< Previous40 MEP Middle East | March 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com SUPPLIER NEWS CONTROL AND SECURITY SYSTEMS NYSE-listed Fortune 100 technology company Honeywell has been awarded a major contract by SEPCO Electric Power Construction Corporation (SEPCO) to supply connected control, telecommunications, safety, and security systems for the King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services shipyard being developed by Aramco in KSA’s Ras Al-Khair. Once complete, the complex will be one of the largest shipyards in the world. It will be automated using a range of Honeywell technologies designed to make the facility’s operations safer, more effi cient, and secure. Honeywell’s suite of systems will be integrated into the complex by SEPCO, the project’s main engineering procurement and construction contractor. Honeywell will provide SEPCO with a suite of connected systems for the complex, including: - A portfolio of integrated, cyber-secure automation control systems that give facility operators complete visibility of processes across the site to reduce workload and improve effi ciency. This includes Honeywell’s ControlEdge™ Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), Data Concentrator, Safety Manager SC and Experion® Process Knowledge System (PKS) Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. - Integrated telecom and security systems, including local communications and network security systems, closed circuit television (CCTV) and access control technologies to help facility operators maximize on-site security. - Fire and gas detection systems, including fi re and gas controllers and automatic smoke detection systems to help isolate areas in the event of an emergency and safely minimize facility-wide shutdowns. SEPCO picks Honeywell to supply control, safety, security systems for Saudi shipyard project Once complete, the complex will be one of the largest shipyards in the world MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS Wilo Middle East (WME), an international premium manufacturer of pumps and systems, has acquired PumpsPro, a well-reputed pump solution service provider under Direct Trade House International LLC (DTHI). The acquisition entails the creation of a new business unit that will maintain the name of PumpsPro, but will be managed and operated as a Wilo company. The agreement was inked at the WME offi ce in Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) in the presence of the senior vice president of Sales Region Emerging Markets at Wilo Group, Jens Dallendoerfer; the managing director of Wilo Middle East and the Group Sales Director of the MENA Region, Yasser Nagi; and the chairman of the Direct Trade House International LLC, Bijan Sheibani. The move is expected to reinforce Wilo Middle East’s position as a complete solution provider in the region. The managing director of Wilo Middle East, Yasser Nagi, said: “We are proud to announce the signing of a strategic acquisition agreement with PumpsPro – a move that is expected to make Wilo a leading solutions provider in the UAE and the rest of the region. “It’s a win-win agreement that falls in line with Dubai’s Demand Side Management Strategy 2030 and gives us the opportunity to support the retrofi t program of 30,000 buildings by 2030, which aims to make the emirate one of the most sustainable cities in the world.” The agreement is expected to reinforce Wilo’s capabilities--equipping the company to bring repairing and overhauling activities in house, especially catering to the large number of building service, water management, and industrial customers that require the right servicing that leads to strong reliability and asset uptime. Wilo Middle East acquires PumpsProMarch 2021 | MEP Middle East 41 www.mepmiddleeast.com INSULATION SOLUTION Dubai-based manufacturing firm Hira Industries – which provides building products for the construction, marine, commercial, oil & gas, and residential industries -- has launched its Aerofoam® NBR Lap Seal Tubes, which is an effective thermal insulation solution that can be installed in various residential and commercial complexes to provide corrosion protection, whilst improving safety, efficiency, and durability of the building. Launched as a first-of-its-kind in the UAE market, the Aerofoam® NBR Lap Seal Tubes are pre-slit closed cell elastomeric thermal insulation tubes, which are manufactured with a pre- installed adhesive that helps in reducing the use of additional adhesive by 90%. These overlap seals are particularly developed for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) contractors for a secure sealing and for reinsulating old and damaged pipes. The general manager of Hira Industries, Umesh Unni, said: “The launch of the Lap Seal Tubes is a reflection of our vision to expand our product base and cater to the ever-growing requirements of the insulation business.” The Lap Seal Tubes are much easier to install due to the slitted tubes and the pressure sensitive adhesive, reducing the installation time by more than 50%. Hira Industries focuses on providing a long-lasting insulation solution with its product, available at a much lower cost in terms of the time and accessories used to install the product and the maintenance costs, as it does not require frequent maintenance and replacement. Hira Industries launches Lap Seal Tubes to reduce installation time by 50% PIPES AND FITTINGS UAE-based Aquaplex, which is a distributor of plumbing and bathroom fi xtures has been mandated to supply Germany-headquartered Wefatherm’s PPR pipes and fi ttings across four UAE projects. The company will offer the products to key developments, including the Mama Shelter Hotel and Apartment located in Business Bay; the Marbella Villas – an RAK Properties project; a residential building in Al Karama, Dubai; and The Sway residential project, which is a 10-storeyed residential building located at Dubai Hills Estate. Without revealing the total value of the project, Aquaplex stated that the value of the projects won was “signifi cant”. In addition, the company said in a statement that its order book position “is very healthy and encouraging”. The fi rm added that it expects a surge in the number of projects and contracts in 2021, which will also witness “some of the best projects that Dubai has showcased”. Commenting on the project win, the director of the Sales ISD Division at Aquaplex, Pankaj Shirodkar, said: “This is an exciting phase for our company. Winning these projects demonstrate our success in the UAE market based on a compelling business case, fi t-for-purpose materials, and a clear endorsement of quality over quantity from key clients. “It is indeed an honour to be associated with such high-profi le projects, which will not only help us achieve our ambitious plans and strategies but drive us closer to our goal of expanding our operations.” The chief executive offi cer of Aquaplex FZE, Ravi Hinduja, added: “Wefatherm products are ideal for the UAE. Their stability and durability provide long-term effi ciency and safety, and we are confi dent that these quality products will provide great potential to optimise the plumbing effi ciencies, with the aim to reduce cost and increase layout fl exibility.” SUPPLIER NEWS Aquaplex to supply Wefatherm PPR pipes, fi ttings to four UAE projects42 MEP Middle East | March 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com FINAL WORD The hospitality industry in the UAE, and globally, has been through a turbulent 2020, and as it begins to re-emerge, the outliers in data demonstrate a general inability to tailor energy consumption with demand. Correlating the utility costs of 49 hotels in Dubai, each with more than 300 keys (approximately 50% of the market), demonstrates seasonality and susbequent humidity playing a much greater role in utility consumption, with occupancy only having a 28.6% R2 correlation coeffi cient. The chart illustrates the impact of COVID-19 on the hotel industry, with the months of February to December 2020 having occupancy below 40%. Step changes in the utility costs principally occur due to the manual intervention of turning major HVAC equipment off, as evident in the COVID-19 months, with potential detrimental effects on indoor air quality, furnishings, and fi ttings. Average utility costs per available room day on average are AED70 with the greatest variance occuring in the winter months of October to March. The signifi cance of variation in the winter indicates the potential for utility savings especially with the installed kit often being infl exible with new modern modular units allowing better reaction to temperature and humidity gradients. Analysis of the 49 hotels illustrated that total revenues remained moderately fl at over a three-year period at AED6.3bn per annum, whilst total utilities increased as a percentage of revenues from 6.6% to 7.5% (2017 to 2019 inclusive), demonstrating that the utility infrastructure and its operation were not enabling the hotels’ commercial performance. The utility costs include all aspects from chilled water, potable water, and small power, to HVAC. Based on regional benchmarks controllable HVAC is 65% of the total utility bill with a typical baseline profi le being defi ned, from which to derive cost savings. Applying experience, profi les, and benchmarks to actual HVAC profi les indicates annual savings of 15% to 20% to be reasonable on the HVAC component through capital (equipment upgrade) and operational (closer monitoring and management) interventions. Based on these metrics an average 300-room Over 20% of Dubai’s larger hotels can save more than 20% of their HVAC costs, equivalent to increasing NOP by 10%, says Andy Merris, the CFO of QTM Energy Engineering Tailoring Energy Consumption in Hospitality for Black Swan Events hotel would be saving AED 100,000 in HVAC costs per month. The largest 20% of hotels would be able to save at the higher end of the range, i.e. making savings of 20%. Relating this saving to Net Operational Profi ts means hotel owners and operators would recognise 10% additional profi ts. Savings are achievable through effi ciencies incorporated at the design stage using greater comparisons of assets through the operational cycle. Retrofi tting projects with operational reconfi guration of HVAC, through the use of new technology and design more aligned to the consumption demands, provides an ex- ante comparison which also enables fi nancing to be secured on the energy savings against the baseline. Operational environments are very sensitive to capital interventions with hoteliers seeking all means to yield revenue with the opportunity cost of a capital intervention during a period of rising occupancy and lingering repercussions of COVID-19 often delaying the decision to proceed. A signifi cant amount of savings can, however, be achieved through applying artifi cial intelligence in the management of the system’s operation through cloud-based systems with a real-time closed loop. Variances exist across Dubai with HVAC costs per available room being higher in Dubai Marina and the Palm in comparison to the less humid urban environment. Humidity levels have increased and are expected to increase with global warming (2010 to 2019 was the hottest decade on record) with consequential increases in the levels of humidity globally. Hoteliers are becoming increasing conscious of “Black Swan” preparedness through implementing variable usage mechanisms, rather than binary interventions, to safeguard their assets. Optimal seasonality control will preserve the property fabric and furnishings inline with hotel standards and increase lifecycle for the owners. This article was co-authored by QTM Energy Engineering working in collaboration with Hotstats, a hospitality data analytics tool. Applying experience, profiles, and benchmarks to actual HVAC profiles indicates annual savings of 15% to 20% to be reasonable on the HVAC component through capital (equipment upgrade) and operational (closer monitoring and management) interventionsAnup Oommen Editor T: +971 4 444 3448 Email: anup.oommen@itp.com Anup Nagpurkar Group Sales Manager T: +971 4 444 3573 M: +971 52 895 0931 Email: anup.nagpurkar@itp.com Ebonie Platfoot Events Manager T: +971 4 444 3689 Email: ebonie.platfoot@itp.com FOR NOMINATION ENQUIRIES: FOR SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES: FOR EVENT ENQUIRIES: CROWNING ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE MEP SECTOR WEDNESDAY 3RD NOVEMBER 2021 DUBAI, UAE MEPMIDDLEEAST.COM/AWARDS SAVE THE DATE FOR THE 15TH ANNUAL MEP MIDDLE EAST AWARDSNext >