Sheikh Saeed opens Nestle factory in Dubai

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Saeed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, today officially inaugurated Nestle Middle East's new Dh500 million ($136 million) manufacturing facility in Dubai TechnoPark, marking a significant milestone in the company's decades-long history in the region.

The inauguration was attended by Chief Executive Officer, Nestl S.A. Paul Bulcke, Frits van Dijk, Vice-President in charge of Zone Asia, Oceania, Africa and Middle East, and Yves Manghardt, Chairman and CEO, Nestle Middle East along with senior Economic Zones World (the parent company of TechnoPark) officials including Hisham Al Shirawi, Chairman and Salma Ali Saif Bin Hareb, Chief Executive Officer, among others.

Chief Executive Officer, Nestl S.A. Paul Bulcke, said: "Nestle has been present in the Middle East for 75 years, bringing meaningful value to society at large by sourcing locally, creating new local employment, offering nutritious products and helping in the further development of the region. By opening our new facility in Dubai - our regional headquarters - we will be closer to our consumers in the region and can better adapt our products to their needs and preferences. The Middle East region is a very important part of the Nestle business and our continued commitment and ongoing investments demonstrate our confidence in the region."

Chief Executive Officer, Economic Zones World Salma Ali Saif Saeed Bin Hareb, said: "Congratulations to Nestle on the opening of their manufacturing facility in TechnoPark. This is truly a proud moment when some of their products that we know and love become 'Made in the UAE,' and a major step forward in boosting the nation's manufacturing sector".

Spread over an area of 1.02 million square feet, the new 515,000 square foot facility specialises in the manufacturing, canning and packaging of different Nestle brands including Nido powder milk and Kit Kat chocolate and Nestle Pure Life bottled water.

With the Middle East identified as a region with tremendous growth potential for Nestle, the company has made sufficient provision to expand the operations to meet growing market demands for the next few years. Currently, the facility employs 555 people.

"I am extremely proud that the first new Nestle confectionery factory built in over a decade is here in Dubai. This factory will become the third largest Kit Kat plant worldwide and possesses state-of-the-art technology to make a world class product every hour of every day. With such a facility we will be able to meet the fast rising regional demand and eventually contemplate exporting to other regions. This investment shows the clear commitment of the Nestl Group to the expansion of our activities here in the region," said Yves Manghardt, Chairman and CEO of Nestle Middle East FZE.

The new facility also houses Nestle's Regional Microbiological Laboratory, which began operations in early 2009. The state-of-the-art laboratory - which specialises in the analysis of salmonella, serving all Nestle factories in the Middle East - is being used as a training facility for various government bodies in the UAE.

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