ZonesCorp, the largest developer and operator of purpose-built industrial zones in the UAE, said that in a bid to give the struggling small and medium-sized industry a shot in the arm it was building prefabricated warehouses that will be leased out to them at competitive rates.
The industrial zone operator will put up 261 prefabricated, ready-to-use units covering 300,000 square metres in the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi. Of the total, 80 per cent of the units have been set aside for warehousing and 20 per cent for light industrial units, said Saif Ali Aziez Al Sheraifi, the project manager at ZonesCorp.
The company did not disclose how much the whole project was worth but that it would spend Dh90 million on the first phase, Mr Al Sheraifi said that leasing costs would be competitive.
“This project is designed to facilitate the growth of SMEs and to meet the growing demand for high quality flexible warehousing,” said Saaed Eisa Al Khyeli, the director general of ZonesCorp.
“We firmly believe that a flourishing SME sector is the cornerstone of any thriving economy and the UAE is no different. The project is also firmly in line with the Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision to build a sustainable and diversified, high value-added economy.”
The average size of the units will be 500 square metres but units up to 1,500 sq metres will be available.
SMEs make up 90 per cent of registered companies in the country and authorities have been banking on small businesses to bolster economic growth at a time when the hydrocarbon industry is in the doldrums because of low oil prices.
The SME segment has not been untouched by the resultant economic fallout – many small business owners skipped town at the height of the drop in oil prices in 2015, leaving what was estimated to be Dh5 billion in unpaid debts.
That has made lenders more reluctant to stump up fresh cash, making life increasingly difficult for entrepreneurs. In turn that has limited the amount of money these cash-strapped businesses have to spend on things such as warehouses.
mkassem@thenational.ae
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Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
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Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
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5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m
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6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
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6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
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7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
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7.30pm: Al Ain Mile Group 3 (PA) Dh350,000 1,600m
Winner: Somoud, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Al Jazi, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.