Make it in the Emirates: From diving beneath the sea to flying with the stars - a short history of UAE industry


James Langton
  • English
  • Arabic

In the beginning it was pearls, the sea’s bounty that brought work for many and great fortunes for a few.

Pearls from the Arabian Gulf were desired all over the world, from the Mughal jewellery workshops of India to the necks of European aristocracy.

The collapse of the industry in the 1930s, caused by the Great Depression and the arrival of cheap Japanese cultured pearls, caused economic hardship.

People made what living they could, sometimes by drying fish on the sand to sell as fertiliser. Mostly they existed by subsistence, with hunger never far away. Many left to find work elsewhere.

Oil saved the day. Suddenly, the UAE was wealthy beyond imagining, with the decades that followed the first exports in the early 1960s a time of unprecedented economic growth when villages became towns and towns turned into cities.

The Adma Enterprise rig off Abu Dhabi's Das Island in 1958. Oil was discovered that year. BP Archive
The Adma Enterprise rig off Abu Dhabi's Das Island in 1958. Oil was discovered that year. BP Archive

Streets filled with imported cars and the new shopping malls rushed to stock all the major international brand names.

As the UAE's economy grew, so did home-grown enterprises.

Dubai Dry Docks is an example. Opened in 1983, it has repaired thousands of ships, but also built dozens of projects, many for the offshore oil and gas industry, including a floating crane capable of lifting 2,000 tonnes.

Even earlier is the aluminium plant visible to anyone who has driven along the Sheikh Zayed Road.

Established in 1975 as Dubai Aluminium, it began production four years later with an official opening by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II during her state visit to the UAE in 1979.

In 2019, the company celebrated its 40th year of production, now supporting 60,000 jobs and renamed Emirates Global Aluminium after merging with Emirates Aluminium in 2013.

Another home grown success story is RAK Ceramics. Founded in 1989, the company is one of the largest ceramic companies in the world, even if many international consumers may not realise RAK stands for Ras Al Khaimah.

Even names associated with foreign brands can actually carry the “Made in the UAE” label.

Dubai Refreshment Company was set up in 1959, and more than 60 years later produces millions of cans and bottle of soft drinks from Pepsi Cola to Lipton Iced Tea and Aquafina water.

Just down the road, the Nestle plant in Jebel Ali turns out more than a billion KitKat bars each year, a production line that started in 2010 and includes Quality Street chocolates, Maggi Products and Nido powdered milk.

In the past two decades, the name of the game has been diversification, moving the country’s economy away from oil and gas and creating a skilled Emirati workforce, supporting thriving local industries.

Some are large, like Strata, founded by UAE investment company Mubadala in 2009 in Al Ain.

It is a manufacturer of world-class aviation components and continually expanding, even in the past year as a supplier as medical grade masks in the fight against the coronavirus.

Almost half the Strata workforce are young Emirati women.

Precision manufacturing is also key to the success of Caracal, founded in 2007 and named after the wildcat.

Caracal pistols are the first to be designed and made in the UAE. As well as supplying the Armed Forces they are exported.

A very different product comes from Camelicious, which harnesses one of the country’s most important natural resources – camel's milk.

Originally a research laboratory in Dubai examining the benefits of camel's milk, Camelicious now makes a range of products that include long life milk and ice cream, sold even in British supermarkets.

Separately, Al Nassma produces chocolate bars made using camel's milk, while Chocodate has shared another UAE secret with the world by taking dates and coating them in chocolate.

In Ajman, Italian Dairy Products uses milk from Emirati cows to produce authentic mozzarella, while last year W Motors broke ground on a Dh370 million ($101m) manufacturing facility that will focus production of its Lykan supercars in Dubai Silicon Oasis.

The future will extend to even more cutting edge technologies. Al Yah Satellite Communications, another Mubadala project offers satellite TV and internet to dozens of countries, but thanks to an agreement with last month Tawazun Economic Council, will develop advanced satellite and communication technology – and truly a global reach for Made in the UAE.

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal

Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.

School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.

“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.  

“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”

Gorillaz 
The Now Now 

SCHEDULE

6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
 
Amith's predicted winners:
6.30pm: Down On Da Bayou
7.05pm: Etisalat
7.40pm: Mulfit
8.15pm: Pennsylvania Dutch
8.50pm: Mudallel
9.25pm: Midnight Sands

The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

The specs: 2018 Maserati GranTurismo/GranCabrio

Price, base Dh485,000 (GranTurismo) and Dh575,000 (GranCabrio)

Engine 4.7L V8

Transmission Six-speed automatic

Power 460hp @ 7,000rpm

Torque 520Nm @ 4,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 14.3L (GranTurismo) and 14.5L (GranCabrio) / 100km

Company Profile

Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi

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THE SPECS

Jaguar F-Pace SVR

Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8​​​​​​​

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 542bhp​​​​​​​

Torque: 680Nm​​​​​​​

Price: Dh465,071

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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

While you're here
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster

Price, base: Dh708,750

Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power: 374hp (total)

Torque: 570Nm (total)

Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Various Artists 
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
​​​​​​​

When is VAR used?

Goals

Penalty decisions

Direct red-card incidents

Mistaken identity

Hamilton’s 2017

Australia - 2nd; China - 1st; Bahrain - 2nd; Russia - 4th; Spain - 1st; Monaco - 7th; Canada - 1st; Azerbaijan - 5th; Austria - 4th; Britain - 1st; Hungary - 4th; Belgium - 1st; Italy - 1st; Singapore - 1st; Malaysia - 2nd; Japan - 1st; United States - 1st; Mexico - 9th

About Krews

Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi

Based: Abu Dhabi

Founded: January 2019

Number of employees: 10

Sector: Technology/Social media 

Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support

 

The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont

Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950

Engine 3.6-litre V6

Gearbox Eight-speed automatic

Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm

Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km

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Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now