A heavy truck manufacturer is to open an assembly facility in the Jebel Ali Free Zone by next year.
Scania is establishing an industrial facility in Dubai for fitting bodywork and equipping complete vehicles. The plant will have the capacity for custom building about 1,400 trucks per year and will be located in a 20,000 square metre industrial site in the free port area of Dubai. Operations will begin during the second half of 2008 and will initially encompass vehicles for construction haulage, such as tipper and concrete trucks, but the facility will also be adapted for future bus body construction.
“Our collaboration with selected suppliers that are well-established in Arab markets, together with the shorter lead and delivery times provided by the Dubai facility, will greatly benefit our expansion in the region,” Per Hallberg, Scania’s Head of Production and Procurement.
“From here we will deliver high-quality fully built vehicles that are adapted to the requirements and operating conditions that apply in the region,” said Per Hallberg, Scania’s Head of Production and Procurement, Mr Hallberg says. at a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Swedish Crown Princess Victoria and other dignitaries.
There is very high demand for heavy trucks and buses in the region due to large investments in infrastructure and new construction – not only in the United Arab Emirates but also in the other Gulf states. The market for heavy trucks is beginning to approach 20,000 per year.