UAE: Unilever opens 272 million dollars manufacturing plant in Dubai | Progresiv
Consumer goods giant Unilever has opened a Dh1 billion (272 million dollars) manufacturing plant, the region’s largest personal care products facility, at Dubai Industrial Park. 
The company will mark products manufactured at the factory with a ‘Made in UAE’ label and will export 80 per cent of them to Europe and Mena region.
The official opening ceremony took place under the patronage and in the presence of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Emirates Group.
Spanning 100,000 sq m, this plant is the largest in the region, and is set to deliver the highest output of 100,000 tons per annum of liquid beauty and personal care products a year (approximately 500 million units). The brands manufactured include Dove, Fair & Lovely, Lifebuoy, Vaseline, Clear, TRESemmé, and Sunsilk.
The facility utilizes state-of-the-art technology, which combined with a modular design, ensures shorter, faster and highly responsive production lines that are highly flexible to match market demand. The facility is also designed to reduce waste and energy consumption, in line with the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan via which the company aims to decouple its growth from its environmental impact, while increasing their positive social impact.
In addition to supply chain efficiency, the advanced technology will enable automatic quality control, scanning at a rate of 350 bottles per minute, while also ensuring the highest safety standards integral to and embedded in all equipment designs.
Raw materials will be sourced both locally and globally. Exports will cover countries across North Africa, Middle East and Europe. Unilever is currently collaborating with key suppliers to implement a complete vertical integration, which will help in implementing “just in time” methodology which will enable the factory to become a global sourcing unit by 2022.In addition, 25 per cent of the energy required to run the plant will come from solar power, and 80 per cent of waste water will be repurposed and reused for agricultural and cleaning purposes.
“Choosing the UAE was a strategic decision. It is a trade corridor that connects the East and West, with important growth potential and world class infrastructure. Our new factory is testament to that – as the UAE’s largest private solar park, it reflects a shared vision of driving resilient, sustainable growth, underpinned by innovation,” said Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever.
He said the new plant would support the country’s long-term goal to achieve sustainable economic growth, by contributing to the development of the manufacturing sector and the diversification of the national economy. He mentioned the opportunities that arise for multinational corporations along with the nation’s direction to develop the sector as a pillar of the economy.
With construction commencing in mid-2015, Unilever’s new facility was completed in 18 months with 2.8 million man hours and zero safety incidents.
According to research by Euromonitor International, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) will be the fastest-growing region for the sale of beauty and personal care products over the next five years, with the US 25.4 billion dollars market projected to grow by 6.4 per cent a year. Globally, the sector is expected to expand by 3 per cent a year. (www.sustainablebrands.com)
