Dubai Industrial City, a member of Tatweer and the third-largest non-real estate project in Dubai, said it has leased all of its available 1.5 million sq ft of warehouses.

The success is an indication of the boom the industrial sector is experiencing, it said.

DIC said the figure makes up half of the first phase of storage facilities that it launched into the market earlier this year. Plans are on to lease out another 1.5 million sq ft in the market by end of 2008.

Rashed Al Ansari, vice president of Dubai Industrial City, explained that the warehouses were leased by business investors attracted by the superlative quality the storage facilities offer, especially when it comes to fire and safety levels.

"We managed to grab the lion's share given that our warehouses offer high standards when it comes to fire resistance and safety measures, which is what responsible companies look for. The warehouses are built using pre-cast concrete walls that can contain a fire for four hours and stop it from spreading into neighbouring facilities, the doors are also fire proof, and all our units include independent fire fighting systems with equipment such as alarm panels, sprinkler systems as well as fire hose reels and fire exit doors."

He added that Maqayees, the Dubai Centre for Industrial Standards which is in-charge of implementing all Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) standards within the city, is also mandated to ensure that the storage materials in the warehouses are safe and offer no hazards to the surrounding community.

"Maqayees has authenticated the safety features within the warehouses and they have the right to inspect all storage materials kept in the warehouses to ensure that they conform to our QHSE standards," Al Ansari said.

He added that the warehouses are 5,000 and 10,000 sq ft in size and are flexible in order to expand in multiples to be customised to the user’s needs in terms of size. Their ideal location adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport and Dubai World Central, as well as its close proximity to Jebel Ali Free Zone and Port and being midway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, were additional plus points that contributed to the strong market demand to lease them.

"These warehouses are part of our strategy to offer comprehensive services related to the industrial sector across our city. Storage is vital for industries and we have decided to offer the latest in warehousing facilities meeting our QHSE standards to offer our clients upgraded facilities that meet and exceed their operational needs," Al Ansari concluded.

Spread over 560 million sq ft, the dedicated destination which is designed according to a viable live, work and play concept features six industrial clusters for food and beverage, base metal, mineral products, chemicals, transport equipment and parts, and machinery and mechanical equipment.

Complementary facilities for logistics, warehousing, labour villages, industrial training in addition to commercial, residential and entertainment zones position Dubai Industrial City as a comprehensive one stop-shop destination, providing tenants with a critical competitive advantage in the areas of human resources, logistics and business operations. - TradeArabia News Service