Sharjah Asset Management (SAM), the investment arm of the Sharjah government, has joined forces with German group Apleona (formerly Bilfinger Facility Management and Building Services), to set up a new facilities management (FM) company.

The company, a first of its kind in Sharjah, will deliver FM services to clients, and provide various specialist technical services for all types of properties in the emirate, said Waleed Al Sayegh, the chief executive of SAM, after signing the agreement with Dr Gert Riegel, the chief operating officer of Apleona Facility Management, Frankfurt.

The company has two current project contracts worth Dh20 million ($5.4 million).

"We consistently aim to deliver exceptional service in the field of facilities management and building maintenance services," stated Al Sayegh.

"Once we identified that there was a void in Sharjah for delivering this level of service, and there was no one readily available to advise clients on how to improve their assets through various management operation principles, we decided that Sharjah Asset Management should assist in bridging this market gap," he added.

In addition to FM services, the joint venture will provide numerous related technical services for clients, including energy management strategies and sustainability initiatives aimed at reducing energy and water consumption.

According to him, the joint venture plans to assist companies with energy efficiency programmes and applications, introducing new power systems and water technologies, and moving them towards applying world-class green building concepts and principles.

By helping with the reduction of power and introducing sustainability initiatives, the joint venture seeks to significantly contribute towards protecting the environment and commercially to benefit its clients, he added.

Dr Riegel said: "Apleona goes a step further than anyone else. We successfully export the 'made in Germany' stamp of quality around the globe. We operate real estate and industrial properties in Moscow, London and Sharjah to the same premium level of Apleona quality as in Munich or Berlin."

"We optimise the operation of properties and plants as well as processes: with German know-how, the understanding of country-specific economic processes and a focus on the individual requirements of our international customers. Our innovative facility management solutions are a value adding factor for our customers," he stated.

Dr Riegel pointed out that its joint venture with the Sharjah company will prove to be fruitful, given the emirate’s economic and social stability.

"Through hard work and dedication, we seek to demonstrate that Sharjah not only provides a unique, attractive and competitive business environment, but that it also greatly commits itself to energy efficiency and sustainability," he added.-TradeArabia News Service