Nestlé Waters, the bottled water division of the Nestlé Group, has signed an agreement with the UAE’s Higher Corporation for Specialized Economic Zones (ZonesCorp) to build a Dh100 million ($27.2 million) water factory in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
 
The factory will be Nestlé Waters’ 16th in the Middle East and second in the UAE, where an existing plant has been operational at Al-Qouz Industrial Area since 2003, then relocated to TechnoPark in the Jebel Ali Free zone in Dubai in 2010, said a statement from the company.

The 30-year lease covers a 43,000 sq m plot, with construction beginning this year and opening planned for 2018, it said.

Following completion the factory is expected to provide up to 100 jobs in its first few years of operation, producing Nestlé Pure Life brand for the UAE and lower Gulf, it added.

The contract was signed yesterday at a signing ceremony during the UAE investment forum at the Hannover Messe, a leading international trade fair, in Hannover, Germany.

Additionally, as part of its commitment to showcase its partner companies and share its expertise and knowledge, ZonesCorp is leading a high level delegation of 19 important industrial manufacturing companies to Hannover Messe.
 
Walid Zamamiri, managing director at Nestlé Waters for the Lower Gulf, said: “Abu Dhabi is the perfect location to establish a new water plant, as it offers many advantages for the smooth running of the facility, and a strategic location for distribution within the UAE and lower gulf countries.”
 
Saeed Issa Al Khaili, acting chief executive officer at ZonesCorp, said: “We are delighted to have Nestlé as a partner, as the company is an excellent addition to Industrial City - Abu Dhabi (ICAD) 3 and our food and beverage cluster; more widely this partnership reflects ZonesCorp’s strategy to increase the number of food and beverage sector investments within our economic zones.”

“We look forward to a longstanding partnership and to adding the new factory to the list of world-class facilities operating in the specialized economic zones in Abu Dhabi. This investment by Nestlé further demonstrates ZonesCorp’s ability to attract leading global brands to our Industrial Cities,” he said.

“The new factory is a response to increasing demand for high quality bottled water brands in the region. It will be built to the highest standards in environmental sustainability, making it one of the most water- and energy-efficient bottling facilities,” he added.

“We will ensure that our factory is water efficient and that it benefits the local communities. In the Middle East, our 15 water factories have improved the water efficiency of their bottling activities by 40% in the last four years, resulting in water savings of 1.8 million m3,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service