In the zone

zoom

saif zone now services around 4150 companies from 91 countries.

And opportunities are set to grow further as it was announced at the forum that in order to target further potential investors, Sharjah is planning to set up seven areas - including Construction World - within Saif and Al Hamriyah specifically for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

So it seems that whether a firm is seeking to expand operations within the region or simply looking for more suppliers to meet the demands of project schedules and budgets, the continued success of the free zones is set to play a large part in the future of the construction industry.

Al Hamriyah Free Zone

Established in 1995, Al Hamriyah Free Zone began as an area of 15 million m² and has since grown to more than 22 million m².

Despite the current economic downturn, more than 100 trade licences were issued monthly in Q1 of 2009, which shows a reasonably sustained level of growth compared to 2008; an average of 125 licences were issued monthly in the 2008 period.

The zone includes industrial and commercial facilities plus a 14m-deep water port and adjacent 7m-deep inner harbour, with scope for further expansion. It was the first zone in the world to win ISO 14001 certification for environmental safety and has since been awarded ISO 9002 status for quality.

Most activities are permitted in the Zone as long as they are environmentally friendly and meet local regulations.

Firms can lease pre-built warehouses, factories and offices or even lease industrial plots of land on which they can build tailor-made facilities. Staff accommodation is also available within Al Hamriyah.

Plans for the future development of prime property within the zone include the construction of industrial plots that are sized in multiples of 5,000m². Each plot can be developed by investors to meet their needs and up to 60% of the leased land can be developed. Leases are provided on the basis of a minimum five year term, with a fixed rate for this period.

The maximum initial lease term is 25 years, although this can be renewed for a further 25 years.

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