A complete hub offering diverse and state-of-the-art products and services, according to Oweis Zahran, CEO of OWS Automotive, the facility, under the support of the Ajman government and Sheikh Ammar Bin Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman, has several distinguishing factors steered by sustainability.
And as an already established key player in the US automotive remanufacturing segment, OWS is a global automotive service provider founded in the USA 30 years ago. During vehicle remanufacturing, an older vehicle is brought back to life, reveals Zahran, and this key offering is a first of its kind, not only in the UAE, but in the MENA region and in West Africa.
“We are not only going to open a very large footprint in this region, but also in Asia, where we believe it is very well needed,” he says.
The process of remanufacturing
Unlike previous years where supply and demand were somewhat equivocal, in today’s automotive market, Zahran points out that there are several challenges attached with purchasing a new car. “A big hurdle is that there is a limited supply of cars as compared to the consumer demand for new cars,” he says, in addition to the post pandemic surge in prices of both new and used cars globally.
A solution to these challenges which is also a more sustainable option in the long run is the process of vehicle remanufacturing.
He adds: “During the process of remanufacturing or rebuilding a car, we replace the essential components, or we rebuild the central components, for example, the engine, transmission, and transfer kit, which are essentially the guts of the car. Once you have changed these pivotal components, the vehicle owner will reap both a higher quality vehicle but will be able to add an additional 5 to 10 years to the life of the vehicle. We also provide a warranty 10 times longer than other automotive dealers.”
A trusted name with governments
Prior to the covid pandemic, remanufacturing was not very common amongst private car owners; however, Zahran reveals that because OWS is a cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly solution, most government fleets in the UAE work with OWS.
“School buses are a perfect example of remanufacturing as the external body is not required to be shiny or perfect, but more importantly, should function with the maximum level of safety,” he says. “Dubai RTA’s favourite has been OWS and they have won ‘favourite supplier’ for seven consecutive years.”
Entering the MENA private automotive sector
The covid pandemic steered the expedition for OWS to launch its hub in Ajman. “During covid, the OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) were facing tremendous supply chain issues with the vehicle microchips,” he says, which are the brains of the vehicle. “Today’s vehicles are so digitised that everything in a vehicle is some form of AI.”
For Zahran, this market supply and demand hurdle was the nudge towards why it made sense to expedite their timeline of setting the foundation for remanufacturing as a concept/factory to the UAE.
Making a mark in the region
OWS are set to not only establish a robust footprint in the MENA region, but also in Asia, which Oweis believes is a sorely neglected market. In KSA, OWS has already announced a partnership with Saudi PIF and King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) which was launched around six months ago. The move is part of KAEC’s efforts to establish itself as a leading automotive sector enabler and a vision-ready destination.
Electrification of vehicles
With the recent announcement of 2023 as The Year of Sustainability in the UAE, the soon-to-be-launched OWS hub in Ajman aligns with the UAE’s commitment in addressing current challenges and promoting sustainable practices at an individual and community level.
“Now more than ever, is a great time to make noise around sustainability,” Zahran says.
“While the concept of remanufactured vehicles is the ultimate form of sustainability, we will also provide the electrification of vehicles so we take gasoline vehicles and completely convert them into electric vehicles (EV) which will also convert the lifeline of your vehicle.”
A state-of-the-art training facility
In addition to the remanufacturing and electrification facilities on offer at the OWS hub in Ajman, the facility will also be a first in the region to serve as a state-of-the-art training facility.
“Our training facility will provide the latest solid automotive training education to auto mechanics in the region,” says Zahran, as in this part of the world, unfortunately, auto mechanics are considered unskilled labour.
“If an auto mechanic is untrained or unskilled, especially with vehicles now becoming increasingly digitised and electrified, it could be potentially disastrous.”
Breaking current stereotypes
And with the UAE government’s recent decision to raise Emiratisation rates to two percent annually for skilled jobs in private sector establishments to achieve an overall rate of increase by 10 percent by 2026, Zahran reveals they already include Emiratis in the space and will hopefully attract many more to this sector.
He adds, “So irrespective of how talented the person may be, the pay scale is extremely low.” OWS intend to break the stereotype and have already undertaken the steps towards the shift.
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