Emirates Steel wins ASME approval

EMIRATES Steel has been awarded a quality system certificate (QSC) as a material organisation (MO) from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for the manufacture of concrete reinforcing bar (rebar).

The company is the fourth rebar manufacturer worldwide to be awarded this certificate and the first in the GCC. “The ASME certificate and the implementation of our nuclear quality system (NQS) programme will enable us to produce and supply our products to companies involved in nuclear activities,” said Emirates Steel’s chairman, Suhail Mubarak Musallam Athaeeth Al Ameri.

Emirates Steel’s NQS was developed to supply products to nuclear projects and will be activated only for nuclear orders. Public safety in nuclear power generation is the main goal of ASME’s certification.

ADPC, Parsons sign Marfa Port deal

ABU DHABI Ports Company (ADPC) has signed  a consultancy contract with Parsons International for the first phase development of Marfa Port, Abu Dhabi, to support fishing and marine recreational activities.

The first phase development will enable the port to accommodate more than 200 boats.

Tony Douglas, CEO of ADPC, said: “As we gear up for the official launch of Phase One of Khalifa Port and Kizad, we remain committed to the development of smaller ports in Abu Dhabi, particularly in the Western Region. We are confident that our agreement with Parsons will serve the purposes in hand and provide the expertise needed to deliver a much more developed port.”

He continued: “Al Marfa Port in Abu Dhabi is an essential one as it has been serving as a fishing harbour for so long and needs to be redeveloped to match the high-class infrastructure projects taking place in Abu Dhabi currently.”

Al Futtaim delivers 12 Hino trucks

AL FUTTAIM Motors has delivered a fleet of 12 Hino 700 series heavy-duty trucks with 25 cu m tipper body structure and three Hino 300 series light-duty trucks to the Dubai Municipality under a major deal signed recently.

With Hino Euro 3 environment-friendly engine designed to deliver improved fuel efficiency and low emissions, Hino 700 series provide powerful 400 hp driving performance and high durability, in addition to safety, transport quality and flexible body-building capability.

The light-duty Hino 300 series is claimed to be the first in the UAE to offer an automatic transmission option and has been completely redesigned to offer the best in improved drivability, aerodynamics, vision, cabin ergonomics, comfort, convenience, ease of maintenance and vehicle safety.

Empower bags golden award at IDEA

EMIRATES Central Cooling Corporation (Empower), a leading district cooling service provider, has bagged the golden award at the recent International District Energy Association’s (IDEA) 103rd annual conference held in Chicago, US.
Empower won the golden award for the total square footage committed to district cooling and a silver award for the total number of buildings committed to the system.

The awards were won against competition from top global companies from outside the North America region.

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, said: “The operational savings in residential units compared with conventional air-conditioning technologies ranges between 40 and 45 per cent.”

Summertown on a green course

SUMMERTOWN Interiors, the UAE’s leading sustainable fit-out contractor, is on track to achieve carbon neutrality by 2020, thanks to its eco-leaders green committee. In the 12 months since it formed the  group, the company has achieved 26 per cent of the deliverables outlined in its nine-year plan, the company said.

The eco-leaders green committee, an internal task group that is rotated among all employees, is responsible for identifying sustainable practices across five strategic pillars for the business – clients, suppliers, people, operations and measurement.

Externally, the company remains committed to focusing its efforts on undertaking green projects and improving waste management practices across all sites. In addition to its Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold-certified showroom, Summertown Interiors has also undertaken three other green projects this year.

Moving forward, the committee will ensure that all projects undertaken by Summertown will be delivered in accordance with the firm’s green principles, even when not specified by the client.

DSI, Oracle sign key agreement

DRAKE & Scull International (DSI), a regional leader in engineering and civil contracting, has signed an agreement with Oracle to implement its Oracle JD Edwards Enterprise application modules in DSI’s Middle East operations.

DSI will look to pioneer technology by implementing an integrated ERP (enterprise resource planning) to cater to the construction industry by seeking business value from next-generation IT applications.

Oracle is one of the top four ERP solutions providers in the Gartner Magic Quadrant of Integrated Systems. The increase in project risk and complexity together with the growth of long-term contracts and opportunities in post-construction services create both challenges and opportunities for the engineering, procurement and contracting industry.

Aabar breaks ground on tower

AABAR Properties, a subsidiary of Aabar Investments, has broken ground on its development at Najmat Abu Dhabi on Al Reem Island.

Spread across 65,000 sq m, the development situated at Najmat Marina promenade will be a mixed-use development with residential, office and retail components. The 23-storey residential tower will offer a range of apartments, as well as several duplex penthouses with views of the Marina and the city of Abu Dhabi.

Arabtec has been selected as the lead contractor on the project and Confluence as the project manager. The project is scheduled to be completed during the third quarter of 2014.

Trion supplies air cleaners

TRION, an air purification specialist for commercial kitchens, has recently supplied a number of Air Boss Model 75 electrostatic air cleaners to Abu Dhabi’s new Central Business District (CBD) on Al Maryah Island (previously Sowwah Island).

What makes the CBD scheme unique is the level of sophistication demanded, comments Graham Smith, general manager of the SAT Group, which supplied the Trion units to the HVAC contractors of the project.

“This proved quite a challenge. The specification called for equipment which complied with regulations UL867 and UL710 as well as NFPA 96. This is why the Trion Air Boss Model 75 was chosen as it surpasses UL710. It is also the first to qualify for the more stringent UL YYXS, which is the only UL specification that deals specifically with commercial kitchen filtration,” he said.

The air cleaners will serve a number of restaurants within the Sowwah Square retail development.

Abu Dhabi to get 20 new hotels

ABOUT 20 new hotels are expected to open in and around Abu Dhabi city over the next three years, according to TRI Hospitality Consulting, a Dubai-based company which provides hotel consultancy services.

Among them, there will be at least five Marriott hotels, including a 60-room Marriott Exclusive Apartments, a 195-room Courtyard by Marriott in the Central Market, a 244-room Edition hotel, also a Marriott brand, and a 532-room Ritz-Carlton, one of Marriott’s luxury brands.

Other additions include five new properties by Rotana, including two in the Capital Centre, the development around Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, a 414-room Centro Rotana Capital Centre opening this year and a 300-room Capital Centre Rotana opening next year.

Also announced is a 400-room Saadiyat Rotana Resort for 2015 and a mammoth 600-room Arjaan by Rotana next to Marina Mall, according to TRI Hospitality Consulting data.