National Fire Fighting Manufacturing Company (Naffco) has announced a one-million-sq-ft expansion of its Jebel Ali factories to help the company keep pace with the growing demand for its products.

“The expansion of our Jebel Ali factories is necessary to meet the increasingly growing demand of the company’s fire fighting products in both the local and foreign markets,” chief executive officer Khalid Al Khatib said.
Once complete, the expansion should allow the company to increase its market share in the local safety and fire-fighting market to 60 per cent instead of 40 per cent currently.
The company exports to 76 countries including the GCC, Arab, Far East, African and European markets.
Al Khatib says Naffco’s business has been growing by 20 per cent year on year and he is planning to double this percentage by expanding production lines while exploring new markets for export.
In particular, the expansion is an essential step in the company’s moves to enter the American markets after obtaining the Underwriters Laboratories License (UL), which enables Naffco to export directly to the US, he says.
The company was also at last month’s Intersec 08, where it announced plans to design and manufacture 55-m-high firefighting ladders in partnership with a South Korean manufacturer.
The company also used the show to announce its plans to manufacture, under a European licence, vehicles  specialised to fight fire at airports. The move is expected to help the company respond to the needs of the fast growing travel industry in the UAE and the region.
A national manufacturing company operating from Jebel Ali Free Zone, Naffco claims to be the largest manufacturer of fire-fighting equipment in the Middle East and its client list includes some of the largest projects in the world, such as Burj Dubai, Metro Dubai, Mall of the Emirates, majority of Jumeirah Lakes and Dubai Marina towers, major projects in Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Ibn Battuta Mall, offshore projects, major plants and substations, huge warehouses and factories in industrial areas, in addition to the majority of five star hotels in the country.
The company owns two factories in Jebel Ali, which design, manufacture and produce a full range of safety and fire-fighting systems, from handheld fire distinguishers to giant fire fighting vehicles for high-rise buildings, he concludes.