Turner & Townsend win Unilever's Dubai plant deal

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Turner & Townsend win Unilever’s Dubai plant deal

Turner and Townsend have been appointed to provide full project and cost management services for the construction of Unilever’s new manufacturing factory in the United Arab Emirates.
The £250m (DH 1 billion) investment will enable the consumer brands giant to expand its innovative personal care products business across Middle Eastern and North African countries and create as many as 400 jobs.

Unilever, a leader in building world-class factories with minimal environmental impact, is designing the new facility in line with its Sustainable Living Plan. For example, it will send zero waste to landfill. This is similar to Unilever’s Lipton Jebel Ali Factory, in Jebel Ali Freezone

We are providing key members of staff on the ground for the new factory, and are also in charge of planning and contract administration services, supporting the procurement strategy, ensuring effective value engineering, and risk management processes.

We were selected based on the strength of our local team and a successful global partnership with Unilever in previous projects throughout Europe and Asia.

Mike Collings, Managing Director, Middle East, comments: “Having worked successfully with Unilever on multiple occasions, we have a clear understanding of their expectations so we are well positioned to deliver a high-quality finished product, which will exemplify best practice in environmental friendly construction.

Ahmed Kadous, Supply Chain Director at Unilever Gulf commented “We’ve worked with Turner & Townsend before so we’re confident in their ability to deliver the latest and best practice whilst working on this project.

“Our decision to continue investing in Dubai was the result of the steady rise in demand for quality personal care products in the region. In addition to that, the new facility will assist us in achieving our long-term vision; doubling the size of our business while halving our environmental footprint.”

Source: www.turnerandtownsend.com

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.