The joint-venture between Ducab, DEWA and ADWEA appoints Jon Vail as CEO

Dubai, March 9, 2010- Ducab—one of the leading manufacturers of high quality power cables in the Middle East—has announced at WETEX 2010 the appointment of Jon Vail as the CEO of a new company Ducab HV Cable Systems. This comes exactly one year after announcing the formation of the joint venture company in which Ducab has a 50% share with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) each holding an additional 25%. 

The new company will sell cable systems in the voltage range of 66kV to 400kV, covering the highest voltage currently used in the GCC and operating as the first dedicated high-voltage facility in the region. Once fully operational, the company plans on selling over AED 1 billion of cable and associated services annually, approximately 60% of which will be consumed in the UAE.

Andrew Shaw, Managing Director at Ducab, affirms that Vail’s history of working in diverse fields ranging from technical to product development as well as business management make him the ideal candidate  to lead the launch of the Ducab HV Cable Systems.

“It is an honour to be able to serve as CEO of such a young and promising venture,” comments Vail.  “Providing a reliable, local supply of strategically vital HV cables to the Middle East is our ultimate goal, and we look forward to being the only high-voltage facility in the region dedicated first and foremost to reducing GCC dependency on foreign suppliers.”  Vail also confirmed that construction of the new dedicated factory is in progress at the Jebel Ali site and the machinery will start to be installed later in 2010.

Vail will be joining representatives from Ducab and DEWA as the companies showcase their latest technologies and projections during WETEX 2010—Dubai’s foremost water, energy technology and environment exhibition. 

Company announces launch of new range of products and hosts joint seminar with Dow Wire & Cable on building reliable MV cables in the Middle East market

Dubai, February 10, 2010- Ducab, the leading manufacturer of high quality power cables in the Middle East and winner of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Business Excellence Award for their achievements in the manufacturing sector, is showcasing its latest technologies in cable manufacturing at this year’s Middle East Electricity Exhibition (MEEE) held at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from February 9-11.  Items on the company’s agenda include the display of state-of-the-art products produced in the Special Cables Unit, the launch of a new range of Ducab Connect products, and a series of joint seminars in cooperation with Dow Wire & Cable and FM Sudafix.  Senior staff including Ducab’s Managing Director and General Managers will be at the event to connect with stakeholders as the entire range of Energy and Instrumentation Cables, Copper and Connect accessories are on display. 

“This year Ducab is celebrating 30 years of powering the region as a manufacturing leader, and we look forward to meeting our customers in person during this week’s events,” comments Mr. Andrew Shaw, Managing Director at Ducab.  With a new office in Qatar and a number of planned expansions outside of the UAE market, Shaw believes that MEEE is the ideal platform for the company to network with the best in the industry. 

So far Ducab has updated stakeholders on the new Ducab HV plant opening by the end of 2010, the launch of a Special Cables Unit in fall 2009, and new production processes in its cable and copper manufacturing.  Ducab’s copper rod plant—the first of its kind established in the UAE in 2008—has become so successful that the company now sells the copper commercially to other manufacturers in the region in addition to using the material for internal consumption.

Ducab also welcomed international delegates to a seminar jointly hosted with Dow Wire & Cable on Feb. 9 titled A Value-Chain Approach to Long Lasting Cable Lifecycle.  The program addressed challenges of increased load levels for utilities in the Gulf, internal benchmarking standards for product suppliers, and how companies can build reliable supply chains in the region.  Mr. Hassan Omar, General Manager Technical at Ducab, and Mr. Jon Penrice, Global Marketing Director of Dow Wire & Cable, led the joint seminar as they brought their own extensive experience to the floor.

Ducab is also set to unveil a new range of Ducab Connect products during a presentation later today—the final day of the exhibition.  Mr. Roy Heatherington, Sales Manager of Ducab Connect, will be joined by fellow industry colleagues including Mr. John Maher, Technical Director of FM Sudafix Group, in a discussion highlighting the application of such products in infrastructure projects around the Gulf.   Ducab spokespersons say that the expanded product range will offer a comprehensive selection of cable-connecting solutions previously unavailable through local distributors, including products for control and instrumentation applications. 

These and other discussion at MEEE 2010 take on an even greater significance this year following the Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) announcement that the UAE has earmarked almost a third of its 2010 budget—approximately AED 10.7 billion—to infrastructure projects. 

Last year over 1000 companies from around the world attended Middle East Electricity—now in its 35th year—and event organizers say that approximately 98 countries are represented at this year’s conference.

Official launch of Ducab’s Special Cable Unit (SCU) in honour of company’s 30th anniversary

Left to right: Ahmad Al Shaikh -Chairman of Ducab, H.E Saeed Al Tayer - Managing Director & CEO of DEWA , H.H. Sheikh Hamed binZayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu DhabiCrown Prince's Court and Chairman of the Higher Corporation of SpecializedEconomic Zones, H.H. Sheikh Majid BinMohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, H.E Eng. Ahmed AlMureikhi, representative from ADWEA

Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President, and Ruler of Dubai, H.H. Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Read the full story

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