First among top-end regional developers to be ISO-certified
Underscores Emaar's customer-focused service standards
Evaluation completed in record three-month period
Dubai, UAE, September 23, 2006: Global real estate major Emaar Properties has highlighted its international quality management system and continual improvement practices by winning the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 9001:2000 quality certification.
Mr Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director, Emaar Properties, received the certification from Mr Basem Obaid, Regional Manager of Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance (LRQA), which completed the stringent evaluation procedures in a record three-month period.
"The ISO 9001:2000 for Emaar marks the first time that a property developer of its size, scale and scope of operations has won the prestigious stamp of quality from the region," said Mr Matrooshi. "The certification underpins Emaar's continuous improvement of performance in meeting the quality requirements of its clients and the value-added measures adapted by the company to enhance customer satisfaction."
The world's most accepted quality standard, the ISO 9001:2000 specifies the quality management system (QMS) put in place by organizations to ensure consistent product and service quality. "Emaar's QMS is world-class and demonstrates the property developer's commitment to being a global property developer and community service provider," said Mr. Ahmed Ali, Executive Director, HR & Organisation Effectiveness, Emaar Properties. "The efficiency of operations and systematic approach to QMS at Emaar helped complete the evaluation procedure in record three months."
Emaar's operations were assessed for its adherence to international quality standards; the alliances with contractors, consultants and service providers; productivity; team work; customer satisfaction and commitment to continuous improvement.
"Customer satisfaction ranked high in the criteria for the certification, which is a clear testimony to the success of the master-planned communities we pioneered in Dubai in 1997," said Mr Matrooshi. "The recognition is also proof that we are on the right track in our adherence to internationally-accepted quality management systems and processes."
Emaar has outlined in its Mission, Vision and Strategy to adopt a strategy of business segmentation to create business clusters that function as growth engines. "Emaar's growth engines today are property development, finance, education, healthcare and hospitality. This is in line with our Vision 2010 of becoming one of the world's most valuable companies through international expansion and diversification," said Mr Matrooshi.
Emaar pioneered the concept of freehold master-planned communities in the UAE with the Emirates Hills development in 1997. Today, Emaar's roster of projects include the Arabian Ranches, Emirates Living, Dubai Marina and the up-and-coming Downtown Burj Dubai, which will have at its epicenter the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest tower when completed in 2008.
Emaar has handed over more than 14,000 homes in its master-planned communities in the UAE and has extended the successful model to countries further afield including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, India and Pakistan.
Emaar has scaled up its competencies in product sales through the recent acquisition of America's second largest privately held homebuilder - John Laing Homes, and the UK-based international realtor Hamptons International.
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Note to Editors
About Emaar Properties PJSC:
Emaar Properties, the Dubai-based Public Joint Stock Company and one of the world's largest real estate companies, is listed on the Dubai Financial Market and is part of the Dow Jones Arabia Titans Index. The company recently announced that its net profits for the half year ended 30 June 2006 reached AED 3.053 billion (US$0.831 billion) - a significant gain of 21 per cent over the first-half 2005 results of AED 2.533 billion (US$0.690 billion) - reflecting the remarkable growth the company has gained since its inception in 1997.
With more than 14,000 homes handed over to customers, Emaar has several major real estate projects under various stages of development in Dubai including Arabian Ranches, Dubai Marina, Emirates Hills, The Views, The Meadows, The Springs, The Lakes and The Greens. The company also owns and manages the Gold and Diamond Park.
Emaar has marched ahead with the construction of its AED 73 billion (US$20 billion) Burj Dubai Downtown development, which comprises the Burj Dubai - the tallest tower in the world when completed in 2008, The Dubai Mall, Burj Dubai Business Hub, The Lofts, The Old Town, The Old Town Island, Burj Dubai Boulevard, The Residences, Burj Views, man-made lakes, landscaped parks and gardens.
The company has joint ventures and projects across the region covering India, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. In July 2006, Emaar also announced the opening of a full-fledged representative office in China, thus becoming the first Middle East property developer to effectively tap the potential offered by the world's second largest economy. Emaar also entered the US market by acquiring John Laing Homes, the second largest privately held homebuilder in the U.S., thus creating one of the world's leading real estate developers in residential homebuilding.
In a move that scaled up its core competency in product sales across the international arena, particularly the Western hemisphere, Emaar acquired Hamptons International, the UK-based subsidiary of premier property developer Wheelock Properties (Singapore) Ltd in a deal worth AED 562.45 million (US$153.05 million). The acquisition covers Hamptons' UK offices and its joint venture with CB Richard Ellis Hamptons International in the UK and Hamptons International Oman; and will build Emaar's international network of offices to over 130 over the next few years.
Last year the property developer announced plans to aggressively expand the retail sector with investments of over AED 15 billion (US$4 billion) to develop approximately 150 malls in the larger emerging markets of the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and the Indian subcontinent. In addition, Emaar has teamed up with Giorgio Armani S.p.A to build and manage 10 Armani hotels and resorts across the world; an Armani hotel will feature in Emaar's flagship Burj Dubai tower.
Earlier this year the company announced plans to expand its investments into the education and healthcare business. The education initiative will involve the establishment of international schools in the MENA region and India, which will offer premium quality education and an integrated curriculum for students ranging from kindergarten to tertiary levels. Emaar's healthcare diversification will see the company invest around AED 18.35 billion (US$5 billion) over the next decade in the MENA and South Asia markets with the construction of hospitals, clinics and medical centres and the investment in the provision of world-class healthcare services.
While continuing to actively pursue expansion in its core business of innovative, high quality real estate development, Emaar has diversified into related business lines to further build value for its 59,000 shareholders, which includes the Government of Dubai. Emaar owns and manages EMRILL, a joint venture with the UK-based Carillion which provides innovative property and facilities management services. Emaar also holds 30 per cent equity in Dubai Bank, focused on retail and commercial banking and is the majority shareholder in Amlak Finance, UAE's leading Islamic home financing company. For further information, please visit www.emaar.com.
For further information, please contact:
Kelly Home / Nivine William
ASDA'A Public Relations
Exclusive Affiliate of Edelman PR Worldwide in Middle East & North Africa
Tel: (+971 4) 335 5969;
Fax: (+971 4) 335 6080
E-mail: k.home@asdaa.com, n.william@asdaa.com
© Press Release 2006
