Operon Middle East enters the local market at Dubai's FM EXPO, the region's first dedicated Facilities Management trade show

Dubai, UAE, June 5, 2006: An established UK facilities management (FM) company is using the region's first FM trade event to launch in the Middle East.

Operon Middle East is taking part in FM EXPO, a new exhibition currently running at Dubai World Trade Centre until June 6, to announce their entry into the local market in order to exploit the enormous potential of FM in the region.

Operon Middle East is a joint venture between Operon UK and Dubai-based FM and maintenance company, Quality Group. Operon Middle East will offer the full range of integrated FM services, including consultancy, mechanical and electrical design, life-cycle costing, energy management and building maintenance.

Operon UK, which was set up in 1993, now employs over 1000 staff and runs more than 50 contracts providing FM services for a range of buildings, including museums, universities and hospitals.

Quality Group has been established in the region since 1991 and provides specialist construction contracting and maintenance services. It also saw the massive potential for FM in the region and wanted to link up with an overseas company with proven FM expertise.

Paul Anson of Operon and Stephen Barker, Group General Manager of Quality Group, set up Operon Middle East with support from their respective CEOs, and have since been joined by Paul Hillier as General Manager of the company.

Its directors are confident that taking part in FM EXPO, organised by Streamline Marketing Group and dmg world media, will help enable the new company to make inroads into a market sector which local FM experts recently estimated to be currently worth around US$ 144 billion in Dubai alone.

Facilities management is the integrated management of a broad range of specialist and general services combined to support and service all types of buildings, from commercial towers, resorts and hotels to oil refineries and hospitals. FM practitioners oversee the management of a building from its inception, providing a range of services including property strategy, building maintenance and operations and management of space and energy.

Mr Anson said: "In the UK, for instance, the construction industry has developed and evolved over the last few centuries, yet in Dubai this has only really taken off over the last 6 to 10 years. This means that the FM industry here is still very embryonic and there is still a pressing need to ensure building owners understand that if they want to protect their investments and want their buildings to last, then they need to be maintained properly using professional FM specialists. Our unique selling point is that we provide better value for customers by delivering as many services as possible in-house rather than sub-contracting them out and simply acting as managers of sub-contractors."

Operon Middle East hosted a lunch on the first day of FM EXPO (June 4) to introduce their new company to existing clients and contacts within the industry. Operon executives from the UK also flew in to Dubai to share their FM expertise by participating in the event's seminar programme.

FM EXPO is the Middle East's first trade show dedicated to facilities management and features many other big international players in the FM market. The exhibition is open from 11am to 7pm and is sponsored by Johnston Lighting (platinum sponsor) and FM providers AMC and MAB Property Service & Development (support sponsors). For further information visit www.fm-expo.com

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Lucy Wray
Total Communications
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© Press Release 2006