04 November 2015
Abu Dhabi Ports signs SMA with Binghatti to set up food and beverage production plant catering to MENA market

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Abu Dhabi Ports―the master developer, operator and manager of ports and industrial zones in the Emirate―has signed a standard Musataha agreement (SMA) with Binghatti Holding to set up a new food and beverage (F&B) production plant at Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad). Binghatti is an international investment holding company that focuses on high-growth potential projects within the real estate, construction and FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) industries.

The new facility in Kizad will cater to the F&B industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, supported by Binghatti's own FMCG distribution companies in the UAE, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and London. The company known for the brand of RAUBI juices will invest an initial AED 150 million in the project with a plot size of 42,883 square metres, under the SMA with Abu Dhabi Ports.

The new facility at Kizad will be under the name of Black Forest Food Industries LLC, a branch of Binghatti's sister company in London.

"The modern infrastructure and efficient transportation network offered by Kizad and Khalifa Port will support Binghatti's efforts in maximising their food and beverage supply chain activities," said Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports.

"Kizad is an ideal location for a company like Binghatti that runs a multinational business and looks for further expansion into new markets. With our flagship Khalifa Port being fully integrated with Kizad, projects like this can optimise their distribution reach to new customer base across the globe," he added.

Dr. Hussain Bin Ghatti Al Jbori, Chairman of Binghatti Holding, said: "This new investment demonstrates our commitment to support the leadership's vision of diversification and to actively contribute to the economy of Abu Dhabi.  We chose Kizad to set up our important venture because of its strategic location and the availability of the right combination of services required for our project. By utilising such support services of Kizad, we hope to expand our service offerings and deliver high quality products in line with international standards," he said.

The F&B products from Binghatti's proposed plant in Kizad will be distributed in the UAE and exported via Khalifa Port to countries across the MENA region with future plans to expand their distribution to Europe and the Far East.           

This SMA follows Abu Dhabi Ports' participation at Gulfood Manufacturing, the region's biggest F&B processing industry, where Kizad and Khalifa Port's supply chain efficiency and world-class F&B trade and logistics solutions were showcased.

-Ends-

About Abu Dhabi Ports
Established in 2006, Abu Dhabi Ports' core objective is to facilitate the diversification of the economy by stimulating trade and development. This is done by delivering high quality maritime services, supporting partners' infrastructure projects and setting up new companies and joint ventures in the ports and logistics sectors.

The flagship state-of-the -art Khalifa Port and Khalifa Industrial Zone play a big role, supporting the diversification of the economy.  Khalifa Port was inaugurated on 12/12/12 by UAE President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The port's semi-automated container terminal handles all of Abu Dhabi's container traffic, after its transfer from Zayed Port, the historic port in the city centre.

Phase One of Khalifa Port has a capacity of 2.5 million TEUs and 12 million tons of general cargo. Further phases of development will occur as market demand requires. When all phases are complete, Khalifa Port will be able to handle 15 million TEUs and 35 million tons of general cargo per year.

Abu Dhabi Ports manages nine commercial, logistics, community and leisure ports, and Khalifa Industrial Zone which is serving a range of logistics and manufacturing investors. Abu Dhabi Ports is boosting Abu Dhabi's economic growth and diversification, following Abu Dhabi's Economic Vision 2030.

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© Press Release 2015