Envisioning the golden route to recovery

Poised and prepared to bounce back in the expected recovery phase, KIZAD is a force to reckon with. "We have gone to considerable lengths to not only safeguard our customers' competitiveness within their respective markets, but to also support them during times of hardship," said Mohamed Ghareeb, Vice-President of Service Delivery, Industrial Zones at KIZAD.
In line with Abu Dhabi Ports and the Government of Abu Dhabi's efforts to support and protect businesses amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, KIZAD unveiled a number of relief packages aimed at supporting businesses challenged by the global economic slowdown.

Part of these recent efforts also included implementing 25 per cent reduction in land lease tariffs for new contracts. This move expands on the incentives offered under the Abu Dhabi Executive Council's Ghadan 21 programme by reducing rents to ensure KIZAD boosts economic growth by enticing new and existing companies to invest across our industrial zone.

"For our existing customers, we have introduced measures including the waiving of penalties associated with the late renewal of licences in the second quarter of the year, as well as rent deferment and a freeze on late payment penalties. We believe taking these steps helps alleviate our customers' financial burdens brought on by the economic slowdown and allows them to focus on recovery and growth," said Ghareeb.
Armed with foresight
KIZAD has been insulated from the worst fallout of the crisis. "For many years, our parent company, Abu Dhabi Ports, has dedicated resources to ensure business continuity, so all elements of the organisation are ready to act in times of emergency," said Ghareeb. As a result, all of Abu Dhabi's ports have remained open for business 24/7 over the last few months.
Following its footsteps, KIZAD too has had a long track-record of investing in its own preparedness to maintain industry reliance.

"Our commitment to investing in digitisation has transformed our operations and allowed us to act decisively, to quickly adapt to changing conditions and ensure we remain agile and open for business," he added.
Adapting to challenges
KIZAD's continued access and connectivity to the world's main trading blocs via Abu Dhabi's deep-water semi-automated terminal at Khalifa Port, coupled with its ongoing investment in digital infrastructure has enabled it to turn the lengthy period of disruption into an opportunity.
"Throughout the crisis, we have maintained high levels of interest in a wide variety of our logistics and manufacturing products and services, and the expansion of our facilities to support our customers has continued apace," said Ghareeb.

Earlier this month, KIZAD broke ground on a dedicated Truck Plaza, the largest of its kind in the region, to meet the needs of truck drivers and the zone's growing industrial and logistics community. The zone is also set to significantly enhance its food cluster portfolio with the future launch of Abu Dhabi Ports Logistics' Cold Storage Warehouse, a brand new 19,000 sq m installation, one of the largest of its type constructed in Abu Dhabi.
Economic recovery
Ghareeb believes that KIZAD will continue to grow and prosper as it envisions its role in supporting UAE's future economic recovery.
"Across the supply chain, international investors realise the attraction in KIZAD's value proposition and how it can benefit their future business requirements. Complementing our prime geographic location and direct access to global markets is our unique ability to offer the region's lowest utility costs together with the opportunity to grow ultra-modern low-cost operations at scale," he added.
Prospects for 2020
KIZAD is optimistic on its journey towards recovery and expects a number of growth opportunities along the way, courtesy of its long-term strategic plans that are firmly on course.
"Our positive outlook is confirmed not only by the upward progress across all three channels - direct impact, indirect supply chain, and induced wage consumption - but also by studies conducted by independent third-party analysts that Abu Dhabi Ports and KIZAD's economic impact remains set to contribute 15 per cent to Abu Dhabi's non-oil GDP by 2030," he concluded.

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