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Johnson Controls Seeks to
Sustain 22pc Growth in ME

DUBAI - Johnson Controls, a US-based provider of energy and operational efficiency for buildings, said on Tuesday it was optimistic about sustaining the growth trend in the Middle East with green building concept fast gaining currency in the region.

The $38 billion group, which has its regional office in Jebel Ali, said growth prospects in the region, particularly in the GCC, have never been brighter.

Iain A. Campbell, President, Global Energy & WorkPlace Solutions, Johnson Controls Inc., said while the group’s building technology business, which was $14 billion in 2008, shrank globally by $6 billion in 2009, in the Middle East, it recorded 22 per cent growth. “We are optimistic that the Middle East region, which accounted for business worth $500 million last year, will continue to show a stronger trend towards adopting energy efficient green building principles.”

Fromleft to right: Clay Nesler, Iain Campbell and Magdy Mekky from Johnson Controls.

Johnson Controls employs 2,500 people in the region, and operates three manufacturing facilities — in turkey, Jeddah and Jebel Ali. Founded in 1885, Johnson Controls has over 140,000 employees serving customers in over 170 countries.

The UAE real estate industry can transform itself by adopting the energy efficient green building principles to deal with the current market conditions, Campbell said. “We can help businesses reduce energy and utility consumption and the associated costs between 15 per cent and 50 per cent and also help businesses in the GCC reduce their global warming footprint,” 
said Campbell.

On an average, a green building saves 70 per cent electricity, 50 to 60 per cent of water and 36 per cent of energy in the US as compared to standard buildings, according to a report published by the US Green Buildings Council.

“With the recent economic downturn, building owners are more interested in making their facilities more energy-efficient to save money and decrease operating costs. Although concerns are sometimes voiced about the initial cost of green projects, the financial benefits are remarkable in the long run,” said Campbell.

“The integration of the building systems and the information technology infrastructure into one intelligent network is an important part of our strategy for sustainability,” said Magdy Mekky, Middle East Vice-President and Managing Director of 
Johnson Controls.

The company’s flagship Metasys building management system can provide customers across the region with a set of comprehensive tools to improve building efficiency, maximise cost savings, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, said Mekky.

In the UAE and rest of the GCC, 75 per cent of Johnson Controls’ projects comprise new buildings and rest involves upgrading of existing buildings. In the US, bulk of the company’s contracts is for renovating existing buildings. “This shows that even during a slow down in building industry, there is lot of scope for growth in renovation of existing buildings,” Campbell said.

Johnson Controls, which manages 1.5 billion square feet of building space worldwide, has a performance contract with the Empire State Building in the US. With an initial estimated project cost of $20 million, the Empire State building will save over $4.4 million per year in energy costs alone,” said Clay Nesler, Vice-President, Global Energy and Sustainability Johnson Controls, Inc. 


issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com