Gulf Construction Online - AFC eyes expansion in wider GCC

Dubai

Bee’ah’s headquarters ... in final stages.

AFC eyes expansion in wider GCC

01 April 2020

Having recently handed over the thematic souks at Expo 2020, Dubai-based AF Construction (AFC) is currently working on the fit-out of several pavilions at the prestigious site of the world-class event.

The leading Dubai-based construction major has also delivered the Festival Plaza at Jebel Ali which includes a new Ikea store, according a senior company official.

“The two projects handed over recently were completed to very challenging timescales and they were a credit to our teams who often worked long hours to get these over the line,” Edmund Mahabir, CEO of AF Construction, tells Gulf Construction.

“Whilst completing these projects to very challenging programmes, we maintained our excellent standard of health and safety,” Mahabir adds.

Mahabir ... challenging time-scales.

AFC offers the full range of services for building and infrastructure projects across the UAE including luxury hotels, commercial offices, residential apartments and industrial civil projects. It works collaboratively with its customers and their design teams to deliver buildable, cost-effective solutions using innovative techniques.

AFC is now part of Al-Futtaim Contracting Group, which also includes Al-Futtaim Engineering which delivers mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) services, Al-Futtaim Technologies and Al-Futtaim FM divisions.

“This year has seen the consolidation and alignment of the AFC business with the Al-Futtaim Contracting Group and under the Al-Futtaim umbrella. As part of this vertical grouping, we can now offer a wider and more complete range of services at a more competitive price and this will form an important theme for us in the marketplace going forward.

“Being part of the Al-Futtaim Contracting Group, we provide MEP, facility management (FM) services and specialties such as elevators, fire alarm installation within the overall offering,” Mahabir says.

Apart from the fit-out work at Expo 2020, AFC is currently engaged on two residential projects for Emaar and civil engineering works for Emirates Global Aluminium’s (EGA) Emal aluminium smelter at Taweelah.

For Emaar, it is engaged on a large residential project at Dubai Creek Harbour which is scheduled to be completed this year and has just commenced work on another residential high-rise tower within the Burj Downtown area.

“On the Dubai Creek Harbour project, we celebrated 10 million manhours without Lost Time Incident (LTI) on January 30, 2020,” he comments.

The Creek Horizon tower project marked 462 days without LTI and the 10 million man-hour record is an industry best and reflects the Al-Futtaim Group’s commitment to creating a safe workplace by setting high safety standards and ensuring operational excellence, he adds.

Meanwhile, in Abu Dhabi, AFC is expanding the aluminum potlines at Emal and in Sharjah, it is in the final stages of work on the Bee’ah headquarters, an iconic Zaha Hadid-designed building.

Commenting on the Dubai market, Mahabir says, there was a slowdown in the residential market last year. “After several years of growth, the residential market has slowed in the last year but there are still interesting projects coming on the market and a resurgence in infrastructure projects across the UAE. This did not come as a surprise to us and our forward business planning took account of this readjustment and we have been able to adapt the business to suit the increasing demand from infrastructure and oil and gas sectors.

“We strongly believe that AFC can offer world-class quality, health and safety, and a commitment to sustainability and delivery together with a competitive price – an offering that we believe few, if any, in the market can match,” he claims.

Mahabir sees 2020 as being a year to reshape the business as it pursues projects across the wider GCC and focuses on successfully and safely handover of the projects that are due for completion.

“We are still winning new orders in our core markets and we are particularly encouraged with the increased level of activity in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi has always been an important market for us where, in the past, we have delivered some spectacular projects including the New York University, Al Muneera, the Yas Marina Hotel and the Abu Dhabi Investment Council headquarters,” he points out.

AFC’s efforts are now focused on securing more orders within the UAE and it is also pursuing opportunities that will allow the company to expand into other regional markets on a selective basis. “We are also increasing our infrastructure portfolio to capture the increased spend we are seeing by the government sector,” he adds.

Among other growth plans, AFC is putting increased emphasis on improved efficiency in building such as using modular building techniques, particularly where the company can influence the design at an early stage.

AFC is wholly-owned by Al-Futtaim group. The company has delivered mega projects in the UAE, such as Jumeirah Al Naseem, Al Bahr Towers, Dubai Marina towers, and Al Jalila Hospital.