The Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafz) is poised to grow both in the number and diversity of its businesses, benefiting from the UAE's investment-spurring rules and procedures that have given the country the recognition of being the Gulf's largest investment centre.

Jebel Ali has also been able to attract businesses by virtue of its own strategic location, tailor-made incentives, facilities including top-class port conveniences and a visionary zonal management authority that has ensured a healthy balance between local and foreign investment.

While the bulk of the business is trading and distribution, Jafz is determined it will not stay that way. Enterprises that came to trade have been encouraged to set up production facilities and currently the zone has a fine spread of industries ranging from plastics, food, steel fabrication and rubber products to textiles, perfumes, chemical blending and lubricants.

From 19 companies at the end of 1985, the year Jafz was established, the number grew to nearly 300 by the end of 1990 and to 875 at the end of 1995, rising further to 1,900 by the end of 2000. The figure for 2001 was 2,180 by the end of November of the year.

Executive chairman of Ports, Customs and the Free Zone Corporation Sultan bin Sulayem said the Jafz success story could be measured by the figures available, pointing out that the total trade exchange of Dh750 million ($204 million) in 1985 had surged to Dh35 billion today.

"We are heading to accommodate more than 3,500 companies in the year 2003 and adding more berth to the port," Bin Sulayem said.

The number of manufacturing projects had increased in Jafz and now represented more than 22 per cent of the total number of projects, he added.

Business in the zone is progressing with 12 proposals monthly on an average, said Jafz managing director Ahmed Butti.

While highlighting the importance of trade as an avenue for growth, using Dubai's rapid expansion as an example, Butti said Jafz companies had moved beyond the traditional markets initially dictated by geographical location and developed trading relations with new markets throughout Europe, the Far East and US.

Ahmed Butti also explained the importance of maintaining a strong position in the region by nurturing the growth of regional trading partners through adherence to the phrase 'Think Globally, Act Locally'.

Earlier this year, Bin Sulayem announced the launch of 'MyJafza', a portal dedicated to Jafz customers, saying it represented not only a milestone in the zonal authority's electronic services, but it was also significant as an element of Dubai's e-government strategy.

"MyJafza promises to herald a new era in the way the Free Zone Authority and our customers interact and conduct daily business," said Bin Sulayem during the launch event that was attended by Jafz customers and officials. "The growth of our customers' business translates into the growth of ours. It is therefore in both our interests to not only broaden the range of quality services we offer, but also to increase the efficiency and convenience related to establishing and operating in the free zone. This underlies our strategy to actively explore the Internet as a means of improving business performance."

The portal is the latest addition to a package of online services developed by the Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation. Last year representatives from the shipping community gathered at the launch of the MyDPA portal, which has since received a very positive response. There are currently more than 560 users of MyDPA, representing over 95 per cent of Dubai Ports Authority customers.

Jafz became the first free zone in the world to attain the ISO 9000 certification from the Lloyd's Register of Quality Assurance in 1998, and in 1999 received the Dubai Government Excellence Award.

MyJafza, which offers user access from anywhere in the world, has been developed to create a package of fast, flexible and secure electronic services most looked for by customers. Not only will the portal be more efficient in terms of access to information, it will also trigger cost-savings for customers, which represents an important objective in the zonal authority's customer services strategy.

In his speech at the launch ceremony, Bin Sulayem said the introduction of free zone business to the portal is the culmination of an overall process for simplification and reduction of non-value added activities, representing a re-engineering of free zone business processes to suit the new culture revolving around information technology.

"DPA reported a 16 per cent increase in container handling in the first seven moths of 2001. More than 2 million TEU were handled from January to July 2001 compared with 1.73 million TEU in the same period of 2000.

"As a customer-driven authority, our dedication to quality services has strengthened our relationship with our customers and this has resulted in substantial growth. Likewise regional competition has fuelled greater productivity," DPA said.

As part of its long-term investment in infrastructure, DPA completed extensive dredging to deepen the Jebel Ali terminal basin from 14 metres to 16 metres.

The decision was made according to the changes required to accommodate the new generation of 'super' vessels coming into service - starting at over 6,000 TEU and reaching up to 8,000 teu in the near future. As a result of DPA's ability to service these supertankers, an increase in extensive feeder services is also forecasted.

Dubai Ports Authority, voted the Best Seaport in the Middle East, had broken all its previous records by handling an unprecedented 3 million TEU during the year 2000. Registering 3,058,866 TEU, it achieved an eight per cent increase in container handling, compared with 1999.

Readers of the multimodal magazine Cargonews Asia voted it the best Middle East seaport for the seventh consecutive year.

"Most major international lines call at Dubai," confirmed Bin Sulayem. "From Dubai we send cargo anywhere in the world." He remarked that DPA and Dubai's business community had developed a truly symbiotic relationship.

Jamal Majid bin Thaniah, DPA managing director, announcing in July a new container-handling record on MSC vessels calling at DPA, said it reaffirmed DPA's position at the forefront of container handling in the region.

Productivity records for the vessel MSC Rosella, show the Super Post Panamax container-handling gantry cranes handled an impressive 187.7 (net) vessel moves per hour over a 15-hour period. The highest productivity previously held on a vessel was 176.2 moves per hour on the MSC Diego.

The new record demonstrated the success of DPA's dual investment approach of sustained investment in both specialised technology systems and the more traditional hardware associated with port operations.

DPA and the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing were presented with the annual certificate for security excellence for the third consecutive year by the International Maritime Services. The certificate is a significant international recognition awarded to ports that maintain the strictest standards of security for cruise operations.