District cooling leader Tabreed has been in business for just six years but in that short space of time it has advanced to become the world’s leader in its line of business.

Its sales are soaring, customers continue to approach it because association with the company has a positive impact on their business. Its products and operations are setting benchmarks around the world; industry peers hold its senior management team in the highest esteem and employee retention rates are high.  Shareholders enjoy good rates of return on their investment and it is taking an active role in the community in which it operates. Its reputation among all its stakeholders is sky high.  While some would consider this advance as a pipedream, Tabreed folk see it differently.  They are certain their ascendancy is solely due to their commitment to quality.
“Quality underscores every facet of the company,” explains Dany Safi, Tabreed’s CEO. “It is the cornerstone of our operation and our relentless pursuit of it has had a positive impact on Tabreed’s reputation and the trust in which it is held - by our employees, our partners and subsidiaries, our customers and our shareholders.”
To understand Tabreed’s success, one has to go back to the time before its operations actually started. “Even before Tabreed produced a single tonne of cooling, the company’s senior management team had the foresight to ensure that the policies and procedures were in place before operations began,” recalls Safi.
“Their flexibility and willingness to adapt as we expanded our company has meant that we haven’t compromised on our quality. ‘Continuous Improvement’ isn’t just a business buzz but some companies fail to adjust. Quality isn’t stringent. In fact quality and flexibility have to go hand in hand - but you have to allow it.”
Tabreed’s impressive growth is a perfect illustration of that flexibility in practice. As the company has grown, the management has never been afraid to adapt to change in order to cope with growth, while keeping in line the quality assurance systems that were put in place.
“Tabreed’s partners and subsidiaries also understand the importance of maintaining the highest levels of quality and this is shown by the consistent absence of accidents, low employee turnover, the consistent increase in Tabreed’s customer base, the development of the Tabreed group of companies and its association with globally recognised companies as well as a consistently strong performance on the UAE bourses which is literally paying dividends to our shareholders,” observes Safi.
Communicating Tabreed’s commitment to quality assurance internally and externally has been pivotal in establishing the trust with all its stakeholders.
Internally, Tabreed has communicated those values through its vision and mission statements. By integrating all three certifications (ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001: 1996 and OHSAS 18001: 1999) the company sent a clear signal of its intent to carry out what it says it will and with the balanced scorecard the company has ensured that the entire organisation is focused, aligned and pulling in the right direction.
“We communicate the importance of quality to our employees and more importantly actively encourage them to provide ways and means of improving existing levels. They are our best ambassadors so it is critical that they play a pivotal role in the continuous improvement of the company,” says Safi. The policies in place are having positive results on the company’s standing among its employees. In the last annual employee satisfaction survey, 98 per cent registered that they were very proud to work for Tabreed.
Safi says his workers are “very complimentary about the working environment and word of mouth is a powerful endorsement for us.”
“Combined with the activities we undertake in our community, we have a solid reputation. But we have worked hard to get it and will need to work harder to maintain it and take it even more forward,” he comments.
The link between quality, reputation and trust has resulted in Tabreed’s solid relationship with its customers.
Observes Safi: “All our customers approach us because of their desire to be associated with the brand. They know that the partnership has a powerful impact on their business for the simple fact that it improves their business - either by becoming more efficient or by being more environmentally aware. Our commitment to quality enhances theirs.”
Today, Tabreed is attracting big developers who are eager to sign up for large contracts, spanning as long as 20 years.
And what of the district cooling industry? How do they see Tabreed?
The company’s technical aspects are setting international standards and Tabreed’s plantroom technology is recognised as the ultimate benchmark in the district cooling industry. But perhaps the most shining endorsement of the company has come from the International District Energy Association (IDEA). Last year, as appointed Safi - the only non-American and only Arab - on the board. 
Not bad for a company that has only been in operation since 1998.