Karcher, the German manufacturer of high-pressure cleaning systems, has opened its customer service centre and training facility at the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafz).

The company, which had set up its office in 1998 in Jafz, is among several German companies operating in the free zone including Daimler Chrysler RLC Middle East, and Heidelberg Middle East.
Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah, vice chairman and group CEO of Dubai World, who opened the new facility, spoke about the significance of the free zone and the expansions it experienced in recent years.
“The core focus of Jebel Ali Free Zone is its customers, and their growth. Jafz’s customer-centric approach and its commitment to building and supporting their businesses through constant innovation make Jafz one of the largest and fastest growing free zones in the world,” he said.
Also present at the opening was Salma Hareb, CEO of the Jafz Authority (Jafza) and Economic Zones World.
In her comments, she assured Karcher of Jafza’s full support in making the Karcher venture a great success.
“Tremendous growth in the construction and industrial sectors in the GCC region provide Karcher enormous growth opportunities. In view of this, Karcher’s facility expansion is a timely initiative and will provide Karcher a cutting edge in the region,” she said.
Robert Nouira, managing director, Karcher FZE, whose company has witnessed a 56 per cent growth in sales in the past two years, said: “We appreciate the support given to us by Bin Thaniah and Hareb and her team in making the facility possible.”
Bin Thaniah and Hareb were given a comprehensive tour of the new facility and briefed on Karcher’s plans for Dubai and the region.
Karcher, one of 175 German companies currently operating out of Jebel Ali Free Zone, is a multinational group that posts annual sales in excess of Euros 7.3 billion ($9.4 billion).
The company, based in Winnenden, is represented in 160 countries with 38 subsidiaries all over the world.
‘From warehouses to industrial powerhouse’ sums up the meteoric rise of Jafz since its launch in 1980. Now considered a model for free zones around the world, it focuses on long-term customer relationships, providing creative and innovative solutions for global industrial investors, and fostering alliances with them. It counts around 140 Fortune Global 500 businesses among the 5,500 companies operating out of it.
Its customer service has made it the first free zone in the world to receive an ISO 9001:2000 certification.