RAK Ruler opens Dh30 million facility of Swiss Franke at RAK Industrial Zone

Ras al'Khaimah, April 14, 2013 (WAM) - H. H. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council member and Ruler of Ras al-Khaimah, has inaugurated at Ras Al Khaimah Industrial Zone the second Dh 30 million investment project of Franke LLC. ''Ras Al Khaimah and Franke share a common factor: sustainability and the new facility sets a model of environmental awareness and operational and industrial efficiency within Ras Al Khaimah and beyond. Environmental cost will gain increasing significance in doing businesses in decades to come,'' Sheikh Saud said. Sheikh Saud along with Sheikh Ahmed bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Chairman of Ras Al Khaimah Free Zones, Walter Deplazes, Swiss Consul General in Dubai, Michael Pieper, President and CEO of Franke Artemis Group, and heads of local departments, toured the new facility which aims to expand the existing facilities including a new and energy efficient building. The expansion comprises a production site with new technologies, a new logistic center, new training facilities, a new showroom and new offices. The development follows an initial investment of Dh 50m to found Franke LLC in RAK, where Franke Artemis Group - the world's leading provider of intelligent systems for domestic kitchens, professional food service, innovative and customised coffee solutions, beverage systems and intelligent washroom solutions - choose as the ideal destination to aid in ambitions for international expansion into the UAE, KSA, Qatar and Oman. Michael Pieper, President and CEO of Franke Artemis Group, said his group has built the factory in ten months thanks to the huge resources available in Ras Al Khaimah. He added that the new facility is expected to raise the group's sales to Dh 600 million in five years and to over Dh1 bn in the long run. – Emirates News Agency, WAM