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• Dubai five-star hotel only one of two properties in the UAE to hold platinum certification.
• Energy audit by sustainability consultancy Farnek projects 10% lower energy consumption and 1.6 kg reduction in CO2 emissions per guest night.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 27 November 2024: Movenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach in Dubai, has for the eleventh consecutive year, been certified by the renowned and international acclaimed, Green Globe sustainability programme.

Furthermore, the hotel is now only one of two properties in the UAE to hold the coveted platinum certification, having demonstrated consistent year-on-year improvements.

During the recent Green Globe audit, which was carried out by Green Globe’s preferred partner in the Middle East, Dubai-headquartered sustainability consultancy Farnek, the property achieved a rating of 93%, having conformed with over 380 demanding sustainability standards.

Noteworthy initiatives put in place by hotel management included installing a water bottling plant to eliminate single use plastics, installing sensors and introducing a 100% smoke free environment to improve and monitor indoor air quality, motion sensors in the basement car park and stairwells, waste segregation on each floor, in the hotel’s kitchens and all relevant back of house areas.

Commenting on the hotel’s certification, Michael Goetz said “Green Globe is a sustainability programme specifically designed for the hotel and travel industry, so we are extremely proud of our platinum certification and our position as one of the most environmentally friendly hotels in the region.

“This certification highlights our consistently strong performance and our commitment to sustainability over the past eleven years. However, sustainability is a journey, not a destination and we will be working hard towards an even better performance during next year’s audit.

Farnek also conducted an ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) Level II energy audit and assessment for the hotel.

“The purpose of the detailed data-driven audit was to evaluate the current energy consumption patterns and identify opportunities for improving energy efficiency within the hotel, to reduce costs and carbon emissions. The hotel’s energy performance registered an index of 247 KWh/sqm, which was considerably better than the UAE average of 252 KWh/sqm.

“Moreover, we have projected that the hotel has the potential to reduce its energy consumption by up to another 10% and lower its carbon emissions by 1.6kg per guest night,” said Muna Al Nahdi, Head of Sustainability & Consultancy at Farnek.

The five-star 297-room Movenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach is located on The Walk in Dubai’s Jumeriah Beach Residence and consists of two restaurants, three bars and lounges, an outdoor swimming pool, five meeting rooms, a fitness centre and spa.

“Overall, Movenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach continues to excel in its sustainable practices and constantly outperforms other hotels that participate in the Green Globe programme, throughout the Middle East region,” added Al Nahdi.

Having signed its original partnership agreement with Green Globe in 2009, Farnek has certified well over 100 hotels and leisure facilities in 38 cities across the MENA region. This has enabled members to save in excess of 180 million kWh of energy, worth over $20 million, and more than two million cubic metres of water, valued at approximately $5 million.

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Photo caption: (L-R) Muna Al Nahdi, Head of Sustainability & Consultancy, Farnek (2nd from left) presents the Green Globe Certificate to Michael Goetz, General Manager of the Movenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach (2nd from right).

About Green Globe Certification

Green Globe is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe is based in California, USA and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

For information, please log on to www.greenglobe.com

About Farnek:

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent facilities management company.

With a skilled workforce of more than 9,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management services to across several sectors; Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Shopping Malls, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure and Entertainment.

For more information, please log on to www.farnek.com

FARNEK SERVICES LLC has been awarded a Bronze Medal from EcoVadis, a prestigious recognition granted to the top 35% of companies assessed by EcoVadis over the past year. This accolade is a testament to Farnek’s robust sustainability management system and their unwavering commitment to promoting transparency across the value chain.

EcoVadis, a renowned provider of business sustainability ratings, evaluated Farnek based on four key areas—Environment, Labour & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement.

The favourable assessment highlighted several areas where Farnek excelled:

Environmental Leadership

Farnek’s environmental policies are comprehensive, covering key issues such as materials, chemicals, waste, and energy consumption. The company is an active supporter of the Science Based Targets initiative and the United Nations Global Compact. Practical measures include energy conservation training for employees, reduction in energy consumption directly related to IT infrastructure and lighting systems, and the implementation of eco-friendly materials across operations.

Labour and Human Rights Commitment

Farnek’s policy framework supports a range of initiatives in health and safety, career management, diversity, and inclusion. Employee welfare is a priority, with policies such as health care coverage, family-friendly programs, and specialised training schemes. These commitments are reinforced by the endorsement of the United Nations Global Compact.

Sustainable Procurement Practices

Farnek integrates social and environmental clauses into supplier contracts and conducts sustainability risk analyses prior to supplier assessments. The company has implemented a supplier sustainability code of conduct and offers incentives to suppliers performing well in environmental and social dimensions.

This recognition by EcoVadis aligns with Farnek’s strategic vision to drive environmental sustainability within the facilities management sector. Recent initiatives include the use of Neutral Fuels’ B7 blend biodiesel, resulting in a significant reduction of CO2 emissions from their transport fleet, and the launch of PowerTek, a digital platform designed to cut emissions in the hotel sector.

About FARNEK SERVICES LLC

FARNEK SERVICES LLC is a leading UAE-based facilities management company known for its smart and sustainable solutions. With a commitment to excellence and innovation, Farnek aims to set the benchmark for sustainability in the FM industry by integrating new technologies and adopting best practices. For further information, visit hitek.ai.

EcoVadis

EcoVadis medals and badges recognize companies that have completed the EcoVadis assessment process and demonstrated a relatively strong management system that addresses sustainability criteria, as outlined in the EcoVadis methodology.

https://recognition.ecovadis.com/zWUyRdFtKEGD1ZUvvw-Ahg

Growth in facilities is driving demand for specialist cleaning service providers that adhere to international standards & guidelines, says Hitches & Glitches

Dubai-based sustainable and technology-driven maintenance and cleaning specialist Hitches & Glitches (H&G), part of the Farnek Group, has noticed a significant uptick in demand for specialised cleaning, for the UAE’s growing data centre market. 

According to premier global market research and consulting organisation, Blackridge, the data centre market in the UAE is projected to experience a compound annual growth rate of 9.95% over the next five years, creating a market worth AED 9.7 billion by 2029. 

Underscoring this estimate, the UAE government’s strategy to expand its digital economy has borne fruit by persuading multinational technology companies such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Microsoft and Alibaba to expand their capacity throughout the country.  

Consequently, the UAE now has 38 data centre facilities primarily located in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with companies such as Equinix Inc., Khazna Data Center and Moro Hub, leading the way.  

“Data centre equipment is highly sensitive and optimal performance is critical to their success. The equipment consists of switches, routers, hubs, UPS batteries and racks which collect dust & debris like any other object. However, the cleaning process is extremely sophisticated and technical,” said Zohaib Azhar, director of operations at Hitches & Glitches. 

“Therefore, maintaining the reliability, efficiency, and safety of these high-value assets is of paramount importance. There are international standards for controlled environments, such as the ISO 14644-1 Class 8 standard, which need to be adhered to regularly carried out by a highly trained, certified team of data centre cleaning technicians,” he added. 

ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) TC 9.9 standards also provide guidelines, which focus on mission-critical facilities such as data centres, to optimise environmental control, protect equipment and ensure reliability.  

The guidelines include maintaining clean air by minimising gaseous contaminants and airborne particulates, which can damage sensitive electronic equipment. They suggest regular monitoring and setting limits on particulate levels, with an emphasis on controlling dust and debris, as well as adhering to specific cleanliness levels. 

ASHRAE recommends specific methods for cleaning, such as using anti-static cleaning products and vacuuming with HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters to prevent dust from spreading. They also provide guidance on how frequently cleaning should be conducted, depending on the type of equipment and environmental conditions. 

The layout and airflow design of a data centre are also critical. ASHRAE guidelines address proper airflow which reduces dust accumulation and ensures contaminants are effectively managed. Cleaning procedures should consider air flow patterns to avoid recirculating dust during routine maintenance. 

“These guidelines help data centres maintain a clean and controlled environment, ensuring optimal performance and equipment longevity. Compliance with ASHRAE standards is often required for facilities to maintain high operational reliability and efficiency. 

“Considering the significant level of investment, data centre management must ensure compliance with international standards to mitigate the chance of a serious outage, or significant downtime.  

“To achieve that consistency, it is imperative that cleaning teams are not only fully trained but hold specialist certifications. Due to our expertise, H&G is a preferred by prominent data centre management companies such as SecureTech and ITQAN, amongst others,” added Azhar. 

Although not directly related to physical cleaning, ASHRAE standards also stress the importance of maintaining proper temperature and humidity levels to avoid static discharge and corrosion, which can be exacerbated by dust and dirt buildup. 

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To find out more, call 800 42634 or visit www.hitchesglitches.com 

About Hitches and Glitches

Hitches & Glitches is a technology-led office and home maintenance business, and its vision statement is to become the ultimate provider of sustainable and technology-driven home maintenance services throughout the UAE. It strives to deliver excellence in home maintenance services with a focus on quality, value, and sustainable best practices while being led by innovative technology, which exceeds the expectations of our customers. 

Ryan Mitchell, head of QHSEW at UAE-based total FM company highlights benefits of advanced SAFETEK solution to industry peers at HSE forum in Dubai  

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday 13^th November 2024: Ryan Mitchell, head of Quality, Health, Safety, Excellence and Wellbeing (QHSEW), at leading UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek addressed delegates on day two of the annual HSE forum in Dubai today (Wednesday 13^th November).  

The aim of the HSE Forum, which is being held at Le Meridien Hotel & Conference Centre, is to identify more clearly the key HSE touchpoints within the oil and gas, construction and critical infrastructure sectors that can boost compliance, safeguarding and risk mitigation. These issues were addressed over five sessions, discussing industry updates, technological advancements, corporate culture, skills development and sustainability.   

During his address, which was entitled – ‘Fast-tracking Technology Through Revolutionising Safety and Efficiency’, Mitchell, emphasised how the practical implementation of AI and predictive tools can improve efficiency and safety in the workplace. He stressed the benefits of digitalisation and the core areas that a digital mindset could be applied to improve HSE.

“Incorporating digital HSE solutions offers a route to a safer workplace, augmented compliance, fewer incidents, and heightened operational efficiency. However, prudent planning and implementation, grounded in a profound understanding of organizational requirements and challenges, are vital prerequisites for success,” said Mitchell. 

One such solution SAFETEK, which has been developed in-house by Farnek group company HITEK, is a digital safety management tool with the power of automation, which supports organisations that are trying to move from reactive to a more predictive approach. 

“Our cloud and mobility-based solution has been built specifically to digitalise reporting, to work towards a safer workplace. SAFETEK improves reporting times and data analysis to provide insights for preventative action,” said Mitchell.  

SAFETEK’s features include a safety KPI dashboard, which allows users to capture reports in the field, tracks follow up actions, can check the health status of employees, accommodates customised forms and checklists, schedules inspections and audits with notifications, as well as white labelling options and third-party integration. 

“This reduces downtime and ensures business continuity, which can lead to cost savings for organisations through reduced incidents, better resource allocation, improved efficiency and ultimately, a safer working environment,” added Mitchell.        

Other experts speaking at the high-profile forum include Sultan Karrani, Senior Engineer HSE at ADNOC, Hesham Husni Abuasi, Senior Specialist Inspector Heath Sector Innovation Incubator at the Department of Health, Saleh Al Balushi, VP Group HSE at DP World & Drydocks World, Azam Soukar, Group HSE Director at Dubai Holding Real Estate and Dr. Maryam Bin Essa, Studies & Systems Section Manager at Dubai Municipality.

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Photo caption: Ryan Mitchell, Head of QHSEW at Farnek.  

For more information, log on to www.hitek.ai  

About HITEK 

HITEK Services is a part of Farnek Group, a leading industry expert with over 40 years of technical expertise and operational experience in Facilities Management, Hospitality, and Technology Infrastructure. Our broad range of intelligent applications is a result of people, processes, and technology empowering our customers with digital, business, and technological transformation. Our solutions are aimed at complementing leaner and more sustainable operational processes that increase productivity and reduce energy consumption. 

Any FM Company would like to adapt the power of digitalisation, can contact HITEK Services on info@hitek.ai 

About Farnek

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss- owned independent total facilities management company. With a skilled workforce of more than 9,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management services across several sectors: Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure, and Entertainment. 

AI-driven CAFM solutions can reduce maintenance costs in the UAE hospitality sector by 20% 

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Leading smart FM solutions provider HITEK Services, which is part of the Farnek group of companies, has witnessed a paradigm shift from hospitality professionals, by adopting AI-driven computer aided facilities management (CAFM). 

Essentially, CAFM solutions such as CAFMTEK which are now revolutionising facility management, provide effective management control over assets, locations, and resources. With access to a real time dashboard which offers complete visibility via a dedicated centralised digital platform, hotel management and their operations team can access a 24/7 360-degree overview of all hotel assets.  

As new buildings become smarter, solutions such as CAFMTEK integrate with existing building management systems (BMS), optimising operational efficiency, staff welfare and sustainability.  

The scope of work covered by CAFM is now extensive and can include the day-to-day maintenance of MEP and commercial kitchen equipment, security systems, energy and water utilisation as well as waste management. It can also ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, manage irrigation for landscaping for more complex hotel sites, operational planning and procurement. 

Major hotel brands across the UAE such as Anantara, Sheraton, Four Seasons, Millennium, Wyndham and Swissotel, have all integrated aspects of CAFMTEK into their operations. By monitoring and controlling air conditioning, water temperature and pressure, recycling grey water and food waste, not only underpins a consistently superior guest experience, but it also highlights a hotel’s sustainability efforts, eco-conscious guests appreciate, with the added bonus that it also reduces operational costs.    

“On average approximately 15% of a hotel’s total revenue is spent on energy, water and maintenance. So, applying that to a Dubai hotel with 200 rooms with an average annual RevPAR of AED 415, it would generate around AED 30 million in room revenue alone. In that case utilities and maintenance costs would work out at AED 4.5 million, without including energy and waste intensive F&B operations, as well as leisure facilities.    

“Moreover, CAFMTEK can manage predictive maintenance, identify asset failures, order parts and track repairs, with a complete online history, making hotel budgets more accurate, with minimal downtime,” added Aijaz.   

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For more information, log on to www.hitek.ai  

About HITEK 

HITEK Services is a part of Farnek Group, a leading industry expert with over 40 years of technical expertise and operational experience in Facilities Management, Hospitality, and Technology Infrastructure. Our broad range of intelligent applications is a result of people, processes, and technology empowering our customers with digital, business, and technological transformation. Our solutions are aimed at complementing leaner and more sustainable operational processes that increase productivity and reduce energy consumption. 

Any FM Company would like to adapt the power of digitalisation, can contact HITEK Services on info@hitek.ai 

About Farnek

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss- owned independent total facilities management company. With a skilled workforce of more than 9,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management services across several sectors: Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure, and Entertainment. 

تشهد شركة فارنك التي تتخذ من دولة الإمارات مقراً لها ارتفاعًا كبيراً في الطلب، وتفوز بعقود ضيافة بقيمة تزيد عن 72 مليون درهم إماراتي

دبي، الإمارات العربية المتحدة، 09 أكتوبر 2024: شهدت شركة فارنك الرائدة في مجال إدارة المرافق الذكية والمستدامة ومقرها دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة نمواً كبيراً في قسم الضيافة الخاص بها، حيث كان الاستعانة بمصادر خارجية عاملاً رئيسياً في هذا النمو. 

وفي هذا العام وحده، فازت فارنك بعشرات العقود بقيمة تزيد عن 72 مليون درهم إماراتي، وخصصت أكثر من 450 موظفًا، مع علامات تجارية فندقية عالمية مثل إعمار، وميلينيوم، وشيراتون، وموفنبيك، وسوفيتيل، وهيلتون، وكمبينسكي، وغيرها، حيث كان الجزء الأكبر من الطلب على خدمات التدبير المنزلي، والحراسة، والأمن، فضلاً عن خدمات التنظيف والصيانة المتخصصة. 

ويتوافق نمو حصة فارنك في السوق مع أحدث الأرقام الصادرة عن الصناعة، حيث كشفت الأبحاث التي أجرتها شركة موردر إنتليجنس أن سوق الضيافة في الإمارات العربية المتحدة تقدر قيمتها حاليًا بأكثر من 27 مليار درهم إماراتي ومن المتوقع أن تنمو إلى 34.7 مليار درهم إماراتي في غضون خمس سنوات. 

ومن المتوقع على نطاق واسع أن الاستعانة بمصادر خارجية للموظفين أكثر فعالية من حيث التكلفة مقارنة بتوظيف موظفين بدوام كامل، حيث يقدر متخصصو الصناعة أن الفنادق يمكنها تقليل تكاليف التشغيل بأكثر من 30%، لكن بالنسبة للعديد من مديري الفنادق، لا تزال الاستعانة بمصادر خارجية تقتصر على الأدوار الإشرافية والإدارية فقط. 

وعلى الرغم من أن الرواتب المنخفضة وساعات العمل الطويلة وغير الملائمة في كثير من الأحيان والمهام المتكررة والافتقار إلى التقدم الوظيفي السريع، غالبًا ما تكون من الأسباب التي تجعل العمال الشباب مترددين في قبول وظائف بدوام كامل في قطاع الضيافة. 

ومع ذلك، وبحسب تامر بيشاي، مدير تطوير الأعمال لدى شركة فارنك، “على الرغم من أن دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة قريبة من مجموعات المواهب الهائلة في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا وجنوب شرق آسيا، حيث يمكن للعمال العثور على وظائف ذات أجر أفضل هنا مقارنة بوظائف مماثلة في وطنهم، إلا أن النمو الهائل للسياحة لا يزال يفرض ضغوطاً إضافية على أقسام الموارد البشرية في الفنادق”. 

وأضاف بيشاي قائلاً: “إن التدريب بالطبع يشكل قضية أساسية، وقد يستغرق هذا قدراً كبيراً من الوقت والجهد لضمان تدريب الموظفين على الامتثال للمعايير التشغيلية، ثم تأتي مسألة الاحتفاظ بهم، والتي عادةً ما يستغرق توظيف الموظفين وقتاً أطول من الوقت الذي يستغرقه تركهم للخدمة في الفندق، مما يترك فجوات محتملة في تقديم الخدمة، خلال فترات الطلب المرتفع”. 

واختتم بيشاي حديثه قائلاً: “إن الفنادق التي تتبنى مفهوم الاستعانة بمصادر خارجية، لا تفعل ذلك غالبًا من أجل الكفاءة من حيث التكلفة فحسب، بل وأيضًا من أجل الخبرة، فالكثير من موظفينا الذين نستعين بمصادر خارجية، عملوا في عدد من الفنادق المختلفة. وهم مدربون جيدًا بالفعل، ومؤهلون تأهيلاً كاملاً، ويمكن التعاقد معهم لفترات طلب محددة، أو على مدى فترة أطول، وهو ما يوفر حلاً فعالاً وفوريًا”. 

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شرح الصورة: تامر بيشاي، مدير تطوير الأعمال لدى شركة فارنك 

نبذة عن شركة فارنك: 

تعتبر “فارنك” من الشركات الرائدة في قطاع إدارة المرافق المتكاملة وحلول التكنولوجيا الذكية والاستدامة في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، وهي شركة سويسرية ذات مسؤولية محدودة تأسست عام 1980 في دولة الإمارات.  

تتميز الشركة بفريق الإدارة المتميز الذي يعمل وفق منهج احترافي راسخ، ويتجاوز عدد موظفيها اليوم أكثر من 9,000 موظف، وتوفر خدماتها المتميزة في إدارة المرافق في عدة قطاعات بما في ذلك الطيران والضيافة والخدمات المصرفية وتجارة التجزئة ومراكز التسوق والاتصالات والمشاريع السكنية والتجارية والبنية التحتية، والقطاعات الحكومية والتعليمية والترفيهية. 

ولمزيد من المعلومات يرجى زيارة الموقع الإلكتروني: www.farnek.com 

• UAE-based Farnek witnesses spike in demand, winning hospitality contracts worth over AED 72 million

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 9 October 2024: Leading UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek has witnessed major growth for its hospitality division, with outsourcing a driving factor.

This year alone Farnek has won dozens of contracts worth in excess of AED 72 million, mobilising over 450 staff, with international hotel brands such as EMAAR, Millennium, Sheraton, Movenpick, Sofitel, Hilton, and Kempinski, amongst others. The bulk of the demand has been for housekeeping, stewarding and security, as well as specialised cleaning and maintenance. 

Farnek’s growth in market share is consistent with the latest industry figures. Research by Mordor Intelligence has revealed that the UAE’s hospitality market is currently estimated to be worth over AED 27 billion and is predicted to grow to AED 34.7 billion within five years. 

Outsourcing staff is widely believed to be more cost-effective than hiring fulltime employees. Industry professionals estimate that hotels can reduce operating costs by more than 30%, but for many hotel managers, outsourcing is still confined to stewarding roles.  

That is even though typically, low salaries, long and often unsociable hours, repetitive duties and the lack of fast-track career advancement, often account for the reluctance of younger workers to take up fulltime positions in hospitality. 

However, according to Tamer Bishay, Director of Business Development, Farnek, even though the UAE is close to the enormous talent pools of MENA, South and South-East Asia, where workers can find better paid jobs here than similar ones at home, the exponential growth of tourism is still putting an added strain on hotel human resource departments.  

“Training of course is a key issue. This can take a considerable amount of time and effort to ensure that employees are trained to comply with operational standards. Then comes the issue of retention. Invariably it takes longer to recruit staff than it does for them to leave a hotel’s service, leaving potential gaps in service delivery, during high-demand periods. 

“Those hotels embracing the concept of outsourcing, often do so not just for the cost-efficiency, but experience – many of our outsourced staff, would have worked in a number of different hotels. They are already well trained, fully qualified, can be contracted for specific demand periods, or over a longer term, which provides an effective and immediate solution,” he said.  

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For more information log on to: www.farnek.com 

Photo: Tamer Bishay, Director of Business Development, Farnek 

About Farnek: 

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent total facilities management company.  

With a skilled workforce of more than 9,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management and security services across several sectors; Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Shopping Malls, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure and Entertainment.  

Du’s strategy to fine-tune its waste management approach fosters a culture that supports the telco’s net-zero objective.

Dubai, UAE: du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), in partnership with leading smart and green facilities management company Farnek, today announced that it has exceeded its first-quarter waste management targets, achieving a significant 21% diversion of waste from landfills across all du locations in the UAE, a total of 145 sites. This milestone is a part of du’s larger commitment to sustainability and its journey towards Net Zero emissions, marking a promising start to an ambitious three-year plan.

The accomplishment builds on du’s determination to reduce its environmental impact and align with the UAE’s vision for a sustainable future. The H1 success comes because of the implementation of innovative strategies to minimize waste generation across all corporate premises. A comprehensive waste audit and the introduction of state-of-the-art composting machinery at du headquarters have been fundamental to achieving these results. Emphasizing education, over a thousand du employees have been empowered through training and awareness raising, equipping them with skills to manage waste more effectively.

Adel Al Raees, Head of Corporate Communication & Protocol at du said: “Our waste management initiatives symbolize du’s push towards responsible stewardship through remedial action taken to enhance sustainability but also anticipate the vast potential for environmental innovation within the telecom industry. By surpassing our planned 16% goal, we have set a positive precedence for forthcoming months, reflecting our continuous efforts in achieving our long-term aspiration of becoming a net-zero waste entity. We are not just transforming our company – we are contributing to a movement that is important for the UAE, and the global environment.”

Muna Alnahdi, Head of Sustainability, at Farnek said: “Successfully navigating the net-zero transition in the UAE, particularly in waste management, requires addressing complex stakeholder dynamics. We’ve adopted an innovative approach that brings together key stakeholders —our facility management team, waste management experts, du’s leadership, and their staff—to work in unison. du’s impressive 21% waste diversion in H1 highlights the effectiveness of this collaborative effort and their steadfast commitment to sustainability. By focusing on waste reduction and composting, we aim to significantly reduce methane emissions further, a crucial step toward achieving net-zero goals.”

The successes of the first quarter have been catalysed by a progressive roadmap which encompassed a full-scale waste audit, streamlined data gathering process through technology integration (Wastek), ambitious waste reduction goals, overcoming unique waste challenges, and a step-by-step plan for improvement. Leveraging our expertise of green cleaning and sustainable waste management solutions, Farnek is committed to reducing du’s landfill waste by 30-50% over the next three years. By exceeding their H1 targets and engaging in wholehearted corporate participation, du sets a precedent for ecological responsibility and champions a waste-smart future in the UAE.

About du

Operating under the steadfast umbrella of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), du is an integral driver of the UAE’s economic, social, and digital transformation. Thriving on digitally innovating all facets of the contemporary telecom experience, we touch the lives of millions of customers everyday as a dedicated enabler of connectivity, continuity and growth across consumer and enterprise segments. Whether delivering state-of-the-art Smart City infrastructure, bespoke enterprise ICT solutions, government communications, secure data solutions, or the very best in home entertainment and value, we are a reliable telco and ICT player shaping the future of communication for a more connected tomorrow.

بعد عمليات تدقيق مستقلة صارمة ومكثفة أجرتها شركة فارنك للاستشارات المستدامة، الشريك المفضل لجرين جلوب في الشرق الأوسط ومقرها دبي.

دبي، الإمارات العربية المتحدة، 30 سبتمبر 2024: حصلت ثلاثة فنادق تابعة لمجموعة ماريوت مؤخرًا على شهادات ذهبية من برنامج شهادة جرين جلوب المشهور عالميًا، لالتزامها بممارسات التشغيل الصديقة للبيئة. 

وقد حصل فندق دلتا باي ماريوت جميرا بيتش وفندق فور بوينتس باي شيراتون في بر دبي وعلى شارع الشيخ زايد على شهادة ذهبية بعد عمليات تدقيق مستقلة صارمة ومكثفة أجرتها شركة فارنك للاستشارات المستدامة، الشريك المفضل لجرين جلوب في الشرق الأوسط ومقرها دبي. 

وبهذه المناسبة قالت منى النهدي، رئيس قسم الاستدامة والاستشارات لدى شركة فارنك:  

“خلال عملية التدقيق والتقييم، امتثلت الفنادق الثلاثة، بل وتجاوزت في بعض الحالات أكثر من 380 مؤشرًا صارمًا للاستدامة، وحصلت على تصنيفات بلغت 93% وما فوق”. 

وأضاف النهدي قائلة: “هذا يؤكد بوضوح التزامهم بالبيئة وبالطبع باستراتيجية دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة للانبعاثات الصفرية الصافية بحلول عام 2050”. 

كما حصل فندق دلتا باي ماريوت، جميرا بيتش، على تصنيف ذهبي، من خلال برامج مبتكرة مثل تزويد الموظفين بأكياس غسيل قابلة لإعادة الاستخدام مصنوعة من بياضات النزلاء القديمة، كما قام الفندق بتركيب أجهزة استشعار الحركة والإضاءة في جميع المناطق الخلفية، وأجرى تعديلات على وحدات معالجة الهواء النقي لتحقيق أداء أفضل في استخدام الطاقة والحد من انبعاثات الكربون. 

وبهذه المناسبة قالت كارولينا باليزوسكا، المديرة العامة لمجموعة فنادق دلتا باي ماريوت: 

“إن الحصول على شهادة جرين جلوب الذهبية يوضح تصميمنا على تقليل تأثيرنا على البيئة، حيث ساهم كل فرد من أفراد طاقم العمل في الحصول على هذه الجائزة المرموقة، ومن دواعي سرورنا أن يتم الاعتراف رسميًا بجهودنا من قبل مدقق حسابات مستقل”. 

وأضافت كارولينا قائلة: “لا شك أن هذا سيؤكد لضيوفنا أننا ندعم السياحة المسؤولة بشكل واضح لا مجال للشك فيه بتاتاً”. 

وبعد أن وقعت فارنك اتفاقية الشراكة الأصلية مع جرين جلوب في عام 2009، قامت بإصدار شهادات لأكثر من 100 فندق ومرفق ترفيهي في 38 مدينة في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا، حيث ساهم ذلك في توفير ما يزيد على 180 مليون كيلووات ساعة من الطاقة، بقيمة تزيد عن 20 مليون دولار أمريكي، وأكثر من مليوني متر مكعب من المياه، بقيمة تقارب 5 ملايين دولار أمريكي. 

-انتهى- 

شرح الصورة: كارولينا باليزوسكا (الرابعة من اليسار) برفقة فريق إدارتها، تتسلم شهادة جرين جلوب الذهبية من منى النهدي (الثالثة من اليمين)، رئيس قسم الاستدامة والاستشارات في فارنك  

تعتبر “فارنك” من الشركات الرائدة في قطاع إدارة المرافق المتكاملة وحلول التكنولوجيا الذكية والاستدامة في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، وهي شركة سويسرية ذات مسؤولية محدودة تأسست عام 1980 في دولة الإمارات.  

تتميز الشركة بفريق الإدارة المتميز الذي يعمل وفق منهج احترافي راسخ، ويتجاوز عدد موظفيها اليوم أكثر من 9,000 موظف، وتوفر خدماتها المتميزة في إدارة المرافق في عدة قطاعات بما في ذلك الطيران والضيافة والخدمات المصرفية وتجارة التجزئة ومراكز التسوق والاتصالات والمشاريع السكنية والتجارية والبنية التحتية، والقطاعات الحكومية والتعليمية والترفيهية. 

ولمزيد من المعلومات يرجى زيارة الموقع الإلكتروني: www.farnek.com 

Farnek has certified over 100 hotels and leisure facilities in the MENA region since signing a partnership with Green Globe in 2009

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 30 September 2024: Three Marriott group hotels were recently awarded Gold certifications, from the internationally-renowned Green Globe certification (GGC) programme, for their commitment to eco-friendly operational practices.       

The Delta Hotel by Marriott Jumeriah Beach and the Four Points by Sheraton properties in Bur Dubai and on Sheikh Zayed Road, achieved Gold status after rigorous and extensive, independent audits, carried out by Green Globe’s preferred partner in the Middle East, Dubai-headquartered sustainability consultancy Farnek. 

“During the audit process and assessment, all three hotels complied with and in some cases even surpassed more than 380 rigorous sustainability indicators, achieving ratings of 93% and above.  

“This clearly underscores their commitment to the environment and of course to the UAE’s net zero 2050 strategy,” said Muna Al Nahdi, Head of Sustainability & Consultancy, Farnek. 

The Four Points by Sheraton, Sheikh Zayed Road and Bur Dubai, which have both been certified by Green Globe over the past five years, achieved their first Gold rating this year, through a raft of eco-friendly projects.  

These included food recycling and waste management initiatives, automated air conditioning cleaning systems and retrofitting solar water heaters, amongst other sustainability initiatives. 

The Delta Hotel by Marriott, Jumeirah Beach, also received a Gold rating, through innovative programmes such as supplying staff with reusable laundry bags made from old guest linen. The hotel has also installed lighting motion sensors in all back-of-house areas and has carried out retrofits on fresh air handling units to achieve improved energy performance and a reduction in carbon emissions.    

“Achieving Green Globe‘s Gold certification clearly illustrates our determination to reduce our impact on the environment. Each and every member of staff has contributed to this award and it is gratifying to have our efforts formally recognised by an independent auditor.  

“This will undoubtedly assure our guests that we are unequivocally supporting responsible tourism,” said Karolina Paliszewska, Cluster Property General Manager, Delta Hotels by Marriott, 

Having signed its original partnership agreement with Green Globe in 2009, Farnek has certified well over 100 hotels and leisure facilities in 38 cities across the MENA region. This has enabled members to save in excess of 180 million kWh of energy, worth over $20 million, and more than two million cubic metres of water, valued at approximately $5 million. 

-Ends- 

Photo caption: Bottom Row: Karolina Paliszewska (fourth from left) along with her management team, receives the Green Globe award from Muna Alnahdi, (third from right)  

About Green Globe Certification 

Green Globe is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe is based in California, USA and is represented in over 83 countries.  Green Globe is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).  

For information, please log on to https://www.hotel-optimizer.com/services/green-globe-certification/

About Farnek: 

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent facilities management company.

عمر زاهدة، خبير الفنادق والمطاعم، يطور أعمالاً جديدة لقسم الضيافة المزدهر لدى شركة فارنك 

دبي، الإمارات العربية المتحدة، 19 سبتمبر 2024: أعلنت شركة فارنك الرائدة في مجال إدارة المرافق الذكية والخضراء ومقرها دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، عن تعيين عمر زاهدة مديراً لتطوير الأعمال لقسم الضيافة المتوسع لديها. 

يتمتع زاهدة ذو الجنسية الأردنية بخبرة تزيد عن 16 عاماً في قطاع الفنادق والمطاعم، وسيكون مسؤولاً عن تطوير الأعمال الجديدة والقائمة، مع التركيز الاستراتيجي على الفنادق والمطاعم ومقدمي الطعام في إمارة أبوظبي. 

وفي هذا السياق قال ماركوس اوبرلين، الرئيس التنفيذي لشركة فارنك: “يتمتع عمر بخبرة واسعة في قطاع الضيافة، وخاصة في أبوظبي والعين والظفرة، وهو يفهم جيداً كيف يعمل قطاع الضيافة، ويتمتع بخبرة تجارية كبيرة ولديه سجل حافل بالإنجازات، ومن خلال عمله في مكتبنا في أبوظبي، فهو في وضع مثالي للاستفادة من ارتفاع الطلب بشكل ملحوظ في السوق على حلول الضيافة لدينا”. 

وفي مراجعة سوق الربع الأول من عام 2024، قدرت شركة الاستشارات البحثية سي بي آر إي أن عدد نزلاء الفنادق في أبوظبي زاد بنسبة 22% على أساس سنوي يصل إلى 1.3 مليون، حيث تم الكشف في وقت سابق من هذا العام عن استراتيجية أبوظبي للبحوث 2030، وقد أدى تسليط الضوء على الإمارة إلى زيادة عدد متابعيها من 3.8 مليون في العام الماضي إلى 7.2 مليون بحلول عام 2030، ونجحت بإنشاء 18 ألف غرفة فندقية جديدة وفتحت 178 ألف فرصة عمل جديدة. 

 شغل زاهدة قبل تعيينه عدة مناصب تشغيلية وإدارية في فنادق فور سيزونز، ورويال كاترينج، ونادي ضباط القوات المسلحة في أبوظبي، وأخيرًا أبوظبي الوطنية للفنادق، حيث نجح بتحقيق 32 مليون درهم إماراتي من الأعمال الجديدة في عام 2023. 

وتعليقًا على منصبه الجديد، قال زاهدة، الحاصل على درجة البكالوريوس في إدارة الضيافة: “تعتبر فارنك من أبرز الشركات الرائدة في مجال إدارة المرافق في قطاع الضيافة في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، مع مجموعة واسعة من الحلول الذكية والمستدامة والفعالة من حيث التكلفة، حيث تقدم خدمات إدارة المرافق الصلبة والناعمة، وتوريد القوى العاملة، وإدارة الطاقة والحلول الرقمية المبتكرة”. 

وأضاف زاهدة قائلاً: ” يتمثل هدفي الرئيسي بزيادة حصة فارنك في سوق الضيافة في أبوظبي بشكل أكبر، من خلال تنمية الشراكات الاستراتيجية، وتقديم الكفاءة التشغيلية وبالطبع إضافة القيمة”. 

-انتهى- 

.نبذة عن فارنك: 

تعتبر “فارنك” من الشركات الرائدة في قطاع إدارة المرافق المتكاملة وحلول التكنولوجيا الذكية والاستدامة في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، وهي شركة سويسرية ذات مسؤولية محدودة تأسست عام 1980 في دولة الإمارات.  

تتميز الشركة بفريق الإدارة المتميز الذي يعمل وفق منهج احترافي راسخ، ويتجاوز عدد موظفيها اليوم أكثر من 9,000 موظف، وتوفر خدماتها المتميزة في إدارة المرافق في عدة قطاعات بما في ذلك الطيران والضيافة والخدمات المصرفية وتجارة التجزئة ومراكز التسوق والاتصالات والمشاريع السكنية والتجارية والبنية التحتية، والقطاعات الحكومية والتعليمية والترفيهية. 

www.farnek.com :ولمزيد من المعلومات يرجى زيارة الموقع الإلكتروني 

Hotel and catering professional Omar Zahedah to develop new business for Farnek’s burgeoning hospitality division 

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 19 September 2024: Leading UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek has appointed Omar Zahedah as Business Development Manager for its expanding hospitality division. 

With more than 16 years’ experience in the hotel and catering sector, bilingual Jordanian national Zahedah, will be responsible for developing new and existing business, with a strategic focus on hotels, restaurants and caterers in Abu Dhabi.  

Markus Oberlin, CEO, Farnek, said: “Omar has a wealth of experience in the hospitality sector, particularly in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra. He understands how the hospitality sector operates, he’s commercially astute and has an outstanding track record. Based at our office in Abu Dhabi, he is ideally placed to capitalise on the bullish market sentiment and the upswing in demand we have witnessed for our hospitality solutions.”  

In its Q1 2024 market review, research consultancy CBRE estimated that the number of hotel guests in Abu Dhabi increased year-on-year by 22% to 1.3 million. Furthermore, earlier this year Abu Dhabi’s tourism strategy 2030 was unveiled with the emirate aiming to increase its overnight international visitors from 3.8 million last year to 7.2 million by 2030, adding 18,000 hotel rooms and creating 178,000 new jobs.  

Prior to his appointment, Zahedah has held operational and managerial positions with Four Seasons Hotels, Royal Catering, the Abu Dhabi Armed Forces Officers Club and most recently Abu Dhabi National Hotels, where he generated AED 32 million in new business in 2023.  

Commenting on his new role, Zahedah, who holds a BA in Hospitality Management said: “Farnek is a leading FM player in the UAE hospitality sector, with an extensive range of smart, sustainable and cost-effective solutions, offering hard and soft FM services, manpower supply, energy management and innovative digital solutions.  

“It is a comprehensive and compelling market proposition and naturally my objective is to grow Farnek’s share of the hospitality market in Abu Dhabi still further, by cultivating strategic partnerships, offering operational efficiency and of course adding value.”  

-Ends- 

For more information log on to: www.farnek.com 

Photo: Omar Zahedah, Business Development Manager – Hospitality Division, FARNEK  

About Farnek: 

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent total facilities management company.  

With a skilled workforce of more than 9,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management and security services across several sectors; Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Shopping Malls, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure and Entertainment.  

سيعمل حل هاي تك المبتكر محليًا على تحسين كفاءة نظام منع فقدان البيانات وتقليل وقت التوقف عن العمل للسكان والمستثمرين المتعددين في مشروع ماج سيتي  

دبي، الإمارات العربية المتحدة، 12 سبتمبر 2024: نجحت شركة هاي تك، الرائدة في مجال حلول إدارة المرافق الذكية ومقرها الإمارات العربية المتحدة، والتي تعد جزءًا من مجموعة شركات فارنك، في تطوير وتفعيل تطبيق مجتمعي مبتكر لشركة ماج، وهي شركة رائدة في مجال التطوير العقاري بدولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة 

ستعمل المنصة الرقمية الحديثة على تحويل تجربة المعيشة لسكان مشروع ماج سيتي من خلال تقديم مجموعة شاملة من الميزات المصممة لتعزيز الراحة والكفاءة والمشاركة المجتمعية. 

تم تطوير تطبيق العلامة البيضاء، المرخص لشركة ماج مقابل رسوم سنوية، داخليًا بواسطة خبراء حلول التكنولوجيا الذكية في شركة هاي تك، مما يوفر للمقيمين واجهة واحدة سهلة الاستخدام لإدارة جميع جوانب تجربتهم المعيشية، بدءًا من تسجيل العملاء المبسط وإدارة الملفات الشخصية لتسهيل شراء حزم عقد الصيانة السنوية وخدمات الصيانة عند الطلب عبر الإنترنت.

وبهذه المناسبة قالت جافيريا إيجاز، المدير الإداري لشركة هاي تك: “من خلال تطبيق هاي تك كوميونيتي، ستتمكن إدارة مشروع ماج سيتي والمستأجرين والمالكين من الوصول إلى لوحة معلومات في الوقت الفعلي توفر رؤية كاملة فيما يتعلق بحالة تسليم الوحدات الفردية بهدف جعل عملية الانتقال خالية من التوتر ومبسطة قدر الإمكان”. 

بالإضافة إلى ذلك، يمكن لإدارة مشروع ماج سيتي توفير الوصول إلى التطبيق لمقدمي الخدمات ومراقبة اتفاقيات مستوى الخدمة بالإضافة إلى التقدم خلال فترات المسؤولية عن العيوب، وخلال مرحلة ما بعد التسليم هذه يمكن تحديد أخطاء البناء والتشطيب الثانوي والتأخيرات في أي عقارات فردية وتصحيحها، مما يضمن حل أي مشكلات في الوقت المناسب. 

مشروع ماج سيتي هو مجتمع سكني معاصر متعدد الاستخدامات وبأسعار معقولة، يقع في ديستريكت 7 في ميدان، ويضم 247 وحدة سكنية تتألف من استوديوهات وشقق بغرفة نوم واحدة، بالإضافة إلى منازل تاون هاوس بغرفتي نوم وثلاث وأربع غرف نوم، حيث يقع المجتمع في مكان هادئ، مع مساحات خضراء وفيرة وحدائق ذات مناظر طبيعية خلابة.

وبهذه المناسبة قال محمد المغربي، الرئيس التنفيذي للتطوير في شركة ماج للتطوير العقاري: “تأتي عملية تطوير التطبيق المجتمعي المخصص كجزء من جهود ماج لتبسيط عملية الانتقال وخلق نظام سلس ومتكامل لتقديم أي طلبات تتعلق بممتلكاتهم”. 

كان هدف الشراكة هو إنشاء حل متكامل وسلس يعزز ويبسّط الحياة اليومية للسكان، فهو لا يُسهّل المهام الروتينية فحسب، بل يعزز أيضاً الشعور بالانتماء للمجتمع من خلال ميزات المشاركة. 

وأضافت إيجاز قائلة: “يمثل هذا التطبيق المبتكر خطوة مهمة إلى الأمام في حلول المعيشة الذكية، ويضع معيارًا جديدًا لإدارة العقارات السكنية. ومع استمرار قطاع العقارات في الإمارات العربية المتحدة في التطور بوتيرة سريعة، وستبقى شركة ماج بالشراكة مع هاي تك في مركز الصدارة، حيث تقدم حلولاً تعتمد على التكنولوجيا تعمل على تعزيز جودة الحياة والكفاءة التشغيلية”. 

تشمل وظائف التطبيق الشاملة توفير سجلات الدفع التفصيلية والتذكيرات والقدرة على تقديم تعليقات حول المهام المكتملة، بحيث يمكن للمقيمين الوصول إلى لوحات المعلومات والتقارير الثاقبة، مما يدعم إدارة أكثر كفاءة لخدماتهم ونفقاتهم. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، توفر المنصة مساعدة لا تقدر بثمن لعمليات الانتقال والمغادرة، مما يضمن انتقال المستأجرين بكل سهولة. 

كان الأمان والخصوصية أمرًا بالغ الأهمية في تطوير التطبيق، حيث اعتمدت هاي تك تدابير متقدمة لحماية البيانات وبروتوكولات المعاملات الآمنة لحماية معلومات المستخدم والبيانات المالية، كما يتميز التطبيق أيضًا بدعم العملاء على مدار الساعة طوال أيام الأسبوع، مما يضمن أن المساعدة دائمًا في متناول اليد للمقيمين.

هذا وتعد المشاركة المجتمعية جانبًا رئيسيًا آخر من التطبيق، بالإضافة إلى ميزات عديدة تبقي السكان على اطلاع بالأحداث والأنشطة المحلية، فضلاً عن توفير منتديات للمناقشة والتفاعل مع الجيران. 

كما استعانت شركة ماج بشركة هيتشز أند غليتشز الرائدة في مجال صيانة المنازل التابعة لمجموعة فارنك لتقديم خدمات الصيانة المنزلية للمشروع. 

تغطي هيتشز آند جليتشز من خلال فريق من ذوي الخبرة والمهنية يضم أكثر من 100 فني متخصص، مجموعة شاملة من طلبات الصيانة والإصلاحات بدءًا من الأعمال الكهربائية والسباكة وحتى تنظيف خزانات المياه وصيانة تكييف الهواء وصيانة حمامات السباحة وإصلاحات وتحديثات منتجات المنزل الذكي والبستنة، والتنظيف والوظائف العامة. 

بالنسبة لمديري العقارات، يتضمن التطبيق بوابة مخصصة تقدم لوحة معلومات شاملة لجميع شركات إدارة العقارات والعملاء والمهام، مما يعزز الشفافية والإدارة الفعالة، كما ستدعم هيتشز آند جليتشز أيضًا السكان والإدارة خلال فترة المسؤولية عن العيوب لضمان الانتهاء من العقارات في الوقت المحدد وبأعلى جودة ممكنة. 

 لمزيد من المعلومات حول شركة هايتك، يرجى زيارة الموقع الإلكتروني: (www.hitek.ai). 

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-انتهى- 

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نبذة عن شركة هاي تيك: 

تعتبر شركة هايتك للخدمات (HITEK Services) جزءاً من مجموعة فارنك التي يوجد مقرها في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، وتتمتع بأكثر من 40 عاماً من الخبرة في مجالات إدارة المرافق والضيافة وتطوير البنية التحتية التكنولوجية المتقدمة. 

تعمل مجموعتنا الواسعة من التطبيقات الذكية على تمكين عملائنا في مجال التحول الرقمي والتجاري والتكنولوجي. وتهدف حلولنا إلى دعم العمليات التشغيلية الأقل حجماً والأكثر استدامة التي تزيد من الإنتاجية وتقلل من استهلاك الطاقة. 

ويمكن لشركات إدارة المرافق التي ترغب في تطوير قدراتها الرقمية الاستفادة من خدمات شركة “هايتك” والتواصل معها عبر البريد الإلكتروني: info@hitek.ai 

.نبذة عن فارنك: 

تعتبر “فارنك” من الشركات الرائدة في قطاع إدارة المرافق المتكاملة وحلول التكنولوجيا الذكية والاستدامة في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، وهي شركة سويسرية ذات مسؤولية محدودة تأسست عام 1980 في دولة الإمارات.  

تتميز الشركة بفريق الإدارة المتميز الذي يعمل وفق منهج احترافي راسخ، ويتجاوز عدد موظفيها اليوم أكثر من 8,000 موظف، وتوفر خدماتها المتميزة في إدارة المرافق في عدة قطاعات بما في ذلك الطيران والضيافة والخدمات المصرفية وتجارة التجزئة ومراكز التسوق والاتصالات والمشاريع السكنية والتجارية والبنية التحتية، والقطاعات الحكومية والتعليمية والترفيهية. 

ولمزيد من المعلومات يرجى زيارة الموقع الإلكتروني: www.farnek.com 

HITEK’s innovative home-grown solution will improve DLP efficiency and reduce downtime for residents & multiple unit investors in MAG City

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Leading smart FM solutions provider HITEK Services, which is part of the Farnek group of companies, has successfully developed and activated a cutting-edge community app for MAG, a leading real estate developer in the UAE 

The state-of-the-art digital platform will transform the living experience for residents of MAG City by offering a comprehensive suite of features designed to enhance convenience, efficiency, and community engagement. 

The white label app, which is licenced to MAG, was developed in- house by HITEK’s smart technology solutions experts, providing residents with a single, user-friendly interface to manage all aspects of their living experience, from streamlined customer registration and profile management to the convenience of purchasing Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) packages and on demand maintenance services online. 

“With the HITEK Community App, MAG City management, tenants and owners will have access to a real time dashboard offering complete visibility regarding the handover status of individual units, with the ultimate aim of making the process of moving in as stress free and streamlined as possible,” said Javeria Aijaz, managing director of HITEK 

Additionally, MAG City’s management can give service providers access to the app to monitor service agreements and track progress during the Defect Liability Period (DLP). During this post-handover phase, construction and secondary finishing faults and delays in any individual properties can be identified and rectified, ensuring timely resolution of any issues. 

MAG City is a contemporary mixed-use residential community, located at District 7 in Meydan, featuring 247 units comprising of studios and one-bedroom apartments, as well as two-, three- and four-bedroom townhouses. The community is located in a tranquil setting, with abundant green spaces and landscaped gardens. 

Mohamed Moghrabi, MAG Property Development’s Chief Development Officer, said, “The development of the bespoke community app comes as part of MAG’s efforts to streamline and simplify the move-in process and to create a seamless and integrated system for submitting any requests pertaining to their property.” 

The objective of the partnership was to create a seamless, all-in-one solution that simplifies and enhances everyday living for residents. It not only streamlines routine tasks but also fosters a sense of community through its engagement features.  

“This innovative app represents a significant step forward in smart living solutions, setting a new standard for residential property management. As the UAE real estate sector continues to evolve at pace, MAG, in partnership with HITEK, remains at the forefront, delivering technology-driven solutions that enhance quality of life and operational efficiency,” added Aijaz. 

The app’s comprehensive functionality extends to providing detailed payment histories, reminders, and the ability to offer feedback on completed tasks. Residents can access insightful dashboards and reports, supporting more efficient management of their services and expenses. Additionally, the platform offers invaluable assistance for move- in and move-out processes, ensuring smooth transitions for tenants. 

Security and privacy were paramount in the app’s development. HITEK has implemented advanced data protection measures and secure transaction protocols to safeguard user information and financial data. The app also features 24/7 customer support, ensuring that help is always at hand for residents. 

Community engagement is another key aspect of the app, with features that keep residents informed about local events and activities, as well as providing forums for discussion and interaction with neighbours. 

To deliver the home maintenance services, MAG has engaged Farnek group’s leading home maintenance company Hitches & Glitches. 

With an experienced and professional team of over 100 technicians, Hitches & Glitches covers a comprehensive range of maintenance requests and repairs, from electrical and plumbing works to water tank cleaning, air conditioning and swimming pool maintenance, smart home product repairs and updates, gardening, cleaning, and general handyman jobs. 

For property managers, the app includes a dedicated portal offering a comprehensive dashboard of all AMCs, customers, and tasks, promoting transparency and efficient management. H&G will also support residents and management, during the initial DLP to ensure that properties are finished on time and to the highest quality. 

-Ends- 

For more information, log on to www.hitek.ai 

About HITEK 

HITEK Services is a part of Farnek Group, a leading industry expert with over 40 years of technical expertise and operational experience in Facilities Management, Hospitality, and Technology Infrastructure. Our broad range of intelligent applications is a result of people, processes, and technology empowering our customers with digital, business, and technological transformation. Our solutions are aimed at complementing leaner and more sustainable operational processes that increase productivity and reduce energy consumption. 

Any FM Company would like to adapt the power of digitalization, can contact HITEK Services on info@hitek.ai

About Farnek: 

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss- owned independent total facilities management company. With a skilled workforce of more than 9,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management services across several sectors: Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure, and Entertainment. 

حلول إدارة المرافق المبتكرة التي تقدمها “هايتك“تسهمبتحسين الكفاءة التشغيلية والاستدامة وتقليل التكاليف والانبعاثات الكربونية للمؤسسات التعليمية والصحية والثقافية

دبي، الإمارات العربية المتحدة، 21 أغسطس 2024: أعلنتشركة هاي تك سيرفيسيز الرائدة في مجال حلول إدارة المرافق الذكية، والتي تعد جزءاً من مجموعة “فارنك”، عن نجاحها بالحصول على العديد من العقود المرموقة لتقديم حلول إدارة المرافق المتطورة في جميع أنحاء المملكة العربية السعودية.

وتتميز “هاي تك” بحلولها المتقدمة القائمة على التكنولوجيا لإدارة المرافق مع التركيز على الابتكار والاستدامة. وتعمل الشركة على تحسين أداء المرافق ودعم الأهداف الاستراتيجية للعملاء عبر قطاعات صناعية متنوعة.

ويعكس نجاح الشركة بتوقيع اتفاقيات استراتيجية مع العديد من المؤسسات والشركات السعودية مثل مجموعة سفاري ومجموعة أومني لإدارة المرافق، التزامها بدعم أهداف التنمية في المملكة في مختلف المجالات مثل الرعاية الصحية والتعليم والحفاظ على التراث الثقافي.

وتشمل الشراكة الموسعة لشركة “هاي تك” مع مجموعة سفاري التي يوجد مقرها في الرياض وتركز على إدارة المرافق والبناء، عدة مشاريع رئيسية مثل تشغيل وصيانة مركز رعاية الأعصاب والصدمات في جدة (NTTC) والذي يضم 176 سريراً ويتخصص في طب وجراحة الأعصاب.

وبهذا السياق، قالت جافيريا إيجاز المدير الإداري لشركة هاي تك سيرفيسيز: “يتمثل دور هايتك في ضمان التشغيل السلس لهذا المرفق الصحي الحيوي، وسيتم توظيف حل (CAFMTEK) الخاص بنا لرقمنة أوامر العمل والصيانة وإدارة الأصول وتلبية مختلف الاحتياجات المحددة بما يوفر أفضل مستويات التكامل في كافة العمليات”.

كما ستركز شركة “هاي تك” على توظيف حلولها لتحسين عمليات مستشفى الملك عبد الله التخصصي لطب الأطفال في جدة، مع التركيز على راحة المرضى وسلامتهم. وتضم هذه المنشأة الصحية 600 سرير وهو أول مستشفى في المملكة وأكثرها تقدماً في مجال تقديم الرعاية الصحية للأطفال.

كما وقعت مجموعة أومني لإدارة المرافق عقداً لمدة ثلاث سنوات مع شركة “هاي تك” للاستفادة من حلولها المبتكرة لتعزيز الكفاءة التشغيلية والاستدامة لعدد من المؤسسات مثل جامعة الأمير محمد بن فهد (PMU) وهي جامعة خاصة غير ربحية في الخبر، وبما يسهم في توفير بيئة تعليمية وبحثية إيجابية.

وحول هذه الشراكة، قال سابيث ساسيكومار رئيس إدارة المرافق في مجموعة أومني: “تسهم حلول هاي تك في معالجة مختلف التحديات التي يواجهها العديد من عملائنا في مجال إدارة المرافق من خلال توفير حل متكامل يربط ويتتبع ويراقب أصول المبنى، ويوفر البيانات المطلوبة في الوقت الفعلي”.

وأضاف بالقول: “من خلال ربط أصول المبنى ونقاط البيانات باستخدام منصات مرنة وقابلة للتطوير وتحليلية، يمكن أيضاً إدارة الحل القائم على SAAS من نقطة مركزية واحدة، باستخدام تكنولوجيا إنترنت الأشياء وأنظمة إدارة المباني (BMS) والسحابة والتعلم الآلي (ML) وتقنيات الذكاء الاصطناعي. ويسهم ذلك بتقديم نظرة عامة وشاملة على جميع أنظمة المرافق الحيوية، والتي يمكن أن تقلل من تكاليف القوى العاملة التقليدية بنسبة تصل إلى 17٪ وتعزز دورات حياة الأصول من خلال رقمنة تقديم خدمات إدارة المرافق”.

كما تم تكليف شركة “هاي تك” بالحفاظ على البنية التحتية لمنطقة الدرعية التاريخية بالرياض، وهي موقع مدرج على قائمة التراث العالمي لليونسكو، ويتضمن نطاق هذا العقد الممتد لثلاث سنوات إدارة العقود وسير العمل وخطط العمل واتفاقيات مستوى الخدمة لإدارة المخزون ومؤشرات الأداء الرئيسية بالإضافة إلى توفير المعلومات والتقارير.

وقالت جافيريا إيجاز: “كانت إدارة منطقة الدرعية تبحث عن نظام رقمي فعال لتعزيز الكفاءة التشغيلية وتقليل التكاليف وزيادة الامتثال والسلامة مع قابلية التوسع والمرونة. وقد نجحت هاي تك بتلبية هذه المتطلبات”، وأضافت: “لا تمثل هذه العقود نمواً تجارياً كبيراً فحسب، بل تؤكد أيضاً على التزامنا بدعم أهداف التنمية في المملكة العربية السعودية.

وللمزيد من المعلومات حول شركة “هاي تك”، يرجى زيارة الموقع الإلكتروني: www.hitek.ai

– انتهى –

شرح الصورة : مركز علم الأعصاب و رعاية الصدمات ( NTCC) المعتمدة من LEED، و الذي يضم 176 سريراً في جدة

نبذة عن شركة هاي تيك:

تعتبر شركة هاي تك سيرفيسيز (HITEK Services) جزءاً من مجموعة فارنك التي يوجد مقرها في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، وتتمتع بأكثر من 40 عاماً من الخبرة في مجالات إدارة المرافق والضيافة وتطوير البنية التحتية التكنولوجية المتقدمة.

تعمل مجموعتنا الواسعة من التطبيقات الذكية على تمكين عملائنا في مجال التحول الرقمي والتجاري والتكنولوجي. وتهدف حلولنا إلى دعم العمليات التشغيلية الأقل حجماً والأكثر استدامة التي تزيد من الإنتاجية وتقلل من استهلاك الطاقة.

ويمكن لشركات إدارة المرافق التي ترغب في تطوير قدراتها الرقمية الاستفادة من خدمات شركة “هايتك” والتواصل معها عبر البريد الإلكتروني: info@hitek.ai

نبذة عن فارنك:

تعتبر “فارنك” من الشركات الرائدة في قطاع إدارة المرافق المتكاملة وحلول التكنولوجيا الذكية والاستدامة في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، وهي شركة سويسرية ذات مسؤولية محدودة تأسست عام 1980 في دولة الإمارات.

تتميز الشركة بفريق الإدارة المتميز الذي يعمل وفق منهج احترافي راسخ، ويتجاوز عدد موظفيها اليوم أكثر من 9,000 موظف، وتوفر خدماتها المتميزة في إدارة المرافق في عدة قطاعات بما في ذلك الطيران والضيافة والخدمات المصرفية

وتجارة التجزئة ومراكز التسوق والاتصالات والمشاريع السكنية والتجارية والبنية التحتية، والقطاعات الحكومية والتعليمية والترفيهية

ولمزيد من المعلومات يرجى زيارة الموقع الإلكتروني: www.farnek.com

HITEK’s innovative home-grown FM solutions improve operational efficiency & sustainability – reducing costs & carbon emissions for educational, healthcare & cultural establishments

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Leading smart facilities management (FM) solutions company HITEK Services, which is part of the Farnek group of companies, has acquired multiple prestigious contracts in Saudi Arabia, cementing its leadership in the delivery of cutting-edge FM solutions across the kingdom.

HITEK Services is a pioneering provider of technology-driven, facility management solutions, with a focus on innovation and sustainability. HITEK optimises facility performance and supports clients’ strategic objectives across diverse industry sectors.

Strategic agreements with Saudi Arabian organisations such as the Safari Group and Omni Facility Management, underscore HITEK’s diversity and commitment to supporting the kingdom’s development goals in healthcare, education, and cultural preservation.

HITEK’s expanded partnership with the Safari Group a leading Riyadh-based conglomerate, focused on FM and construction, includes key projects such as the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the 176-bed Neuroscience and Trauma Care Center (NTCC) in Jeddah, which specialises in neurology and neurosurgery.

HITEK is also applying its proven methodologies to optimise the operations of the King Abdullah Pediatric Specialist Hospital (KAPSH) in Jeddah,focusing on patient comfort and safety. KAPSH is a 600-bed healthcare facility, the kingdom’s first and most advanced hospital providing tertiary pediatric care.

In addition, and in collaboration with Omni Facility Management, HITEK has also signed an independent three-year contract, to leverage its innovative solutions to enhance the operational efficiency and sustainability of a number of organisations such as the Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University (PMU) a private non-profit university in Al-Khobar, contributing to a positive learning and research environment.

Sabith Sasikumar, head of facilities management at Omni commented, “HITEK addresses FM challenges faced by many of our clients, by providing an integrated solution that connects, tracks and monitors building assets, providing real time data.

“By connecting a building’s assets and data points using flexible, scalable and analytical platforms, the SAAS-based solution can also be managed from one central point, utilising IoT, Building Management Systems (BMS), Cloud, Machine Learning (ML) and AI technologies.

“This presents a holistic overview of all vital facility systems, which can reduce traditional manpower costs by up to 17% and enhance asset life cycles by digitalising FM service delivery.”

HITEK has also been tasked with preserving the infrastructure of the Historical Diriyah, Riyadh, (HDRI) a UNESCO World Heritage site, demonstrating its commitment to safeguarding cultural heritage through meticulous and digitalised facility management. HITEK’s scope of work for this three-year contract includes contract management, workflows, job plans, inventory management SLA and KPIs as well as dashboards and reports.

Aijaz added, “HDRI Management was looking for a cost efficient & paperless system, to enhance operational efficiency, increase compliance and safety with scalability and flexibility. HITEK ticked all of these boxes.

“These contracts not only represent significant business growth but also underscore our dedication to supporting Saudi Arabia’s development goals in healthcare, education and cultural preservation. We are proud to partner with these leading organisations to create an effective and sustainable impact.”

For more information, log on to www.hitek.ai

-Ends-

Photo Caption: The LEED-certified,176-bed Neuroscience and Trauma Care Center (NTCC) in Jeddah

About HITEK

HITEK Services is a part of Farnek Group, a leading industry expert with over 40 years of technical expertise and operational experience in Facilities Management, Hospitality, and Technology Infrastructure. Our broad range of intelligent applications is a result of people, processes, and technology empowering our customers with digital, business, and technological transformation. Our solutions are aimed at complementing leaner and more sustainable operational processes that increase productivity and reduce energy consumption.

Any FM Company would like to adapt the power of digitalization, can contact HITEK Services on info@hitekservices.com

About Farnek

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent total facilities management company. With a skilled workforce of more than 9,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management services across several sectors: Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure, and Entertainment.

دبي، 12  أغسطس 2024: أكدت شركة هيتشز آند غليتشز، المتخصصة في خدمات صيانة المنازل والتابعة لمجموعة “فارنك”، أن دبي تشهد زيادة غير مسبوقة في الطلب على خدمات صيانة المنازل في قطاع العقارات السكنية الفاخرة في دبي.

وتتولى “هيتشز آند غليتشز” مسؤولية صيانة العقارات الفاخرة في مختلف المناطق السكنية مثل تلال الإمارات ونخلة جميرا ودبي هيلز إستيت. وتشمل الخدمات التي توفرها تنظيف المنازل وخدمات التوصيل وإعداد الطعام وصيانة معدات الصالات الرياضية وأنظمة المنازل وأجهزة الغسيل والمطبخ والمسابح والحدائق وخدمات الأمن على مدار الساعة.

وقد تم تعيين شركة “هيتشز آند غليتشز” مؤخراً لإدارة أكثر من 900 شقة فاخرة ومساكن فندقية من فئة الخمس نجوم في وسط مدينة دبي، وميناء خور دبي، ومرسى دبي مارينا. وتمتلك الشركة حالياً عقود صيانة سنوية تقدر قيمتها بأكثر من 22 مليون درهم إماراتي يشرف عليها أكثر من210  فني مؤهل.

ووفقاً لبحث أجرته شركة “نايت فرانك” للاستشارات العقارية، تعد دبي حالياً واحدة من أسرع أسواق المنازل الفاخرة نمواً في العالم، مع استمرار ارتفاع قيمة العقارات في مشاريع التطوير السكني الرئيسية في دبي بشكل كبير.

وقد شهدت دبي بيع أكثر من 100 عقار سكني بأكثر من 10 ملايين دولار خلال الربع الأول من هذا العام وحده، بزيادة قدرها 19 في المائة مقارنة بنفس الفترة في عام 2023. وتضم منطقة نخلة جميرا أكثر من ثلث هذه المنازل، وشكل لمستثمرون من المملكة المتحدة والصين والهند ما يقرب من 37٪ من إجمالي المستثمرين.

وعلق زهيب أزهر، مدير العمليات في شركة “هيتشز آند غليتشز” بالقول: “يدرك مالكو العقارات الفاخرة في دبي أهمية وجود خدمات صيانة عالية الجودة وخاصة إذا تركوا منازلهم لفترة طويلة. وقد بدأنا التحضير منذ عامين لهذا النمو الملحوظ لأعداد المستثمرين القادمين الخارج لشراء عقارات فاخرة في دبي، وشكلنا وحدة متخصصة من الفنيين المدربين لتقديم أفضل خدمات الصيانة في هذا القطاع”.

وتعتبر منصة التكنولوجيا الذكية الخاصة والتي تم تطويرها داخلياً بواسطة شركة حلول إدارة المرافق الذكية (HITEK) التابعة لمجموعة “فارنك” من الميزات التنافسية التي تقدمها “هيتشز آند غليتشز” لأصحاب العقارات الفاخرة المقيمين في الخارج أو الشركات المسؤولة عن صيانتها، حيث يتيح لهم التطبيق إمكانية رصد مستوى إنجاز الخدمات المطلوبة، وطلب خدمات جديدة، وإعداد تقارير شاملة، كما يسمح للعملاء باختيار نوعية المواد قد تكون مطلوبة لإكمال المهمة ودفع ثمنها.

وأضاف زهيب أزهر: “هناك نمو كبير أيضاً في الطلب على أنظمة المنازل الذكية، حيث ساهم التقدم التكنولوجي بحعل الأجهزة أسهل في الاستخدام وأكثر فعالية، وخاصة تلك التي يمكن إدارتها عن بعد”.

وكانت “هيتشز آند غليتشز” قد أعلنت مؤخراً عن تعاونها مع شركة (Ring) العالمية المشهورة بمنتجها وهو جرس الباب الذي يضم كاميرا وخاصية التحدث من أي مكان من العالم من خلال تطبيق الهاتف الذكي أو الكمبيوتر المحمول. وعقب زهيب أزهر قائلاً: “يمكن للعملاء شراء مختلف المنتجات الذكية مباشرة من متجر هيتشز آند غليتشز عبر الإنترنت مع إمكانية تركيبها وصيانتها بشكل مستمر”.

– انتهى –

نبذة عن “هيتشز أند غليتشز”

تعد شركة “هيتشز أند غليتشز” من أبرز الشركات الرائدة في مجال صيانة المكاتب والمنازل، ولديها رؤية لتصبح المزود الرئيسي لخدمات الصيانة المنزلية الشاملة وفق أعلى معايير التكنولوجيا والاستدامة على مستوى دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة. تسعى الشركة بشكلٍ دائم إلى التميز في تقديم خدمات الصيانة المنزلية مع التركيز على الموثوقية والجودة في العمل والقيمة مقابل المال. ومن خلال تطبيق أفضل ممارسات الاستدامة، تتجاوز الخدمات المقدمة من قبل الشركة توقعات العملاء.

لمعرفة المزيد، يرجى الاتصال على الرقم 80042634 أو زيارة الموقع الإلكتروني: www.hitchesglitches.com

Dubai-based home maintenance specialist appointed to manage & maintain luxury multimillion-dollar property on ’Billionaires Row’

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 12 August 2024: UAE-based sustainable and technology-driven home maintenance specialist Hitches & Glitches (H&G), part of the Farnek Group, has witnessed an unprecedented increase in demand for home maintenance in Dubai’s luxury residential property sector.

H&G has been appointed to maintain numerous luxury properties in prime residential communities such as Emirates Hills, Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Hills Estate. One notable contract H&G has acquired is for a luxury villa in Jumeirah Bay Island, often referred to as ‘Billionaires Row’, which has a built-up area (BUA) of over 7,200 square metres, equivalent to the size of Manchester City’s football pitch.

H&G provides a fulltime housekeeper, maid, chef, driver, service butler, a technician and a watchman. H&G maintains gym equipment, a jacuzzi, home automation, laundry and kitchen appliances, a swimming pool and water features, extensive landscaping and manages pest control and 24-hour security.  

“According to propertyfinder.ae, a 2,237 square metre plot of land in Jumeirah Bay Island is currently valued at AED 155 – 160 million. That obviously doesn’t even include the cost of building a villa! So, having made that level of investment, these discerning owners recognise that they require regular high-quality management and planned preventative maintenance, particularly if they are away from their home for any extended period,” commented Zohaib Azhar, director of operations at Hitches & Glitches.

In addition, H&G was recently appointed to manage 900 premium branded apartments and five-star hotel residences in Dubai Downtown, Dubai Creek Harbor and Dubai Marina neighborhood. Presently H&G’s home maintenance division has more than 1,500 active Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMC), valued at over AED 22 million, serviced by 210 qualified technicians.

According to research by property consultant Knight Frank, Dubai is currently one of the fastest-growing luxury residential markets in the world. As such, the value of properties in Dubai’s prime residential developments continue to grow exponentially.

Over one hundred residential properties were sold for more than $10 million during the first quarter of this year alone, a 19 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2023. More than a third of those transactions were for homes on Palm Jumeirah, with investors from the UK, China and India, making up approximately 37% of total transactions.

“We initially recognised this trend over two years ago when it became apparent that increasing numbers of wealthy overseas investors were buying luxury properties in Dubai. So, we formed a specialist unit of highly trained technicians to compete in this niche market with a tailored offering, providing a convenient one-stop shop for MEP, civil, carpentry, smart home automation, white goods, special renovation projects and fit out works,” said Azhar.

H&G’s smart technology platform, which was developed in-house by Farnek’s smart FM solutions company HITEK, is also enhancing the company’s competitive advantage, especially for luxury property owners based overseas. It’s home maintenance app enables owners and property managers, to follow the progress of their planned maintenance and other service requests from initial reporting to completion and allows customers to approve and pay for any materials that maybe required to complete the job.

To consolidate its security offering, H&G teamed up with smart home security company Ring, which has a number of award-winning products, including motion-activated security cameras with two-way talk, built in floodlights with alarms, as well as their renowned Video Doorbell. This allows owners or managers to answer the door from anywhere in the world, via a two-way voice call and one-way live streaming of any visitor, through their smartphone app or laptop.

“Customers can buy smart product bundles direct from the H&G online store with the added convenience of installation, ongoing maintenance, relocation and add-ons, providing a seamless experience,” added Azhar.

For more information, please visit www.hitchesglitches.com.

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About Hitches and Glitches

Hitches & Glitches is a technology-led office and home maintenance business, and its vision statement is to become the ultimate provider of sustainable and technology-driven home maintenance services throughout the UAE. It strives to deliver excellence in home maintenance services with a focus on quality, value and sustainable best practice while being led by innovative technology, which exceeds the expectations of our customers.

• Innovative technology supports FM company’s growth in manned security sector
• 400 guards mobilised across UAE to protect employees and assets for GMG, Aramex, MIZA Investment, MAG EYE, AZADEA and Al Aan TV
• Middle East manned security sector to grow at a CAGR of over 7% to 2028

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Leading UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek has secured a raft of new security contracts, valued at more than AED 25 million, with technology playing a key role in its successful market proposition.

Farnek is currently mobilising an additional 400 guards to fulfill a raft of recent security contract wins from major companies such as GMG, Aramex, Al Aan TV, MAG EYE, AZADEA, NAS 2, MIZA Investments, SAAS Properties, Provis, as well as The Indian and French International Private schools.

One notable contract acquired by Farnek is from multi award-winning Gulf Marketing Group (GMG), a global well-being company which manages leading retail brands across sports, everyday goods, health and beauty, as well as properties, and logistics, employing more than 10,000 people.

Farnek’s scope of work under the two-year contract involves mobilising 160 security personnel, to cover 80 locations across the UAE, in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, RAK and Sharjah. This includes offices, distribution warehouses and retail outlets such as Geant, Sun and Sand and Super Care Pharmacy.

Farnek’s success is indicative of a market sector that is growing exponentially, both in the UAE and regionally. With the expansion in industrial, commercial, and residential real estate, data analysis by Mordor Intelligence has found that the Middle East’s manned security sector will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.78% to 2028.

The recent contract wins were a result of Farnek’s strategy, to focus on innovative, technology-driven and sustainable security solutions, such as Security Plus, a smart mobile application that supports its manned security services.

Developed in-house by smart solutions company HITEK Services, Security Plus is a bespoke app allowing guards to connect from multiple sites so they can be supported via a centralised communication platform.

Through its ‘Rover Observation’ feature, the app captures real time information from customer facilities where security guards are carrying out their regular patrols. In addition, guards can raise incident reports by connecting to HITEK’s CAFMTEK mobility software solution, allowing them to submit data in real time to supervisors and management, who in turn can offer instant instruction and advice.

The application can also identify and document all activities related to onsite security services, which ensures that guards are implementing all contractual commitments while also monitoring and managing any potential risk.

Guards can be contacted through email notifications and alerts, which can direct them to the source of any emergency. Complete incident and patrolling reports can also be downloaded from the company’s web portal.

Furthermore, the app has a simple messaging option to attach images and videos and comes with a checklist to ensure information about incidents and general reports are completed in full, which after review, can be shared with customers.

However, besides increased technological innovation, Oberlin recognised the essential human element. “A key component of our success, has, is and indeed will continue to be our personalised physical presence. That reassuring human touch, often anticipating and managing potential issues, before they become actual incidents, is still invaluable,” he added.

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About Farnek

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent total facilities management company.

With a skilled workforce of more than 9,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management and security services across several sectors: Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Shopping Malls, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure and Entertainment.

For more information, log on to www.farnek.com

About HITEK

HITEK Services is a part of Farnek Group, a leading industry expert with over 40 years of technical expertise and operational experience in Facilities Management, Hospitality, and Technology Infrastructure. Our broad range of intelligent applications is a result of people, processes, and technology empowering our customers with digital, business, and technological transformation. Our solutions are aimed at complementing leaner and more sustainable operational processes that increase productivity and reduce energy consumption.

Any FM Company would like to adapt the power of digitalisation, can contact HITEK Services on info@hitek.ai

For more information, log on to www.hitek.ai

The Hitches & Glitches app is specifically designed to improve operational efficiency and lifespan of commercial kitchen equipment

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 02 July 2024: Dubai’s Iranian Hospital, has adopted a new dedicated kitchen mobile application from Dubai-based pioneering and technology-driven home maintenance specialist Hitches & Glitches (H&G), part of the Farnek Group, which is specifically designed to improve the uptime and lifespan of its 36 kitchen appliances.

H&G’s new mobile application, which was developed in-house by Farnek’s smart FM solutions company HITEK, supports maintenance teams so that they can create a maintenance record for each individual kitchen appliance or asset. Over time this identifies the extent and frequency of asset failure so that a predictive, preventative and corrective maintenance schedule can be set up.

With H&G’s support, which also includes quarterly planned preventative maintenance (PPM) services and reactive call outs, the hospital’s maintenance team will now be able to assess the life expectancy of kitchen assets and identify any under maintenance as well as over maintenance scheduling. That will help hospital management to reduce capital expenditure, as assets will have a longer life expectancy with regular maintenance and save money on urgent call outs.

Built in 1970, the Iranian Hospital was opened to public on 14th April 1972 and was the first health care provider in Jumeirah. The hospital cares for over 1,200 outpatients daily from more than 182 countries and in total, the hospital has 184 premium beds, 10 VIP suites, 11 ICU and 10 CCU beds as well as 24 beds for pediatric care.

The hospital offers room service which is available 24 hours per day for inpatients. Specialized menus for specific diets are prepared and screened individually by experienced dieticians. Guest trays are also available upon request.

H&G decided to develop its kitchen application because generally the market uses many Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM), applications which were originally designed for Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) asset management. However, there was no specific application for individual kitchen appliances and other assets.

In general, H&G technicians found that 90% of assets in commercial kitchens did not have an individual maintenance record, making it extremely difficult to ascertain how long a particular appliance has been in service and virtually impossible to predict how efficiently it would perform in the future.

One striking USP of the H&G kitchen app, is that it uses a series of problem codes for all critical equipment. These codes then correspond to a particular call out priority level to attend, contain and rectify an asset failure. Customers can even track the time stamp on the work order, which can be attached to before and after images, to provide a comparative record and benchmark efficiency.

Currently H&G has multiple Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMC) valued at over AED 600,000, covering kitchens in hospitals, universities, independent restaurants, hotels and specialist retail confectionary outlets. For more information, please visit www.hitchesglitches.com

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About Hitches and Glitches

Hitches & Glitches is a technology-led office and home maintenance business, and its vision statement is to become the ultimate provider of sustainable and technology-driven home maintenance services throughout the UAE. It strives to deliver excellence in home maintenance services with a focus on quality, value and sustainable best practice while being led by innovative technology, which exceeds the expectations of our customers.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 6 June 2024: After nine consecutive years of Green Globe certification, the Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights Hotel Suites and Apartments has enhanced its sustainable credentials by achieving gold certification of the internationally renowned Green Globe Certification (GGC) programme, which is specifically designed for the travel & tourism industry.
 
During a recent independent audit and assessment carried out by Green Globe’s preferred partner in the Middle East, Dubai-headquartered sustainability consultancy Farnek, the property achieved a rating of 96%, having complied with or exceeded more than 380 rigorous sustainability indicators.
 
Farnek’s dedicated team also supported hotel management with its Hotel Optimizer, a comprehensive and data-driven energy performance monitoring software tool. Through efficient measuring, tracking, monitoring, and benchmarking of energy and water consumption, as well as waste management, the hotel was able to calculate its carbon footprint during 2023.
 
Highlights of the recertification included an annual energy performance savings of 4.3% through multiple retrofits, such as chiller optimisation, frequency controls for fresh air handling units, and LED light installation.
 
The hotel also managed to save 2.6% on water consumption by fitting 300 tap aerators and diverting 21% of its waste from landfills through innovative reduction and recycling initiatives.
 
The hotel also offset 100% (19 tonnes) of the carbon emissions generated from business travel made by its management team and saved 12% of the carbon emissions generated by individual guests.
 
Levent Tasbas, General Manager at Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights, said, “We are proud of our sustainability achievements over the past nine years. This year, we have achieved gold certification, and next year, we are aiming for platinum certification. Putting that into perspective, currently, only two hotels in the UAE hold that status within the GGC programme, underscoring our drive and commitment to reduce our impact on the environment.”
 
The Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights Hotel Suites and Apartments is located on Sheikh Zayed Road in Barsha Heights, close to Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City.
 
The four-star hotel consists of 1,015 suites and apartments over 41 floors and offers guests a wide array of food and beverage options, from all-day dining in its signature Day & Night restaurant to the lobby cafe, sports bar, pool bar, and speciality restaurant.
 
The property also features a fitness centre, a spa, a salon, an outdoor swimming pool, a kids’ club, and modern meeting spaces for up to 100 delegates. Its pool deck on level 8 has a jacuzzi and terrace.
 
Muna Al Nahdi, Head of Sustainability & Consultancy, Farnek, said: “The Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights has consistently put sustainability at the heart of its business strategy and very clearly at the forefront of its operations. Over the past nine years, it has improved its performance levels year after year, consistently achieving excellence in sustainable practices. The hotel is now one of the best-performing properties in the GGC programme throughout the Middle East region.”
 
Having signed its original partnership agreement with Green Globe in 2009, Farnek has certified well over 100 hotels and leisure facilities in 38 cities across the MENA region. This has enabled members to save in excess of 180 million kWh of energy, worth over $20 million, and more than two million cubic metres of water, valued at approximately $5 million.
 

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Photo caption: (L-R) Muna Al Nahdi, Head of Sustainability & Consultancy, Farnek, presents Levent Tasbas, General Manager at Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights, with the gold Green Globe Certification (GGC).

About Green Globe Certification

Green Globe is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe is based in California, USA and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

About Farnek

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent facilities management company.

With a skilled workforce of more than 8,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management services to across several sectors; Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Shopping Malls, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure and Entertainment.

Photo caption (from L-R): Mira Hachem, Director of Procurement, Farnek, Charles Gardner, Chief Operating Officer, Neutral Fuels and Muna Al Nahdi, Head of Sustainability & Consultancy, Farnek.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 23 May 2024: Leading UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek, has received an award from Neutral Fuels for a significant reduction in the amount of carbon emissions generated by its transport fleet.

Farnek made a commitment to transition to Neutral Fuels’ B7 blend biodiesel in 2023 and during that year, consumed more than 400,000 litres of B7 biodiesel, thereby saving over 80,569 kilograms of CO2e.

“Putting that into perspective, the volume of carbon emissions we have managed to save, is roughly equivalent to the amount of carbon that would be removed from the environment by planting approximately 1,400 saplings and left to mature over a ten-year period,” said Muna Al Nahdi, Head of Sustainability & Consultancy, Farnek.

“Of course, Farnek, like many other organisations with large transport fleets, would find it financially prohibitive to replace its existing fleet with new electric vehicles. However, Biofuel is a very cost-effective and sustainable alternative, supporting our net-zero roadmap, which aims to reduce the company’s transportation emissions by up to 50% by 2031,” she added.

Neutral Fuels, which is the largest producer of biofuel in the Gulf region, collects waste cooking oil from local restaurants and kitchens and recycles it into Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (commonly called biodiesel), a commercially viable drop-in replacement for the high carbon footprint fossil fuel normally used in diesel engines.

Neutral Fuels biodiesel is a clean, green renewable fuel which immediately and significantly reduces transport carbon emissions without any engine modifications enabling organisations to reduce their contribution to climate change.

“The implementation of Neutral Fuels biodiesel exemplifies Farnek’s dedication to decarbonisation in alignment with the UAE government’s plan to reduce emissions by forty percent by 2030. We applaud their achievements to date and look forward to supporting them in the future as they continue to achieve their sustainability goals,” said Charles Gardner, Chief Operating Officer of Neutral Fuels.

Farnek uses Neutral Fuel’s B7 biofuel which fully complies with the UAE diesel standard UAE S. 477: 2021 in conjunction with their innovative FLEETEK solution, which digitalises the entire fleet management process. It identifies both fleet and driver productivity in real time, using a system-based inventory and digital schedule, which is powered by IoT sensors fitted to the vehicles and connected with Google Maps to enable tracking and navigation for route optimisation.

“This saves fuel, cuts carbon emissions, as well as reducing wear and tear on the fleet, prolonging the time between servicing and ultimately its operational life, which all benefit the environment and our bottom line,” added Mira Hachem, Director of Procurement at Farnek.

For more information, log on to www.farnek.com

Photo caption (from L-R): Mira Hachem, Director of Procurement, Farnek, Charles Gardner, Chief Operating Officer, Neutral Fuels and Muna Al Nahdi, Head of Sustainability & Consultancy, Farnek.

About Farnek:

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent total facilities management company.

With a skilled workforce of more than 8,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management and security services across several sectors including – Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Shopping Malls, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure and Entertainment.

About Neutral Fuels: Founded in 2011 Neutral Fuels is the leading producer and distributer of biofuel in the United Arab Emirates. They are committed to promoting environmental sustainability by producing high-quality, low-carbon, biofuels from locally sourced, waste-based raw materials.

Farnek-sponsored biogas units offer access to a cleaner and safer source of energy, enabling rural families to produce their own electricity, heat and fertilizer

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 3rd May 2024: Leading UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek recently sent top executives from its ESG (Environment, Social & Governance) team to rural Nepal, to revisit families that received Farnek biogas plants.

The plants were installed by Farnek technicians in 2015, to provide a renewable energy solution allowing villagers to produce methane by fermenting animal waste.

Bishnu Tamang who lives in the remote district of Chitwan (meaning heart of the jungle), a six hour car ride from capital Kathmandu, commented that quite apart from the time and effort saved not having to collect 20 kilos of wood a day, he was also saving 1,000 Nepalese Rupees (NPR) ($7.50) per month, because he no longer needed to buy gas from local markets.

Considering farmers in rural Nepal only earn around 21,700 (NPR) per month, that’s a considerable saving. He also added that he recycled the slurry from the cow dung and used it as fertilizer for his corn fields.

Another local resident, Babi Adhikari, mentioned that his family used to spend around 30 minutes, just collecting wood from the jungle, each time they wanted to make a fire. He also added that the health benefits were evident with a smoke-free indoor environment now he was no longer burning wood inside his home.

“When family, friends and neighbours visit us for tea, they want to know how to install their own biogas plant,” he said.

Both villagers agreed that with regular cleaning over the past eight years, maintenance had been minimal, and minor pipeline leaks were easily fixed.

The construction of the plants was simple. A pit was dug close to the house, within which an enclosed dome-shaped digester was built underground out of clay and bricks, which was then covered by soil.

There is an inlet for cow dung and other organic waste and liquids, which during the decaying process, produce methane. An outlet pipe then carries the gas direct to the kitchen for cooking and lighting. Even the slurry of the remaining manure serves as a high-quality fertiliser replacing chemicals and any excess can also be sold on to other farmers.

The dung from two or three cows each day produces enough methane gas for five hours of cooking or lighting. Each biogas plant saves the equivalent of 7.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year for up to 20 years, thus contributing to a reduction in the impact of fossil fuel usage,

Commenting on why the initiative was so integral to Farnek’s ESG strategy, Markus Oberlin, CEO said, “Approximately 20% of our employees are from Nepal, and many of their families live in isolated rural communities, facing ongoing challenges accessing clean, affordable energy.

“Their families could spend over two hours each day collecting firewood and their homes were often filled with smoke, especially when cooking. So, we decided to launch an initiative that would provide clean, renewable energy, benefiting their families, raising their standard of living and improving their immediate environment.

“Initially we had planned to revisit the families after five years, but due to travel restrictions during the pandemic and the subsequent recovery period, that review had to be postponed.

“However, now we have firsthand documented evidence of just how much this simple idea has improved their lives and contributed towards a cleaner environment.”

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About Farnek:

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent total facilities management company.

With a skilled workforce of more than 8,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management and security services across several sectors; Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Shopping Malls, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure and Entertainment

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Middle East regional technology services company, HITEK, part of the Farnek group of companies, has signed a JV partnership with Virgin Mobile Saudi; a Beyond ONE group company, as the preferred technology partner to enable a joint strategic approach to developing smart cities in Saudi Arabia.

With smart cities relying heavily on connectivity, Virgin Mobile Saudi, in conjunction with local providers, will be responsible for advanced telecommunications solutions, including 5G networks, digital services and enablement.

Yaarob Al Sayegh, CEO of Virgin Mobile Saudi, said, “At Virgin Mobile, we believe in the transformative power of technology to create smarter, more sustainable cities. Our partnership with HITEK marks a significant step towards realizing this vision in Saudi Arabia.

“By leveraging HITEK’s expertise in digital solutions and our capabilities in telecommunications, we aim to build robust infrastructure that will not only enhance connectivity but also enable the seamless integration of cutting-edge technologies like AI and IoT. Together, we are committed to developing innovative solutions that will improve the quality of life for residents and drive economic growth across the region.”

With the communications infrastructure in place, HITEK can employ a comprehensive suite of digital solutions to optimise waste, water and energy management, environmental monitoring, citizen engagement, retail and hospitality, data analytics and AI integration, smart transportation, real estate and urban development as well as education technology.

Javeria Aijaz, Managing director of HITEK, said, “Through this ground-up partnership with Virgin Mobile Saudi, we can deliver, an advanced bespoke all-inclusive, intelligent and analytical digital platform, connecting people, assets and spaces.

“By utilising IoT enabled Building Management Systems (BMS), Machine Learning (ML) and Cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) based technologies, FM operations management, will have a 360-degree overview of all facilities, 24/7, from a dedicated and centralised platform, enhancing efficiency, welfare and sustainability.”

Initially, the agreement will cover smart building solutions for potential projects in Saudi Arabia.

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For more information, log on to www.hitek.ai

About Virgin Mobile Saudi

Virgin Mobile Saudi, a subsidiary of Beyond One Group, is a leading telecommunications company in Saudi Arabia, committed to delivering innovative and customer-centric mobile services. With a focus on digital innovation and personalized experiences, Virgin Mobile Saudi empowers consumers with customizable mobile plans, advanced app features, and seamless connectivity. Through strategic partnerships and cutting-edge technology, Virgin Mobile Saudi continues to redefine the telecommunications landscape, offering unparalleled service excellence and convenience to its customers across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

About HITEK

HITEK Services is a part of Farnek Group, a leading industry expert with over 40 years of technical expertise and operational experience in Facilities Management, Hospitality, and Technology Infrastructure. Our broad range of intelligent applications is a result of people, processes, and technology empowering our customers with digital, business, and technological transformation. Our solutions are aimed at complementing leaner and more sustainable operational processes that increase productivity and reduce energy consumption.

Any FM Company that would like to adapt the power of digitalization, can contact HITEK Services direct at info@hitek.ai

About Farnek:

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent total facilities management company. With a skilled workforce of more than 8,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management services across several sectors: Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure, and Entertainment

• Leading FM company expands its operations in Abu Dhabi after securing multiple new and retained contracts across energy, aviation, hospitality, retail & residential real estate

• Headcount has increased by 18% & new satellite offices planned to efficiently manage FM teams across the emirate

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 02 April 2024: Leading UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek has expanded its business operations throughout the emirate of Abu Dhabi following a raft of new and retained FM contract across various industry sectors.

To cope with the increased workload, the number of employes based in Abu Dhabi has grown by 18% to nearly 1,300 staff and Farnek is also currently looking at an additional satellite office to provide enhanced onsite customer service.

Farnek’s Abu Dhabi logistics team has also managed to optimise their transport fleet by employing larger vehicles and opitimising route management, saving time, fuel and money as well as minimising its carbon footprint.

Abu Dhabi has recorded strong economic growth in the wake of the pandemic. According to the Statistics Centre of Abu Dhabi, the emirate’s economy grew by 9.3% annually in 2022, the highest in the MENA region, with GDP currently standing at $300 billion. This robust economic growth had a notable effect on foreign investment, which increased by 9.7% in 2022, valued at in excess of $226 billion.

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“This is especially true within the non-oil sectors, which now contribute more than 52% of the emirate’s GDP. Credit rating agency S&P has forecast that Abu Dhabi’s GDP will grow by an impressive 5.3% this year, which bodes well for our business operations in 2024,” said Markus Oberlin, CEO, Farnek.

Some of the more notable contract wins, valued at over AED 240 million, include a total FM deployment for Mina Zayed or MiZa as it is branded, which is an emerging innovation-focused neighbourhood for diverse entrepreneurial communities. Other contracts include Etihad Airways Engineering, and the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, where Farnek provides cleaning and maintenance services, as well as managing the facilities for the F1 Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Farnek services a wide range of industry sectors such as energy, security, aviation, hospitality, retail and residential property. The scope of work includes a considerable number of contracts for total facilities management (TFM) as well as dedicated hard and soft services such as MEP, cleaning, maintenance, security and housekeeping appointments, amongst others.

“Farnek’s business expansion in Abu Dhabi is a result of its successful business strategy, which focuses primarily on innovative, technology-driven and sustainable FM solutions,” added Oberlin.

Abu Dhabi’s population is almost 1.6 million and has grown by 100,000 since 2021, providing ample opportunity for Farnek’s sister company, Hitches & Glitches to capitalise on the increasing size of the home maintenance market.

In terms of sustainability Farnek’s consultancy team was awarded a contract from the Higher Colleges of Technology to develop a roadmap towards net zero, HCT is the largest applied higher educational institution in the UAE, with approximately 23,000 students, studying at 16 men’s and women’s campuses including Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra.  

Leading UAE-based total FM company plays pivotal role in ensuring world’s tallest building achieves LEED Platinum Certification

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 25 March 2024: Through its sustainability and consultancy division, leading UAE-based smart and green total FM company Farnek, has enabled the Burj Khalifa to achieve LEED O+M Platinum Certification, the optimum international standard for the operation and maintenance of green buildings.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) which developed the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building program, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence.

Markus Oberlin, CEO, Farnek commented, “This outstanding achievement clearly demonstrates owner and operator Emaar Properties’ commitment to sustainable practices and cements the Burj Khalifa’s enviable reputation as a global sustainable landmark, aligned with the UAE’s net-zero 2050 strategy.

“Buildings are responsible for 40% of global energy carbon emissions and are routinely recognised as a critical sector in tackling climate change. LEED-certified buildings have 34% lower CO2 emissions, consume 25% less energy, 11% less water and have diverted more than 80 million tons of waste from landfills.”

The programme provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building strategies. LEED projects earn points by adhering to prerequisites and credits across nine measurements for building excellence from integrative design to human health to material use.

LEED, buildings and communities not only save money, improve efficiency, lower carbon emissions and create healthier places for people, it is critical to addressing climate change and meeting ESG goals, enhancing resilience, and supporting more equitable communities.

“LEED certification is the ultimate recognition of global green building leadership, signaling that a building has undergone rigorous third-party verification and meets the highest green standards,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO, USGBC.

“By prioritising sustainability, the Burj Khalifa is leading the way and helping the USGBC continue towards our goal of green buildings for everyone within this generation,” he added.

Farnek provided specialised LEED consultancy services, complying with LEED O+M standards, facilitating the demanding certification process and attainment of the prestigious platinum certification for Burj Khalifa, which at 828 metres high, is the world’s tallest building.

The key initiatives undertaken included energy and water performance, indoor environmental quality, sustainable site management, effective transit connectivity waste management and sustainable sourcing.

“The LEED O+M certification places a strong emphasis on sustainable operations. Farnek has been providing FM services for Burj Khalifa for over a decade now and significantly contributed to its sustainability performance by implementing top-tier green building practices and sustainable operational strategies,” said Muna Al Nahdi, head of sustainability and consultancy at Farnek.

“The Burj Khalifa’s sustainability performance was already commendable, and this became evident when it scored highly and achieved platinum certification, after being benchmarked against local and international standards through the LEED rating system.

“This exceptional performance is particularly notable in areas such as energy and water efficiency and indoor air quality. We initiated the consultancy process and efficiently completed the required documentation to meet LEED requirements within just six months.

“This accomplishment was facilitated by our extensive expertise in LEED consultancy and the active involvement of our FM team. This acknowledgment underscores the significance of Farnek’s innovative and eco-conscious FM practices, which transforms ordinary structures into sustainable buildings.”

In terms of energy performance, Farnek employed cutting-edge energy management and optimisation strategies such as implementing smart building technologies, the use of energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems and in addition to continuous monitoring and measurement, carried out regular audits to identify and address areas for improvement.

Water consumption was also monitored to identify opportunities for conservation, by installing water-efficient fixtures and appliances, implementing landscaping practices that minimise water usage and by diverting condensate water for irrigation purposes.

The Burj Khalifa provides a healthy and comfortable indoor environment for residents and visitors, by utilising measures such as efficient ventilation systems and controlling and monitoring indoor air quality and enhanced thermal comfort and light levels, that improve productivity, health and well-being.

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About Farnek:

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent facilities management company.

With a skilled workforce of more than 8,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management services to across several sectors; Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Shopping Malls, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure and Entertainment.

For more information, please log on to www.farnek.com

About the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to transforming how buildings and communities are designed, built and operated to create thriving, healthy, equitable and resilient places that advance human and environmental wellbeing. USGBC leads market transformation through its LEED green building program, robust educational offerings, an international network of local community leaders, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the Center for Green Schools, and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org and connect on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

For more information, please log on to www.usgbc.org

Five-star Dubai hotel achieves Green Globe certification for sustainable management and compliance with international best practic

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 19 March 2024: The Pullman Dubai Jumeirah Lakes Towers Hotel, has been awarded its first Green Globe certification, a premier worldwide certification and improvement programme developed especially for the travel and tourism industry.

The hotel’s management team ensured that the property complied with or exceeded, more than 380 rigorous sustainability indicators, during an independent audit and assessment by Green Globe’s preferred partner in the Middle East, UAE-based, sustainability consultancy Farnek.

Initially, Farnek’s dedicated consultancy and auditing teams supported the hotel’s management team, explaining the criteria set by Green Globe. In addition, Farnek also developed a sustainability plan for the hotel, that aligned not only with Green Globe requirements but also with the ACCOR group’s sustainability goals.

The hotel met criteria such as implementing energy-efficient technologies, reducing water consumption, practicing waste management and recycling, supporting local communities, high levels of guest satisfaction, promoting sustainable tourism and overall sustainable operations and management.

Sushanth Nambiar, Cluster General Manager said, “We are proud to have been awarded the prestigious Green Globe certification, reflecting our commitment and continued efforts to reduce our impact on the environment, by implementing a range of measurable sustainability initiatives.

“We have set and will continually review our energy, water and waste performance against a host of exceptionally high operational standards. Our Green Globe certification is an independent endorsement of our efforts, which contributes positively towards the UAE’s transition towards a greener economy and its net zero ambitions.”

The Pullman Dubai Jumeirah Lakes Towers is a five-star hotel, located on Sheikh Zayed Road in the vibrant Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), offering upscale accommodation in an urban contemporary design. The hotel consists of 354 rooms including 76 suites & apartments, 11 meeting rooms, plus five restaurants and bars. It also has a fully equipped gymnasium, outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi, a spa, beauty salon and a kids’ play area.

Muna Al Nahdi, Head of Sustainability & Consultancy, Farnek, said: “The Pullman JLT Dubai, is clearly socially responsible, determined to follow international best practice, especially when addressing energy and water efficiency, as well as reducing food waste. The hotel’s progressive management team has demonstrated its commitment, not only to the environment, but also to its guests, staff and the local community, placing sustainability at its core,” added Al Nahdi.

Having signed its original partnership agreement with Green Globe in 2009, Farnek has subsequently certified well over 100 hotels and leisure facilities in 38 cities across the MENA region, enabling members to save in excess of 180 million kWh of energy, worth over $20 million and more than two million cubic metres of water valued at approximately $5 million.

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Photo caption: Muna Al Nahdi, Head of Sustainability & Consultancy, Farnek presents the Green Globe Certificate to Sushanth Nambiar, Cluster General Manager.

About Green Globe Certification

Green Globe is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe is based in California, USA and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

For information, please log on to www.greenglobe.com

About Farnek:

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent facilities management company.

With a skilled workforce of more than 8,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management services to across several sectors; Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Shopping Malls, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure and Entertainment.

For more information, please log on to www.farnek.com

Dubai, UAE, Thursday 7th March 2024: Muna Al Nahdi, head of sustainability & consultancy at UAE-based smart & green FM company Farnek, was invited recently to address delegates, comprising of leading figures in sustainable urban design, at the ‘Sustainable Cities in Action Forum 2024, held at Expo City Dubai.

During a conference session dedicated to designing an ESG-compliant supply chain, Al Nahdi delivered a presentation entitled ‘Supply Chain Transformation: ECD Compliance & Farnek’s Sustainability Journey’ and in addition to a subsequent panel session, she illustrated the challenges faced as a vendor for Expo City Dubai and adhering to its sustainable procurement principles.

Al Nahdi shared Farnek’s own journey towards sustainability and its procurement strategies, the latest key industry trends and commented on the maturity of the region and its ability to implement these strategies.

During the panel discussion Al Nahdi also commented on the specific challenges of sustainability and green procurement, such as financial and commercial commitments, efficiency and managing green supply chains.

“We understand sustainability is a journey that requires true collaboration. Today, we stand poised to establish ourselves as a pioneering smart and green FM company by fostering partnerships with our suppliers and clients, as this is essential for transforming the market and advancing sustainability.

“While challenges abound, we believe in our ability to overcome them through innovation, unwavering commitment, and collaborative efforts,” said Al Nahdi.

Addressing over 500 decision-makers and influencers in sustainable urban development, over two days, ‘Sustainable Cities in Action 2024’ was designed to bring together stakeholders to make cities more prosperous, equitable, low carbon and climate resilient.

A combination of population growth, a changing climate and ever-more complex city ecosystems heightens the need for positive change and transformation in urban landscapes.

With a particular focus on the MEASA region, the aim of the forum, was to unite urban visionaries, to find sustainable solutions addressing the challenges in their own cities, while exploring the opportunities those strategies and innovations present beyond the region.

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About Farnek:

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent total facilities management company.

With a skilled workforce of more than 8,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management and security services across several sectors; Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Shopping Malls, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure and Entertainment.

The app is specifically designed to improve operational efficiency and lifespan of commercial kitchen equipment – 90% of kitchen assets have no dedicated maintenance record .

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 7 February 2024: Dubai-based innovative and technology-driven home maintenance specialist Hitches & Glitches (H&G), part of the Farnek Group, has launched a dedicated mobile application, that is specifically designed to improve the uptime and lifespan of commercial kitchen equipment.

Busy restaurants cannot afford any downtime in their kitchens, especially during high demand periods. If a particular appliance does fail, it is critical for the restaurant manager and the chef, to have it back in service as soon as possible.

So, H&G decided to develop a kitchen application because generally the market currently uses many Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM), applications which were originally designed for Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) asset management. However, there was no specific application for individual kitchen appliances and other assets.

“We found that 90% of assets in commercial kitchens did not have an individual maintenance record, making it extremely difficult to ascertain how long a particular appliance has been in service and virtually impossible to predict how efficiently it would perform in the future.

“With this new mobile application, maintenance teams can create a maintenance record for each individual appliance or asset. Over time this will identify the number and frequency of asset failure so that predictive, preventative and corrective maintenance schedules can be set up. Similar assets can also be benchmarked,” said Zohaib Azhar, Associate Director at Hitches & Glitches.

H&G maintenance teams will now be able to assess the life expectancy of kitchen assets and identify any under maintenance as well as over maintenance scheduling. That will help restaurant owners and managers to reduce capital expenditure, as assets will have a longer life expectancy with regular maintenance and save money on urgent call outs.

Furthermore, restaurant managers can work out the actual cost of a particular asset over its working life. So, a cheaper brand can be compared with say a more expensive brand, then add in the maintenance costs to see which model was more cost-efficient.

Currently H&G has multiple Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMC) covering kitchens in hospitals, universities, independent restaurants, hotels and specialist retail confectionary outlets.

“What really sets this app apart from anything else on the market is that we have created specific kitchen equipment problem codes for all critical assets, every issue has a call out priority level to attend, contain and rectify an asset failure. Customers can track the time stamp on the work order, which can be attached to before and after images,” added Azhar.

For more information, please visit www.hitchesglitches.com.

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About Hitches and Glitches

Hitches & Glitches is a technology-led office and home maintenance business, and its vision statement is to become the ultimate provider of sustainable and technology-driven home maintenance services throughout the UAE. It strives to deliver excellence in home maintenance services with a focus on quality, value and sustainable best practice while being led by innovative technology, which exceeds the expectations of our customers.

• Market-leading FM company secures over 300 new and retained contracts throughout Dubai, Abu Dhabi & the Northern Emirates
• Additional 2,500 staff mobilised across industry sectors such as energy, aviation, hospitality, retail & residential real estate

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 31 January 2024: Leading UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek has achieved record sales revenue, securing a host of new and retained contracts, valued at more than AED 607 million, over the course of 2023.

In total during 2023, Farnek was awarded more than 300 contracts, an average of 25 every month and overall, more than 2,500 additional members of staff have been mobilised to sites across the UAE.

According to Markus Oberlin, Farnek CEO, the record amount of contract wins, is a result of Farnek successful business strategy, which focuses on innovative, technology-driven and sustainable FM solutions.

“This culminated in winning the Expo City contract for hard and soft FM services and our successful management of the COP28 event. We also managed to increase our market share in Abu Dhabi with new contract wins such as ADNOC, the MiZa neighbourhood and ENEC and we continued to manage the facilities for the F1 Grand Prix.”

Farnek services a wide range of industry sectors such as energy, security, aviation, hospitality, retail and residential property. The scope of work includes a considerable number of contracts for total facilities management (TFM) as well as dedicated hard and soft services such as MEP, cleaning, maintenance, security and housekeeping appointments, amongst others.

“Our hospitality division has been particularly successful; we have grown our business in this sector by 268% over the past 12 months. We have been awarded contracts for housekeeping, maintenance and security from SLS Residences in Dubai’s Business Bay, the five-star Sofitel The Palm and the luxury Anantara properties on the Palm Jumeirah and the World Islands,” he said.

Other new business development highlights last year included providing hard and soft FM support at Dubai airport, a hard services contract for the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi, TFM for Dubai-based aviation services company ExecuJet as well as the Dubai Police.

Farnek’s home maintenance company Hitches & Glitches, secured a significant contract with Emaar Hospitality to manage back of door services, for 14 Emaar Residence Towers featuring more than 7,000 apartments.

“Our sustainability team was also awarded a contract from the Higher Colleges of Technology to develop a roadmap towards net zero. In addition, our technology services company HITEK, which provides smart FM solutions, obtained a contract from the five-star Hotel Vals in Switzerland, to digitise the hotel’s processes and implement HITEK’s groundbreaking FLEXIGUEST software,” commented Oberlin.

Farnek also renewed its MEP hard services contract with Burj Khalifa – “That has to be the ultimate commercial reference, providing maintenance for the tallest building in the world, which we have done effectively since 2010!” said Oberlin.

Looking ahead, Farnek is continuing its strategic approach to new business acquisition. “We have set an aggressive but realistic target of 20% growth in 2024, which will undoubtedly consolidate our market position,” he added.

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Photo caption: Farnek’s team at COP28

About Farnek:

Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent total facilities management company.

With a skilled workforce of more than 8,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management and security services across several sectors; Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Shopping Malls, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure and Entertainment.

As world leaders gathered in the UAE in December to tackle climate change at COP28, the decisions and commitments made at this landmark global event are likely to have an impact on various sectors across the country.

Facilities management plays a crucial role in ensuring energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions in buildings and other infrastructure and is, therefore, likely to be one of the main industries under the spotlight.

Markus Oberlin, CEO of UAE-based Farnek, who ranked third in FM Middle East’s 2023 FM Power 50 shares his predictions for the top industry trends for 2024 following COP28.

1. Stricter Environmental Regulations

If COP28 results in the introduction of stricter environmental regulations, FM will have to adjust its practices to comply with these new standards. Changes may involve adopting a greater variety of energy-efficient measures, such as reducing waste, using sustainable materials, and transitioning to renewable energy sources. Additionally, FM will need to invest in new technologies and equipment to help monitor and manage energy consumption more accurately and efficiently.

2. Increased Demand for Green Buildings

To promote sustainable building practices, there will be a more concerted effort to encourage the adoption of green building certifications such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the implementation of sustainable hospitality operational practices and standards such as Green Globe. These certifications and practices can help reduce the environmental impact of buildings and promote the use of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, and sustainable materials. By prioritising these initiatives, the industry can work towards a more sustainable future for our built environment.

3. Focus on Renewable Energy

During the final week of COP28, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the world’s largest solar project in Dubai. Following this development, it is expected that there will be an increased focus on the adoption of solar and other renewable energy technologies in building operations and maintenance nationwide. This shift towards renewable energy sources will undoubtedly impact the FM industry, with more emphasis placed on incorporating these technologies into building operations and maintenance.

4. Enhanced Reporting Requirements

Accountability will play a crucial role, and COP28 might result in more comprehensive reporting requirements for energy usage, carbon footprint, and sustainability efforts. FM will have to meticulously track and report these metrics using systems like POWERTEK, which is our in-house comprehensive solution for monitoring energy consumption and trends, as well as flagging any irregularities. Similarly, our state-of-the-art online carbon footprint calculation tool, CARBONTEK, measures and analyses carbon emissions, identifying specific hotspots, and supporting businesses on their journey towards achieving net zero.

5. Technological Innovations

The conference will undoubtedly encourage more widespread use of new technologies for energy management, building automation, and efficient resource use. FM professionals will need to stay abreast of these technologies and integrate them effectively. In addition to POWERTEK and CARBONTEK, our BMSTEK building management solution, focuses on intelligent, energy-centric maintenance for smart buildings and provides a flexible, scalable platform that can seamlessly connect to any asset or branded Building Management System (BMS). Moreover, IoT is among the many technologies that are transforming the way in which facilities are now managed.

6. Training and Skill Development

As the world is constantly evolving and new standards and technologies are being introduced, it is imperative for FM practitioners to keep themselves updated with the latest advancements. This is where the need for enhanced training and skill development comes in. The FM industry will require its workforce to have in-depth knowledge of new energy-efficient technologies, and the ability to implement sustainable practices that are in line with the latest industry standards. To stay ahead of the curve, ongoing training and skill development will become increasingly important, as it will not only ensure that facilities are managed efficiently but also help organisations achieve their sustainability goals.

7. Financial Incentives and Support

Governments may offer financial incentives, such as tax benefits, for companies that adopt sustainable practices in FM. By reducing their carbon footprint, minimising waste, and conserving energy and resources, businesses can not only contribute to a healthier and cleaner environment but also benefit from significant cost savings in the long run. Therefore, it is a win-win situation for both businesses and the environment

8. Public Perception and Corporate Responsibility

As public awareness of climate issues grows, there is a greater expectation for corporations to play their part in protecting the environment. This will require companies to adopt new strategies and technologies that prioritise environmental responsibility, reduce waste, and minimise their carbon footprint. As we head into 2024, the growing conversation around climate change demands a proactive and holistic approach from corporations, urging them to not only comply with existing environmental regulations but to actively seek out and implement novel solutions that contribute positively to the wider environment.

Farnek, a leader in sustainable facilities management and environmental solutions, has signed a groundbreaking initiative with the UAE Alliance for Climate Action (UACA) to accelerate the transition to green transportation alternatives and reduce transport emissions in the country. The UACA’s Road2.0 initiative aims to implement and validate science-based carbon emissions reduction targets in the near-term and long-term to achieve the UAE’s “Net-Zero North Star” goal.

As an initial signatory, Farnek will deploy commercial Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) into business operations to reduce emissions in the short and medium term. Over time, the UAE ecology will benefit from the integration of Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) within commercial fleets, which will play an essential role in reducing emissions associated with the transport sector.

Currently, commercial road transport accounts for more than 10% of the UAE’s overall emissions, and Road2.0 aims to unite stakeholders to support the Net Zero Strategic Initiative 2050 and Demand Side Management Strategy 2050 (Green Mobility Programme) by accelerating the decarbonization of road transport. Markus Oberlin, Farnek CEO, emphasized the importance of promoting sustainable practices and environmental responsibility within the business community.

Other distinguished signatories of the Road2.0 initiative include Talabat and Unilever Gulf FZE, two industry giants that are committed to promoting sustainable and environmentally-friendly business practices. The signing ceremony, held at expocity Green Zone, was attended by 15 signatories at the forefront of transport in the UAE and represents an important step towards realizing the decarbonized society envisioned by the Paris Agreement and the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.

Farnek’s commitment to reducing emissions and promoting sustainable practices highlights its leadership in sustainable facilities management and environmental solutions. The signing of this groundbreaking programme represents the latest step in Farnek’s commitment to net zero by 2050.

Caption: Markus Oberlin with Laila Abdullatif, Director General of Emirates Nature-WWF after the signing ceremony.

Website: www.emiratescarbon.com