The Germany-based Big Dutchman International GmbH has begun to collaborate with a local manufacturing location in the United Arab Emirates. “We have signed an agreement with our new partner APCECO in Fujairah emirate on the production under license, the transfer of know-how and technical assistance,” says managing director Bernd Kuhlencord, in charge of sales to the Middle East at the world-wide market leader for poultry equipment. Mr. Kuhlencord negotiated the contract to be valid for as long as 10 years together with the chairman of the supervisory board of Big Dutchman AG, Josef Meerpohl, in Fujairah.
Big Dutchman’s partner in Fujairah is the Arab Poultry & Cattle Equipment Co. (APCECO). Several sheikhdoms of the United Arab Emirates and some Arab countries have an indirect share in this company. Its aim is to ensure the region’s self-sufficiency in foodstuffs and to achieve an important increase in livestock management in order to start exporting.
“APCECO has already invested approx. 6 million USD in a modern production plant and administrative buildings. We will first advise this company regarding the building up of a sheet metal processing plant and will then transfer our technical know-how on housing equipment for poultry production as well as on equipment for keeping breeders,” explains Bernd Kuhlencord about the concept elaborated together with APCECO chairman Mohammed Saeed Al Danhani.
Within the scope of the agreement, Big Dutchman will send an engineer to Fujairah for nearly two years. The emirate is located on the Gulf of Oman in the North East of the emirates.
A further step of this cooperation is to manufacture components for cage management of layers as well as the production of plastic parts. On the whole, APCECO still wants to invest about 7 million USD in the organisation of production plants.
“The most recent agri-political decisions taken in Germany and Europe have paved the way for this step,” says Josef Meerpohl. “Soon, nobody will believe in our know-how as the market leader any longer, since progressive technologies are not allowed here in Germany any more. We have to transfer our knowledge and to create manufacturing technology as well as storage and service capacities close to the real market, in order to demonstrate our products to our customers in future as well,”says Big Dutchman’s chairman of the supervisory board. “We are very welcome in these foreign countries.” In a private audience, the ruler of the emirate of Fujairah, H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al-Sharqi personally expressed the importance of the cooperation for the Middle East. As a member of the Supreme Council of United Arab Emirates, he urged Big Dutchman’s representatives to push this project. “We want to produce hundreds of housing units in the near future.”
Only recently, Big Dutchman announced the foundation of a Joint Venture company in Tjumen, Russia. There, parts for layer management are now being produced and shall also be developed there in the future.
Photo 1: Contract signing in Fujairah: Mohammed A. Abdulrahman (Manager), Mohammed Saeed Al Danhani (Chairman), Josef Meerpohl and Bernd Kuhlencord. (from left to right)
Photo 2: Privat audience after the contract signing meetings: The ruler of the emirate of Fujairah, H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al-Sharqi and the chairman of the supervisory board of Big Dutchman AG, Josef Meerpohl.
For further information please contact:
Andreas Böske, Publicity Department Manager
Big Dutchman International GmbH
E-Mail: aboeske@bigdutchman.de
Telephone: +49 (0)4447/801-118
Fax: +49 (0)4447/801-5118
Big Dutchman and APCECO signed Agriculture Facility Agreement