Electricity subsidies might hinder energy conservation efforts, says DEWA senior executive

Amal Koshak, DEWA Senior Manager, Demand & Tariff Management, said in an interview conducted on the occasion of DEWA “Conservation Award – For a Better Tomorrow, 2010-2011” that the Government should look at reviewing electricity subsidies regulations.

“Electricity is very important, particularly in this country, where air conditioning accounts for 60% of the total electrical consumption,” she said, and added, “However, reviewing electricity subsidies is a government’s decision. DEWA is not here to enforce, but I think it’s definitely something the government should look at.”

Commenting on the awards instituted by DEWA, Koshak said that that DEWA conservation award was only one of the over 35 environmental initiatives launched by the authority. The others included a number of conservation schemes for government buildings, retailers, hotels and shopping malls.

Asked on why DEWA had not yet introduced a similar initiative targeting private companies, she said: “Retrofitting requires significant investments. Furthermore, the payback period is not very attractive. The financial crisis has also made companies across the region more conservative in their spending patterns. But we are definitely looking into that.”

Koshak said that she was confident that the Green Buildings Regulation, which, has already been approved by Dubai’s Energy Council, would be enforced after a three-year grace period. She said she believed it would play a major role in improving buildings’ energy conservation rates.

First in the series held in Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with HCT

Carrier Corp, a unit of United Technologies, has announced the commencement of its Distinguished Sustainability Lecture Series, a collaborative initiative with the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT). The first lecture, entitled “Zero carbon developments: alternative approaches in a resource rich environment,” was held at the Centre for Excellence in Research & Technology (CERT) in Abu Dhabi on April 13, and was attended by students, senior members of the faculty and professionals from hospitality, government, technology and design industries, the announcement added.

Delivered by Valentine Lehr, Founder and Principal of Lehr Consultants International, a mechanical engineering consulting firm, the lecture focused on the benefits and limitations of utilising traditional natural resources, increasing the useful life of petroleum resources, and economic analysis, amongst other topics, and was reportedly well received

Left to right: John Mandyck, Nick Nunnington, Valentine Lehr and Philippe Delpech

According to Carrier, a total of four international experts in the field of green building and sustainability will deliver lectures throughout the year, as part of the series, providing insights and identifying trends to students, faculty and business leaders in the UAE. The next lecture will be in October.

Speaking about the maiden lecture in the series, Philippe Delpech, President, Carrier EMEA, said: “We are delighted to have received such positive feedback from the first lecture, and we hope the Distinguished Sustainability Lecture Series will continue to advance knowledge and stimulate a dialogue for a greener future.”

Dr Tayeb Kamali, Vice Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology, said that the HCT was pleased to collaborate with Carrier to bring renowned sustainability experts to the country to discuss current and relevant principles and practices.

John Mandyck, Carrier Vice President for Sustainability & Environmental Strategies, added, “For over 100 years, Carrier has been a leading education provider for the building industry. Solutions to today’s environmental challenges require new thinking that the Higher Colleges of Technology can deliver through its sustainability curriculum and partnerships like those with Carrier. We are proud to join with HCT in advancing education and sustainability through the Distinguished Sustainability Lecture Series.”

Says its products are at par with international brands

Napco, a UK-based adhesives, coatings and sealants company, having a manufacturing unit in Sharjah since 1995, has called for a merit-based evaluation of products rather than rely on perceptions.

Speaking to Climate Control Middle East, the company’s chairman, Dr Mumraiz K Awan, said: “The Middle East is a bit late in bringing up or meeting environment-related issues. But in our case, owing to our European approach, we are a step ahead. We are the only company manufacturing according to UL and Green Seal. And we are always trying to improve. In 2002, we got ISO 9001 certification, and then we worked hard to get UL certification, which is a long procedure. In 2010, we became a UL listed company.”

Nabil Awan, Dr Mumraiz K Awan and Ajit Abraham

Dr Awan bemoaned the fact that a lot of companies which had mushroomed in the UAE were trying to create inferior clones, and warned that certain standards needed to be maintained. “For instance, these products need to have fire-retardant properties and anti-fungal properties, weathering and be UV-resistant,” he said. He believed that by using cheap raw materials, a few companies short-changed not only the customers but also endangered the health of their employees. “Toulene is carcinogenic, and you cannot use it in foundations,” he said. “Here in some companies, the workers do not use any protective masks. Our main competitor is in Europe and the US, and so we strive to be European in our approach.”

Dr Awan, pointing out the flip side of having a local unit, said it was difficult to erase the perception that specifications of locally manufactured products were not up to American or British standards. Calling it a mental block, he said, “There is a resistance in the region, because some of the consultants have been using European products for a long time.” He asserted that Napco’s products were at par with those in Europe, as it used raw materials from Europe. These being expensive, it impacted the price tag, as compared to the ones using sub-standard material.

“Unfortunately, price is the driver when it comes to people selecting products,” said Nabil Awan, Managing Director, Napco Middle East, explaining the market trend.

Napco’s product range includes protective coating for thermal insulation, anti-fungus protective coating for thermal insulation, insulation adhesives, protective vapour barrier coating, anti-fungus vapour barrier coating, anti-fungus asbestos-free sealant, close-cell insulation adhesives, said that its R&D department was researching new products.

Dr Awan revealed that the company was working with the Ministry of Defence. “We are working on fire-retardant sealants. In the event of a fire, the sealant will swell up and starve the oxygen, so the fire will not progress further,” he explained.

Leminar, Napco’s, distributor in the region, claimed that the products were specially made to suit the climatic conditions of the region.

The company, which established its base to cater to the UAE, India, Pakistan and Iran markets, said that it now exports its products to 25 countries, including the GCC states. “In the UAE, we were working on the Saadiyat Island projects and we are extensively involved in the St Regis project,” Dr Awan said. “Sahara Centre in Sharjah was one of our biggest projects.”

Talking of expansion, Dr Awan said that Napco had 70% of the market share in Qatar and supplied to Barwa City, Doha Land, Lusial and Pearl Qatar projects.

Ajit Abraham of Leminar added that it had opened an office in Qatar, and Napco would be part of it. “Our partnership with Napco is very healthy and it is one of our key brands. The UL classification has added value,” he said.

Says chilled water business drives revenue growth

National Central Cooling Company PJSC, Tabreed, has released its first quarter consolidated financial results, the first to be announced since the completion of its recapitalisation programme on April 1, which it said demonstrated the company’s strong operating performance driven by continued growth in its core business of chilled water.

The company claimed that for the three months ended March 31, the total revenue increased by 23% to Dh245.6 million and that operating profit increased by 55% to Dh64.4 million over the same period in 2010. It however, added that the net profit fell by 25% to Dh32.8 million due to higher finance costs.

Tabreed revealed the following financial highlights:

Total revenue increased by 23% to Dh245.6 million, compared to Dh199.7 million in the same period in 2010

Gross profit increased by 21% to Dh101.9 million, compared to Dh84.4 million in the same period in 2010

Net profit decreased by 25% to Dh32.8 million, compared to Dh43.8 million in the same period in 2010

Chilled water revenue for the period was Dh183.6 million, a 32% increase over the same period in 2010

Basic and diluted earnings per share of Dh0.08 per share

Tabreed elaborated that its core business of chilled water produced revenues of Dh183.6 million, compared to Dh139.1 million in the same period in 2010, driven by additional connections. Its gross profit increased to Dh 86.7 million from Dh50.9 million in the same period the year before. No plants were added in Q1, but work continued on 13 plants under construction, including eight plants for the Dubai Metro Green Line, Tabreed added. The Company’s total installed cooling capacity remained to 541,525 (gross) TR across 49 plants, it said. 

Against the backdrop of the announcement, Khaled Al Qubaisi, Tabreed’s Managing Director, said: “With the completion of the recapitalisation programme, Tabreed has established the foundations of a strong utility business.  Tabreed delivers value, efficiency and dependability to its institutional customers and is positioned to build long-term returns for its stakeholders.  These results demonstrate the continuing improvements made by the management team, and we look forward to a successful year ahead as Tabreed meets the strong demand for cooling infrastructure in the region.”

Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi appointed new Chairman and Khaled Al Qubaisi reappointed MD

The shareholders of National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed) announced that they have approved the appointment of the Company’s Board of Directors at its Annual General Assembly (AGA). New Board Members, Ahmed Yahia Al Idrissi and Khaled Saleh Al Rashedi join Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, Khaled Abdulla Al Qubaisi, Ibrahim Al Ansaari, Abdul Raouf Al Bitar and Ali Saeed Al Badi Al Dhaheri, who retained their directorships, the announcement elaborated. The new Board has been approved to represent the Company for the next three years.

H.E. Khadem Al Qubaisi steps down as Chairman, having successfully guided the Company through its recapitalisation programme, while H.E. Khalifa Mohamed Al Mazrouei, H.E. Abdulla Khouri and Sujit S Parhar also step down, the announcement added. 

According to Tabreed, at the first meeting of the new Board of Directors immediately following the AGA, Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi was elected by the members of the Board as the Company’s new Chairman and Khaled Al Qubaisi was reappointed as Managing Director.

In the context of assuming his new role, Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, Tabreed’s new Chairman, commented: “I would personally like to thank Khadem and the other departing Board Members for their immense contribution and guidance in overseeing the successful completion of our recapitalisation programme and the significant improvement in our operational performance. Tabreed is now positioned to capitalise on future growth opportunities, and I am confident that our new Board has the right blend of skills and experience to help the Company achieve its full potential in the years ahead.”

Other resolutions approved by shareholders included the Board of Directors’ report, the Auditor’s report, the Company’s balance sheet and profit and loss accounts, the absolution of the Directors’ and Auditor’s liability for 2010 and the appointment of the Auditor for the year.

I recently had the opportunity to listen to Robert Swan, the first human in history to travel to the South Pole and the North Pole on foot. He spoke of how, on both occasions, he experienced firsthand the impact of environmental damage. In Antarctica, the colour of his eyes changed and the skin peeled off his face after several weeks spent walking under, what he later realised, the hole in the ozone layer, which mercifully, has begun to stabilise in recent times. And in the Arctic, his team and he almost drowned due to melting ice, a result of global warming.

He didn’t have a picture to show of that ‘chilling’ experience, but he shared the poignant image of a polar bear on a sea-ice floe. Although a polar bear can swim a 100 miles, or more, there is a measure of vulnerability as the ice floes keep drifting farther and farther away from the land mass.

Swan’s speech put things in perspective. Oftentimes, talk of global warming at conferences and seminars smack of smugness. There is a worrying disconnect between what is said and what is truly felt. And thereafter, words get lost in the clatter of cuttlery on moutabel- or broccoli-salad-laden plates. And therein lies a tale.

Food was in sharp focus, this month, for a different reason, when we conducted a two-day seminar on food-safety issues from storage and handling perspectives (story inside). The event was an occasion to launch our ‘I care about food safety’ campaign. We distributed badges, like the one on this page, and the discussions on topics like refrigerated transportation and compressors were heartfelt and with a sense of purpose. It was not a mere refrigeration seminar with schematics and pictures of equipment but one that brought to light in glaring detail the impact that reliability, good installation practices and maintenance have on the food we consume.

The distribution of badges is just the beginning. We hope to take the message and sustain its impact to a larger audience, comprising not just regulatory authorities but also consumers. This tale needs to be told with as much vigour and verve as Swan’s speech.

B Surendar

Marketing Responsible

Responsibilities

• Your main task is to expand and strengthen the position of the brand in the Gulf market.
• Assisting Sales and Marketing Management with advertising materials and communications to media to symbolize effectively the services and products of the company to customers.
• You support all kinds of marketing activities towards our distributors, installation partners and consumers.
• You adequately translate the USP of our corporate vision and product catalogue.
• You introduce and position a strong presence at Trade Fairs and various topical events.
• You see to it that product offers and corporate advertisements are published in the relevant media, including trade magazines, newspapers, radio and television, Internet and Extranet.
• Presenting recommendations to Marketing Committee or Manager regarding conferences/exhibitions to attend/participate.
• Managing layouts and designing of communications such as presentations, newsletters, event support materials, research papers, and brochures.
• You are also responsible for the printing activities of product catalogues and corporate brochures and other information.
• You will contribute to creating Marketing Budgets, follow up and make reports to update and inform the other Team Members and Management.

Your profile

• You have excellent analytical and presentation skills including demonstration skills to handle many assignments simultaneously.
• You are a team player, stimulated by new challenges, full of initiative and are pro-active and confident
• You have approximately 2-4 years of experience in a similar function.
• You have a strong and clear vision on marketing related subjects and are willing to constantly strengthen your insight into our market and products.
• You are fluent in English. Additional Languages are an Advantage
• You have very good PC skills.

Competitive Salary package is available to the right candidate.

Send you resume to cv@cpi-industry.com with the subject line: MR or apply online by filling the application form below: –

[contact-form 5 “submit resume”]

Sipos claims finding solution to synchronise valve stems and valve characteristic innovation to enhance actuator functionality

Pointing out that traditionally, a mechanical process links two gearboxes to one actuator, but the approach is frequently satisfactory, as the stems can be a considerable distance apart, Sipos Aktorik has announced that it has addressed the problem of synchronisation of valve stems. Revealing that it has found a solution to the automation problem, the company said that the synchronisation solution has been achieved without the need of special programming in an external PLC.

Sipos explained how it works: A master actuator receives its control signal from the PLC (Open/Close, Profibus or Analogue). The setpoint is transmitted from there to the valves via a 4-20 mA loop, ensuring the valves receive the control information simultaneously. To ensure optimal performance, actuator operation is monitored internally at two levels. At the first level, if deviation is larger than a programmable value, then a “slow” signal is generated, and at the second level, a “stop” signal is transmitted.

According to Sipos, unless these measures are taken, mechanical problems due to pre-programmed one-sided loads can occur, such as canted penstocks or twisted stems, which are costly and time-consuming to resolve. Additionally, if site conditions mean that valve stems cannot be coupled mechanically, then issues can extend beyond synchronisation of the two stems to include operation of more than one valve or gate.

In another announcement, the company has claimed that a new functionality has been introduced to the Sipos 5 Flash actuator series, and therefore, it is now possible to adapt a linear position value, as determined by the DCS, to nonlinear valve characteristics. The development, said Sipos, would mean that Linear, Quick Opening and Equal Percentage functions can now be set via the local control station or ComSIPOS software.

The innovation of valve linearisation, along with the existing setting options that include “travel-positioning time characteristics”, “travel-speed setting” and “analogue speed control”, mean the product can be used to improve the modulating behaviour of complex systems, the manufacturer claimed. Additionally, valuable calculation time of the host DCS can be saved by using its intelligent actuators, it said.

Says products improve efficiency, productivity and sustainability

Claiming that the updated portfolio supports the Building Information Modelling (BIM) process by offering software solutions to help architects, engineers, planners, contractors, facility managers and owners in the building and infrastructure industries meet today’s business challenges, Autodesk, a 3-D engineering and entertainment software, has announced its 2012 portfolio of software for the AEC industry. In addition to the new and updated software products, Autodesk has also announced two new design suites for building design, construction and infrastructure professionals.

According to Autodesk, its broad portfolio of BIM solutions includes AutoCAD Civil 3D and AutoCAD Map 3D software for transportation, land development and water projects. The solutions claim to be based on models created using Autodesk Revit-based software – including solutions for architecture, structural engineering and MEP engineering. The company added that the AutoCAD software for documentation and professional drafting complemented the core BIM products and helped extend its value.

The company claimed that the new design suite provided a comprehensive set of tools to help users address a variety of workflow needs, from project design, visualisation and simulation to documentation and construction, and helped improve efficiency.

According to the announcement, the product would be available later this year in three editions: Standard, Premium and Ultimate. The Standard edition would include AutoCAD Map 3D 2012, Autodesk Navisworks Simulate 2012 and AutoCAD. The Premium edition would add AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 and Autodesk 3ds Max Design. The Ultimate edition would include all of the software in the Premium edition, with Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2012 instead of Autodesk Navisworks Simulate 2012.

“The value that Autodesk BIM solutions bring to the industry begins with the information in Building Information Modelling,” said Anders Arthur, Regional Director, MEA, for Autodesk. “Building Information Modelling is about more than just the model. It’s a process that helps our customers use the information inherent in the model to design, visualise, analyse and simulate a project. The motivation behind the 2012 portfolio is to help our customers get more from that rich information to realise real business results, including quality, efficiency, productivity and sustainability.”

Will recycle wastewater and harness solar energy

Diamond Developers, a Dubai-based real estate development company has announced that plans were ready to develop the first sustainable city in Dubai, propagating the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai. The project stems from the country’s desire to adopt an urban sustainable approach, with a design inspired by UAE architecture, the announcement added.

According the announcement, apart from the residential area, which will accommodate 2,500 families, the city will include essential facilities, such as a mosque, a hospital, a school and a multi-use complex. It will also feature a unified complex for various government departments and a university to teach sustainable environmental sciences at the Bachelor’s and Master’s level, along with housing facilities for students.

Diamond developers have highlighted the following features of the city:

• A 143-room environment-friendly tourist resort
• Will rely on horses as a major means of transportation throughout the city
• Green areas will cover 70% of the city, with 100,000 ghaf and palm trees to form a green belt around the project
• Will rely on solar energy and organic foods and will be 100% free of waste
• Wastewater will be recycled
• Will be able to accommodate 10,000 people

Explaining the concept behind the project, Faris Saeed, Chairman of Diamond Developers, said: “The announcement of the launch signifies the culmination of over three years of vigorous efforts to develop the first sustainable city in Dubai. The final concept is the product of in-depth studies and discussions carried out by Diamond Developers with international universities, experts and UN specialised organisations. The development will be instrumental in stamping the UAE’s fingerprint on the world map, for the progressive initiative and its meticulous attention to every detail.” 

According to the announcement, the project will be completed through four phases. The first phases will be complete in 2013, and the three remaining phases will be completed over the next three years. The project will be ready in 2016.