São Paulo – This Wednesday (21), Unilever opened a 100,000 square meter manufacturing facility Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It required investments of EUR 250 million and will produce items from the lines Dove, Fair & Lovely, Lifebuoy, Vaseline, Clear, TRESemmé and Sunsilk. The information was made public by the company.
“This facility will produce 100,000 tons annually and all products will carry a ‘Made in UAE’ label. 80% of these will be exported globally to Europe, Africa and MENA countries,” said Sanjiv Kakkar, Unilever’s executive vice-president for MENA, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
The plant was opened by the multinational company’s CEO, Paul Polman, who underscored the choice of the UAE for the facility as a “strategic decision.” “It is a trade corridor that connects the East and West, with important growth potential and world class infrastructure,” said the executive.
According to a statement released by the company, the plant has state-of-the-art technology which, combined with a modular design, ensures a faster production line, shortening the lead time to market by 80%.
The new plant is expected to create up to 400 local jobs. According to Unilever, at least 40% of the workforce will be made up of women to promote inclusion and gender diversity. The female staff will work in many areas, such as process engineering, operations, production planning and management, among others.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani