3rd November 2010
Dubai International Capital (‘DIC’), the international investment arm of Dubai Holding, announces that KEF Holdings, the UAE-based manufacturer of steel castings and valves that is 45 percent-owned by DIC, has won the prestigious Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award (MRM) in the UAE Free Zones Manufacturing category. The MRM Business Award was presented to KEF Holdings in a recent ceremony organized by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Faizal Kottikollon, Founder and CEO of KEF Holdings accepted the award from Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai.
KEF Holdings, which is based in the Hamriyah Free Zone in Sharjah, won the award as a result of the company’s performance in eight key areas including; leadership, strategy, customer, workforce and talent management, operations and processes, innovation, governance and corporate social responsibility.
Commenting on receiving the coveted accolade, Faizal Kottikollon said: “It is an honour to receive the MRM Business Award and to be recognized by the business community for our performance excellence and results-driven approach. We attribute our success to the expertise and dedication of everyone at KEF Holdings, whose spirit of excellence is the very backbone of our operations.”
“This achievement would not have been possible without DIC’s continuous support and this has played a crucial role in reinforcing our position as a market-leading business in our sector. ”
Established in 1997, KEF Holdings is the holding company of its two flagship businesses including JCF Fluid Flow (‘JCF’) and Emirates Techno Castings (‘ETC’). Collectively, JCF and ETC form the Middle East’s first fully automated foundry boasting a production capacity of 24,000 tonnes per annum.
KEF serves over 70 clients including leading market players in the oil and gas industries and currently has an order backlog of more than AED 370 million. This year, as the business continued to strive for excellence, KEF Holdings introduced cladding technology into its valve-making processes, allowing the production of specialized valves for corrosive sour gas projects. A futher milestone was the accreditation from Shell for its gate, globe and check valves. This marks a major breakthrough for KEF Holdings as it is now recognized as a provider whose operations and processes meet their stringent specifications and produces superior quality products for the industry.
Anand Krishnan, CEO of Dubai International Capital added: “We are extremely proud of KEF’s many successful achievements and this latest accolade is testament to their great management team and world-class standards. It is a well-run and well-positioned technology-based business that caters to the global energy sector with such a unique offering. We believe KEF Holdings has a strong future with tremendous growth potential.”
