OREANDA-NEWS. May 01, 2013. More than 250 people attended the inauguration ceremony, including prominent dignitaries His Excellency Mr. Hisham Abdullah Al Shirawi, chairman, Economic Zones World, Mr. Talal Al Hashimi, COO, Economic Zones World and Mr Marc Scheer, charge d’affaires of the Luxembourg Embassy in the UAE and executive director of the Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office.

The facility, spread over an area of 86,000m?, will be a hub for all of ArcelorMittal’s stock centres in the Middle East. The facility has a fully equipped, covered warehouse and will also serve as ArcelorMittal’s headquarters in the Middle East.

Alain Le Grix, member of the management committee and chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal Distribution Solutions, said the key focus of this expansion is to provide the best quality services to our customers in the region. He said that Distribution Solutions has a full service offering for the construction and oil & gas industries in the UAE, adding that the investment in JAFZA showed ArcelorMittal Distribution Solutions’ continued commitment to the region.

Johannes De Schrijver, chairman of ArcelorMittal-owned Dubai Steel Trading Company (DSTC) and CEO of the international division of Distribution Solutions, said that the facility will have the highest safety standards and practices in place as well as being LEED compliant, in recognition of its green credentials. He thanked JAFZA for its support and cooperation and complimented JAFZA management on the free zone’s world class infrastructure and service.

Mr. Tayeb Baker, chairman of UAE conglomerate ANC and vice chairman of DSTC said the facility sets a new benchmark for steel distribution companies in the region. He also thanked H.E Hisham Abdullah Al Shirawi, Mr. Talal Al Hashimi and Mr Marc Scheer for attending the event.