Move aims to raise regional and global competitiveness of locally made products 

In partnership with the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC), the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) approved a new policy enhancing the industrial sector’s compliance with conformity programs and technical standards set for locally made products. The policy aims to guarantee that local products are manufactured based on specifications that will help bolster their global competitiveness. 

H.E. Rashed Abdul Karim Al Balooshi, Undersecretary of ADDED, pointed out that this latest development will boost the industrial sector’s contributions to Abu Dhabi’s economy, as well as increase its outputs produced based on the highest technical and environmental specifications.

According to H.E. Al Balooshi, the policy’s implementation reflects ADDED’s efforts to support Abu Dhabi-made products by ensuring that they conform to the set technical requirements that guarantee customer satisfaction and happiness. Apart from enabling these products to compete in the regional and international markets, ADDED’s move will also help empower the local industries into becoming a key domestic market driver and a reliable source of high-quality and safe products, in line with the government’s directives. 

"ADDED will remain committed to improving the quality and volume of local industrial production in recognition of the sector’s pivotal role in Abu Dhabi’s economic growth. As such, the new policy establishes an integrated framework helping local factories and companies to produce high-quality and diverse products, which will in turn enable the emirate to achieve self-sufficiency,” he said.

H.E. Al Balooshi called on all concerned business organizations to abide by the policy, assuring them of ADDED’s continuous support for local industries to help improve the quality of their products, increase their competitiveness and make them a key contributor to the emirate’s economic development.

He added: "We will continue our fruitful cooperation with the QCC as well as our strategic partners for the local industrial sector to attain self-sufficiency, compete internationally and increase the volume of its export products.”

The newly approved policy focuses on the compliance with conformity programs and technical specifications governing products manufactured in the emirate, which will improve their local and global efficiency and their ability to compete with imported items and on the international stage.  

Moreover, the policy encourages local industrial facilities to invest more in raising the efficiency of their production and improving the quality, competitiveness and attractiveness of their products. This will help the emirate attain a sustainable industrial development. 

The policy works on defining the potential local products to be covered by the conformity programs or technical standards. Under its provisions, the QCC will issue conformity certificates to technically compliant companies and stamp their products with a conformity mark. Furthermore, in support of local companies, the policy enables government agencies to purchase Abu Dhabi-made products during procurement process, offering them a price preference of at least 5 per cent of the lowest price in technical bids. These products are, therefore, prioritized during various government tenders. 

With its comprehensive framework that seeks to increase the industrial sector’s competitiveness, the policy is expected to bring positive economic benefits and help diversify Abu Dhabi’s sources of income through the production of high-quality local products based on the technical requirements. 

On the environmental impact aspect, it will ensure that the products meet the highest global environmental standards. This will help protect the environment as well as the health and safety of the local communities.

A special team headed by IDB has been formed to oversee the policy’s implementation. Its members include ADDED’s Abu Dhabi Business Center (ADBC), the QCC, representatives of relevant government entities, and industry practitioners and players. 

Part of the team’s mandate is to evaluate whether the different available locally made products meet the highest standards of health, safety, quality and competitiveness based on the given criteria. The members will also create a list of local products that will be covered by conformity programs or technical specifications, both of which will be required in the Abu Dhabi market, to help improve their quality. 

Its other responsibilities include assessing the impact of the conformity programs and technical standards on the market share of the local products; submitting to ADDED’s Chairman a semi-annual report containing the impact of the policy and the team’s solutions to past obstacles and challenges; monitoring policy-related key performance indicators (KPIs); and imposing key technical criteria to increase government purchases of high-quality local products.