Boost for contract to £1m
Sep 17 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal
AN engineering firm has seen its contract for work on the Dubai Metro project jump from £750,000 to beyond the £1m mark.
Hart Door Systems, of Westerhope, Newcastle, originally won an export order worth £750,000 to supply 115 industrial roller shutters for the project in the United Arab Emirates last year.
However, as one of the most advanced urban rail systems in the world gets rolling, the firm has now won a further order for 72 industrial roller shutters taking the overall order value to well over £1m.
Hart won the contract through Al-Futtaim Group – a supplier to the first two lines of the high-tech driverless rapid transit system.
Alan Richardson, contract manager for Hart, said the Dubai Metro would relieve congestion caused by increasing traffic.
He also said it would support the continuing urban development needed to accommodate a population rising at a rate of 6.4% as well as booming tourist numbers in the UAE.
He said: “This is our largest export order to date and comes on the back of large orders for Hart products for Heathrow's T5 and the international railway terminal at St. Pancras.
“Time and again we show that engineering excellence is still alive and well on Tyneside.”
The Metro system was partially opened last week with 10 of the 26 stations on the main line now being used.
The first part of the order for 115 shutters has been completed and work on the latest contract has just commenced for delivery by the end of the year.
In full operation, Dubai Metro is projected to carry about 1.2 million passengers on an average day, and 355 million passengers per year.
If you or your company needs export-related advice, call the Regional International Trade Hotline on (0845) 05 05 054, email enquiries@ukti.rito.co.uk , or visit www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk
