Dubai, UAE, September 23, 2006: Global real estate major Emaar Properties has highlighted its international quality management system and continual improvement practices by winning the International Organization for Standardization’s ISO 9001:2000 quality certification.
Mr Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director, Emaar Properties, received the certification from Mr Basem Obaid, Regional Manager of Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA), which completed the stringent evaluation procedures in a record three-month period.
“The ISO 9001:2000 for Emaar marks the first time that a property developer of its size, scale and scope of operations has won the prestigious stamp of quality from the region,” said Mr Matrooshi. “The certification underpins Emaar’s continuous improvement of performance in meeting the quality requirements of its clients and the value-added measures adapted by the company to enhance customer satisfaction.”
The world’s most accepted quality standard, the ISO 9001:2000 specifies the quality management system (QMS) put in place by organizations to ensure consistent product and service quality. “Emaar’s QMS is world-class and demonstrates the property developer’s commitment to being a global property developer and community service provider,” said Mr. Ahmed Ali, Executive Director, HR & Organisation Effectiveness, Emaar Properties. “The efficiency of operations and systematic approach to QMS at Emaar helped complete the evaluation procedure in record three months.”
Emaar’s operations were assessed for its adherence to international quality standards; the alliances with contractors, consultants and service providers; productivity; team work; customer satisfaction and commitment to continuous improvement.
“Customer satisfaction ranked high in the criteria for the certification, which is a clear testimony to the success of the master-planned communities we pioneered in Dubai in 1997,” said Mr Matrooshi. “The recognition is also proof that we are on the right track in our adherence to internationally-accepted quality management systems and processes.”
Emaar has outlined in its Mission, Vision and Strategy to adopt a strategy of business segmentation to create business clusters that function as growth engines. “Emaar’s growth engines today are property development, finance, education, healthcare and hospitality. This is in line with our Vision 2010 of becoming one of the world’s most valuable companies through international expansion and diversification,” said Mr Matrooshi.
Emaar pioneered the concept of freehold master-planned communities in the UAE with the Emirates Hills development in 1997. Today, Emaar’s roster of projects include the Arabian Ranches, Emirates Living, Dubai Marina and the up-and-coming Downtown Burj Dubai, which will have at its epicenter the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest tower when completed in 2008.
Emaar has handed over more than 14,000 homes in its master-planned communities in the UAE and has extended the successful model to countries further afield including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, India and Pakistan.
Emaar has scaled up its competencies in product sales through the recent acquisition of America’s second largest privately held homebuilder – John Laing Homes, and the UK-based international realtor Hamptons International.
