Semmco touches down at Dubai South

Semmco the British engineering company that designs, manufactures installs and services aircraft ground support equipment and aviation access platforms for a global client network, has opened a maintenance and assembly operation in Dubai South (Dubai World Central) to better service a growing portfolio of clients throughout the Middle East and Africa and beyond.
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It is the company’s first overseas office in its 25-year history. UK manufactured products are to be shipped, flat packed, to Dubai and then assembled at the Semmco facility before being quality checked and delivered to customers. To oversee the operation and ensure the quality service, sales and maintenance engineers from the UK will be based at the Dubai facility.

“This is a strategic move made as we realised we are now facing some competition from locally-based suppliers. There is a more apparent preference for buying local and we need to be on the ground to remain competitive and relevant,” said Semmco’s Founder and Managing Director, Stuart McOnie (pictured right). “Dubai will be a springboard for the wider Middle East, and India from which we have had a range of enquiries and for servicing clients in Africa, the Far East and even Australia. “We are now working on a strategy which could see us manufacture ourselves in the region with the aim of reducing delivery costs to clients.”

The company, which counts Emirates and FlyDubai among its customer base, is now manufacturing product including oxygen and nitrogen trollies, wheel and brake service trailers and engineer maintenance steps, in the Gulf through a tie-up with Sharjah’s Flowline. It has appointed a full-time business development manager in the region and is looking to expand with a designer and service staff to handle annual equipment servicing.
“We have recently signed a new contract with a client based in Saudi Arabia and believe there is significant potential from the Kingdom with work progressing on developing and modernising the country’s 27 airports, the take-off of privately owned airlines and the growth in its MRO sector,” said McOnie. “We have been servicing clients in the Middle East for eight years now and this physical move into the region demonstrates our long-term commitment to it and its role as a hub for reaching other regions.”