RAKEZ deepens industrial push

Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone has signed two strategic agreements with MAGRABi Retail Group and Mighty Industrial Park, widening the emirate’s manufacturing base through projects covering retail fit-out production, metal recycling, refining and advanced industrial activity.

The agreements were signed during the fifth edition of Make it in the Emirates at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, in the presence of Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah. The deals place RAKEZ at the centre of the emirate’s efforts to attract industrial investors seeking lower operating costs, scalable facilities and access to regional and global markets.

The first agreement, represented by MAGRABi Retail Group chief executive Yasser Taher, will establish a Store Manufacturing Centre in Ras Al Khaimah. The facility is designed to produce furniture, store fit-outs, refurbishments and pop-up retail concepts for the group’s network across the Gulf. It is expected to service up to 140 stores annually and create as many as 100 jobs.

MAGRABi Retail Group, one of the region’s established eyewear retailers, operates multiple brands and retail formats across the Middle East. The proposed manufacturing centre is intended to centralise production of store environments, giving the company greater control over design, quality, costs and delivery timelines as it expands its regional footprint.

The second agreement was signed with Mighty Industrial Park, represented by shareholder Guichun Guo, for the development of a comprehensive China-UAE industrial park. The project will focus on metal recycling, dismantling, smelting, precious metal refining and advanced manufacturing. Its proposed model is built around a circular-economy value chain, linking recycling and refining with downstream production and export activity.

The industrial park is expected to strengthen Ras Al Khaimah’s appeal to companies involved in secondary metals, resource recovery and sustainable manufacturing. It also reflects deeper commercial engagement between UAE industrial zones and China-linked investors, especially in sectors where supply-chain security, recycling capacity and materials processing are becoming more important to manufacturers.

RAKEZ Group chief executive Ramy Jallad said the agreements supported Ras Al Khaimah’s ambition to become a leading hub for advanced manufacturing and industrial investment. He said the partnerships would help develop an integrated industrial ecosystem capable of supporting innovation, global value-chain shifts and sustainable production.

The deals come as the UAE intensifies efforts to expand its industrial base under Operation 300bn, a national strategy aimed at increasing the sector’s contribution to economic output. Make it in the Emirates 2026 has served as a platform for industrial partnerships, procurement opportunities and investment announcements, with more than 1,100 exhibitors across 12 industrial sectors and a focus on localising around 5,000 products.

Industrial development has become a more prominent policy priority as governments and companies reassess supply-chain exposure, import dependence and the need for resilient production networks. The UAE’s industrial sector contribution has reached AED200 billion, while industrial exports have risen to AED262 billion, including AED92 billion in advanced industrial exports.

RAKEZ is positioning itself as a cost-competitive manufacturing base within that wider national agenda. The zone is home to more than 40,000 companies across over 50 sectors after adding about 19,000 new companies in 2025, a 44 percent increase from the previous year. Around 1,000 manufacturing companies operate within RAKEZ across sectors including packaging, food and beverage, automotive, aviation, construction and defence.

Ras Al Khaimah’s broader manufacturing base has benefited from access to industrial land, ports, logistics links and lower operating costs compared with larger commercial centres in the region. Those advantages are increasingly being marketed to mid-sized and international manufacturers looking for regional production bases rather than purely trading or distribution operations.

The MAGRABi project brings a retail-linked manufacturing component to that ecosystem, while the Mighty Industrial Park proposal adds heavier industrial capability in metals and materials recovery. Together, the agreements demonstrate RAKEZ’s attempt to balance light manufacturing, consumer-facing supply chains and resource-intensive industrial activity within one economic-zone framework.

The China-UAE industrial park is likely to draw scrutiny over environmental safeguards, given the nature of smelting, refining and dismantling operations. Its success will depend on regulatory oversight, clean processing standards, reliable utilities and the ability to attract complementary upstream and downstream companies. If implemented effectively, the project could support green manufacturing goals by converting recyclable materials into higher-value industrial inputs.

For Ras Al Khaimah, the agreements reinforce a wider strategy of using industrial investment to diversify economic activity beyond real estate, tourism and services. The emirate has been courting manufacturers through streamlined licensing, flexible facilities and access to both free-zone and non-free-zone structures, aiming to capture companies that want a long-term base for production and export.