The company’s business strategy focuses on innovative, technology-driven and sustainable FM solutions, believes CEO Markus Oberlin
February 01, 2024 | Staff Reporter | UAE | Facilities Management
Leading UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek has achieved record sales revenue, securing a host of new and retained contracts, valued at more than AED 607 million, over the course of 2023. In total during 2023, Farnek was awarded more than 300 contracts, an average of 25 every month and overall, more than 2,500 additional members of staff have been mobilised to sites across the UAE.
According to Markus Oberlin, Farnek CEO, the record number of contract wins is a result of Farnek's successful business strategy, which focuses on innovative, technology-driven and sustainable FM solutions. “This culminated in winning the Expo City contract for hard and soft FM services and our successful management of the COP28 event. We also managed to increase our market share in Abu Dhabi with new contract wins such as ADNOC, the MiZa neighbourhood and ENEC and continued to manage the facilities for the F1 Grand Prix.”
Farnek services a wide range of industry sectors such as energy, security, aviation, hospitality, retail and residential property. The scope of work includes a considerable number of contracts for total facilities management (TFM) as well as dedicated hard and soft services such as MEP, cleaning, maintenance, security and housekeeping appointments, amongst others.
Our hospitality division has been particularly successful; we have grown our business in this sector by 268% over the past 12 months. We have been awarded contracts for housekeeping, maintenance and security from SLS Residences in Dubai’s Business Bay, the five-star Sofitel The Palm and the luxury Anantara properties on the Palm Jumeirah and the World Islands.
Markus Oberlin, CEO of Farnek
Other new business development highlights last year included providing hard and soft FM support at Dubai airport, a hard services contract for the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi, TFM for Dubai-based aviation services company ExecuJet as well as the Dubai Police.
Farnek’s home maintenance company Hitches & Glitches, secured a significant contract with Emaar Hospitality to manage back of door services, for 14 Emaar Residence Towers featuring more than 7,000 apartments. “Our sustainability team was also awarded a contract from the Higher Colleges of Technology to develop a roadmap towards net zero. In addition, our technology services company HITEK, which provides smart FM solutions, obtained a contract from the five-star Hotel Vals in Switzerland, to digitise the hotel’s processes and implement HITEK’s groundbreaking FLEXIGUEST software,” commented Oberlin.
Farnek also renewed its MEP hard services contract with Burj Khalifa. “That has to be the ultimate commercial reference, providing maintenance for the tallest building in the world, which we have done effectively since 2010!” said Oberlin. Looking ahead, Farnek is continuing its strategic approach to new business acquisition. “We have set an aggressive but realistic target of 20% growth in 2024, which will undoubtedly consolidate our market position,” he added.