DUBAI EXPO was a celebration of NORDcanopy canopies and the launch of ETS NORD’s Middle East conquest
The Dubai Expo 2020 was finally completed at the end of March 2022, after a couple of years of postponement. ETS NORD was involved as one of the main sponsors of the Estonian pavilion, as well as behind the Taste Estonia restaurant built into the pavilion. The restaurant was ventilated with NORDcanopy products and operated by the Estonian company Carmen Catering.
ETS NORD International Sales Partner Markku Mattila is excited about the successful World Expo. – It may well be that, in retrospect, we can say that Dubai Expo 2020 was one of the watersheds in the global conquest of the NORDcanopy canopy product group. The interest in our kitchen ventilation solutions was so promising, he ponders.
– The high-quality restaurant in the Estonian pavilion proved to be a resounding success, and the restaurant’s delicious Estonian Burger was a good introduction to our kitchen ventilation solutions, Mattila enthuses. – And when it turned out that we already had a solution to the biggest challenge in the local market – delivery time – there was a lot of interest.
Assembled canopies for the Middle Eastern market
Mattila says that the World Expo has led directly to the fact that ETS NORD is now setting up a co-operation company focusing on the Middle East and Arabic-speaking countries in Dubai, which also includes local partners. ETS NORD’s strength will be fast delivery. The canopies, which are delivered as an aSAP solution, are a perfect solution for the long delivery times in the local market. Recair air handling units can also be delivered as modules to the local market. Modular products are delivered to the customer at best in a couple of weeks when the delivery time in the Middle Eastern market in general is closer to a couple of months.
– We have set up a warehouse in Dubai to receive a comprehensive range of modules, which are assembled on site by a trained operator,” says Mattila. – The deal has got off to a good start and contracts have already been signed for several projects. We have been involved in projects for large hotel chains, among others.
-For me, one of the more inspiring successes of our projects in Dubai was to be involved in a project for the OPUS by OMNIYAT hotel, designed by the world-famous and much-admired architect Zaha Hadid. We are implementing restaurant ventilation there with products from the NORDcanopy product group, Mattila says.
In the Middle East, certified food safety is a prerequisite
One of the prerequisites for the success at the World Expo was the HACCP International certificate for NORDcanopy canopies.
– Above all, it is a guarantee of excellent hygiene and cleanability of the canopy,” says Mattila. – Although HACCP International certification is relatively unknown in Finland, it has already opened many doors for us in the international market. The Dubai Expo showed that this is a prerequisite for further negotiations in the Middle Eastern market.
HACCP International certification can be awarded to equipment manufacturers whose certified products are used in the food industry. The certificate requires that the products meet both the criteria for best practice in food safety and the certification requirements defined by HACCP International.
