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Dubai / Emirates Business
In a study of the best Global Free Zones by fDi Magazine – a publication from the Financial Times – Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, UAE and Amata City Chonburi, Thailand has been awarded the top prizes in the Global Free Zones of the Year 2018.
The DMMC saw almost 2000 new businesses established in 2017. The zone finished the year with 14,805 companies and more than 61,700 employees. Some notable investments in 2017 include Saudi Arabia-based transportation and logistics company Bahri Group, which relocated to the zone’s One JLT low-rise business tower, expanding to more than 2900 square metres.
Some major developments are planned for DMCC in the coming years, with its Uptown Dubai venture projected to created 10,000 jobs over the next decade. The zone is also focused on developing a smart district to ensure the community of the zone (which numbers about 100,000 people) can live and work in a state-of-the-art environment.
Amata City Chonburi, Thailand, finished runner-up with a Highly Commended award. A newcomer to fDi’s Global Free Zones of the Year awards and located near Chonburi on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, Amata City Chonburi has been highly commended in this year’s awards. The number of people employed in the zone increased by 18.4% to more than 215,000 employees in the judging period. This was the highest increase of all zones in the competition.
Amata City Chonburi enjoys access to major infrastructure to the benefit of investors, including sea ports, airports and highways to meet supply chain and logistics needs. Sweden-based Autoliv, which supplies safety systems for the automotive industry, has a presence in the zone, as does Japan-based tyre company Bridgestone and automotive company Toyota. Amata City Chonburi boasts an extensive automotive cluster, and supports its investors with state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities.