Emerson Electric Co. (www.emerson.com) celebrated on Jan. 12 the official opening of its new regional headquarters in Dubai to better serve its growing portfolio of business in the Middle East and to reinforce the company’s long-term commitment to the region.David N. Farr, chairman, chief executive officer, and president of the St. Louis-based company, was in the Middle East in connection with the facility opening and to meet with senior executives of the oil and gas companies in Qatar and Kuwait and with government officials in Qatar to review Emerson’s ongoing investment plans in those areas. Emerson also has resident personnel in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi serving major customers and projects in those areas. In its fiscal 2008, Emerson posted sales of US$868 million in the Middle East region. The company hopes to surpass $1 billion in the region in the near future. “The Middle East region continues to be a strong market for Emerson technologies and services, and we see increasing opportunities to expand our presence in the months and years ahead,” said Farr. “We are making investments in the region now—in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and in Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia—to help us better meet the needs of our customers in these countries and to raise awareness of our brand and the wide range of products and services that Emerson offers to improve efficiency and productivity.”New headquartersEmerson’s new regional headquarters is located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai. Emerson has more than 300 employees working out of this location. The facility consists of 80,000 square feet of office space and 50,000 square feet of light industrial manufacturing and warehouse space. At this location, Emerson assembles and tests its products and advanced technology solutions before shipment—benefiting customers throughout the Middle East and Africa with faster service and lower cost advantages.Emerson businesses with a presence at the new facility include: Emerson Process Management, Emerson Network Power, Emerson Industrial Automation, Emerson Professional Tools, Emerson Climate Technologies, and Emerson Storage Solutions.Emerson has also been making significant investments in Qatar, where it has a long-term agreement as the preferred supplier of automation technologies and services to Qatargas, one of the world’s leading producers of liquefied natural gas (LNG).In 2008, Emerson opened an office in Doha and now has more than 40 resident employees there and another 45 employees working on site in Ras Laffan, Qatar on start-up and commissioning activities. Emerson has also developed plans to open a regional engineering and training center in Doha within the next year to better support its customers in the northern part of the Middle East.Emerson Electric Co.www.emerson.comEmerson Process Managementwww.emersonprocess.com