AED 80 billion regional facility management industry in immediate need of regulation and standardized best practices; say’s company spokesperson

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The Middle East Consultancy Association (MECA), having launched in the UAE market, now offers the country’s cleaning, hygiene, and facility management industry much needed regulations and standardized best practices. MECA aims to play a prominent role in the region, helping to vitalise the Middle East’s cleaning and hygiene industry expecting to see a grow of 275% by 2020.

The region’s facility management industry, which industry sources estimate to be worth AED 300 billion by 2020, will also benefit from MECA, a first-mover when it comes to being a regulatory and compliance body, here in the region.

MECA’s immediate plans emphasises three crucial sectors that the company states have long been overlooked when it comes to Green Clean programs and sustainability: Education, Health, and Aviation.

“MECA aims to be omnipresent within the UAE’s cleaning, hygiene, and facility management industries. We have done extensive market research, taken intelligence from service providers, owners, and government officials, and the need for a regulatory body is of paramount importance,” commented Ahmad M. Alayan, Chairman and CEO, The Middle East Consultancy Association.

“As the UAE and the region continues to grow, local and regional suppliers, manufacturers, service providers, cleaners, governmental bodies and others within the industry are not all primed to grow with it. This is where MECA plays a prominent role, in helping to provide a platform for the industry to thrive. We mirror global best practices, and local cutting-edge science, benchmarked against the legacy of our primary ally, ISSA, a globally recognised industry pioneer for the past 93 years,” added Alayan.

ISSA is the leading worldwide association for the cleaning industry, and leverages the strength of its global cleaning community to change the way the world views cleaning – increasing the appreciation for cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment and an improved bottom line.

“We look forward to working with MECA to raising the levels of professionalism in the cleaning and Facility Management industry. We could not be prouder to be working with MECA in this important part of the world. So, let us work together to change the way the world views cleaning in the Middle East,” added, John Barrett, Executive Director, ISSA.

“Change is not easy; it takes effort, risk, and collaboration. And the idea of stepping forward, as MECA has done, is the ripple to start the wave in our industry. Doctors are viewed so highly in society because they fix us, but only after we’ve caught something or have a problem. Our industry actually keeps people from having problems or having something. And if we can start to speak about that more often, we can have another ripple, and ultimately change the way the world views cleaning, and this is why we’re excited to be working with MECA to bring world-class education to the region,” added Dianna Steinbach, Director, EMEA Services, ISSA.

Often overlooked and marginalized in the UAE and GCC region, the cleaning and facility management industries, the company states, are in fact crucial life-support systems. MECA aims to alter these outdated and inaccurate perceptions by highlighting their importance, and bringing their vitality to the forefront.

“In the UAE, cleaning is still viewed and run in a non-progressive and outdated manner. The economy has grown exponentially bringing with it remarkable growth to several industries. Taking the construction industry for instance, the number of buildings has increased drastically, along with their size and intricacies, but what concerns us is the way these buildings and facilities are being managed and cleaned. This system has not reformed, or progressed, and this is precisely what MECA plans on changing,” said Alayan.

MECA brings limitless innovation, cutting-edge science, progressive and continuous education, and global best-practices to the local market. Be it through its green clean programs, its diversified trainings, or its high-standard certifications, MECA is adamant to catapult the local industry forward.

In a recent industry event, organised by MECA in Dubai, Toni D’Andrea, CEO of Afidamp, commented that “Cleaning is a key factor in the progress of any civilization or country, and Dubai is a specific example of a country or society that has passed from industry 1.0 to industry 4.0, skipping all the stages in between, and the cleaning industry here should be no different.”

MECA further believes that sustainability nowadays is no longer categorized as optional. Nations worldwide are issuing decrees, hosting summits, and committing to sustainability and green solutions through various approaches. In fact, the Expo 2020 which will take place right here in Dubai is all about sustainability. For these reasons and more, MECA is certain that the industry is not only ‘willing’ to listen to the solutions it brings to the table, but are in fact ‘demanding’ such solution to catch the global curb that the regional industry has clearly been falling behind.