The Rais Hassan Saadi (RHS) Group was launched back in 1910 with a primary focus on shipping and freight forwarding. Over the past 100 years, the company has successfully developed in to the regions foremost shipping services company. In particular, the success of the group’s 3PL division, RHS Logistics, has truly cemented its status as a market leader, with state of the art storage facilities across the United Arab Emirates, including a trio of flagship warehouses in Jebel Ali Free Zone.
“I’m not sure how many companies have reached the 100-year breakthrough in Dubai, but we were amongst the first organisations to be legally established in the emirate, so there’s a great sense of achievement within the group,” states Richard Bell, general manager of RHS Logistics. “Everyone is really proud to celebrate this milestone anniversary.”
Following a string of recent contract wins, RHS Logistics has announced plans to invest in the development of technology systems and personnel, which is actually stipulated in customer contracts. “As part of our agreement with clients, it’s clearly stated that over the course of their contract, we will invest a certain amount in information systems, in developing our personnel, and other such factors. Principles have been extremely responsive to that commitment,” states Bell. “Information technology is a continuous development process and we have implemented a lot of software outside our main WMS, which is individually tailored to our client requirements. Some of this has been developed in-house and others have been purchased.”
Infrastructure developments are also on the horizon in the United Arab Emirates, especially with continued progress at Dubai Logistics City and expansion of Jebel Ali Free Zone. “Looking ahead, we will look to complement the infrastructure developments in Dubai. For example, we will embrace opportunities at the Dubai World Central project, with the recent opening of Al Maktoum International Airport and Dubai Logistics City. That is definitely on our roadmap,” states Bell. “We’re also looking at the latest phase of our development at Jebel Ali Free Zone. We have three buildings in the free zone and negotiations have commenced for land to accommodate a fourth warehouse. I am looking to take 50,000m2 and build around 30,000m2, ideally breaking ground in six months. A recovery has been noticed in volumes, especially in the high tech sector, and we are continuously bidding for new contracts, so building capacity is needed to support the growth.”
There has long been talk about RHS Logistics taking its successful business model to other parts of the world. And while this has not materialised to date, Bell indicates there is some truth to the trade talk. “I believe we are regional operators and this is our Middle East region. If we were to expand, I would see RHS Logistics entering the Far East and Europe, rather than secondary markets in the GCC, especially when we have a firm presence in the UAE, which is the primary hub for Middle East logistics.”
RHS Logistics
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