By Okan Cüntay, General Manager, ABS Middle East
I am proud to announce a milestone that changes what ABS Middle East is: ABS Plus void formwork is now manufactured in the United Arab Emirates. After years of supplying the Gulf from our group production lines abroad, we have started local production — and from today, the ABS Plus systems delivered to your sites carry a label we intend to earn every day: Made in UAE.
This is not a logistics tweak. It is our new strategic roadmap: building a manufacturing and supply footprint inside the country where our products are used, so that our customers get shorter lead times, a more resilient supply chain and factory support in their own time zone.
A natural next step in our Gulf journey
Our story in this region did not start yesterday. ABS YAPI products have been used in the GCC since 2019, when a local distributor first introduced them to main contractors in the Emirates. The results on real projects — from Meydan developments to residences on The Palm — convinced us that this market deserved more than remote supply.
In 2022 we established our Dubai subsidiary, ABS Disposable Formworks Middle East Building Materials Trading L.L.C. (License No: 1098711), and began supporting customers directly with a local team of engineers and product specialists. Since then we have delivered 100+ projects across the GCC, working shoulder to shoulder with contractors, consultants and developers.
Local manufacturing is the logical third step: first we sold here, then we stood beside our customers here — now we build here.
What UAE production means for your project
For main contractors, MEP contractors and consultants working to Gulf construction schedules, local production changes the practical realities of procurement:
Shorter lead times and local stock – Material is produced and held in the UAE, so call-offs no longer depend on overseas production slots and sea-freight schedules. When a podium or amenity floor program accelerates, supply can accelerate with it.
Factory-cut legs, faster – ABS Plus legs are cut to specification at the factory to match project-specific heights up to 300 cm. Doing this locally means custom heights reach site in days, not shipping cycles.
A resilient supply chain – Regional and global freight disruptions have taught every contractor the cost of a stalled fill package. A UAE production base removes that exposure for a component that frequently sits on the critical path.
Same-day technical support – Our Dubai-based engineers and product specialists support design coordination, installation training and site problem-solving on your working day, backed by a factory next door rather than a phone line across time zones.
Local-value procurement – Clients and developers across the Emirates increasingly favour supply chains that invest in the national economy. Sourcing a Made in UAE system strengthens that story on every project.
The product: ABS Plus, unchanged in quality
Let me be explicit about what has not changed: the product. UAE-made ABS Plus is manufactured to the same specifications, tooling standards and quality controls as the systems behind 3.5M+ m² of installed area worldwide since 2011. It remains the adjustable-height void formwork system this industry knows:
Reinforced concrete raised floors up to 300 cm, with only 2 legs per m² — fewer components, faster installation, less concrete and steel.
Made from 100% recycled polypropylene, supporting LEED certification goals.
A 95% hollow design with 59 cm clear void width between columns, so electrical and mechanical installations can pass beneath the floor before or after construction.
Documented performance our customers rely on: 55 kN/m² live load at 100 cm height with just 5 cm of topping concrete, and a stacking design where one truck of ABS replaces up to 50 trucks of conventional fill material.
You can review the full system on our ABS void formworks solution page. For bidirectional voided slabs, our Volimax voided slab system complements the range.
Aligned with the UAE's industrial vision
Our decision mirrors the country's direction. The UAE's national industrial strategy Operation 300bn — led by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology under the Make it in the Emirates banner — aims to grow the industrial sector's contribution to GDP from AED 133 billion to AED 300 billion by 2031 by expanding domestic manufacturing (Make it in the Emirates). By manufacturing construction systems locally, we are doing our part: keeping industrial value, jobs and know-how inside the Emirates while supplying the region's record construction pipeline from within.
Building more with less
There is also a sustainability dividend that local production amplifies. Void formwork already reduces the concrete and steel in a structure by replacing mass fill with engineered voids — which means fewer material deliveries, lower structural weight and a smaller embodied-carbon footprint. Manufacturing in the UAE compounds that advantage: shorter transport distances for a product whose entire purpose is to move less material. For developers targeting Estidama and LEED ratings, every link of that chain counts.
Our roadmap: what comes next
Starting production is the beginning, not the destination. Our roadmap from here has three horizons: first, deepen local stock and cut-to-spec capacity so standard and custom orders ship faster; second, expand the UAE-made range in line with what Gulf projects demand — from amenity floors and landscape podiums to low-voltage distribution rooms; and third, grow local technical employment and know-how, so the expertise behind the product lives where the product is used.
To our existing customers: thank you for the trust that made this investment possible. To contractors and consultants we have not yet worked with: come and see what a Made in UAE void formwork system can do for your next slab. Talk to our Dubai team — we are closer than ever.
Frequently asked questions
Is ABS Plus void formwork now manufactured in the UAE?
Yes. ABS Middle East has started local production of ABS Plus void formwork in the UAE, so the system is now genuinely Made in UAE. Manufacturing follows the same specifications, tooling standards and quality controls as the ABS YAPI Group production lines that have served projects worldwide since 2011.
Does local production change the product specification?
No. UAE-made ABS Plus is the same adjustable-height system made from recycled polypropylene, forming reinforced concrete raised floors up to 300 cm with only 2 legs per square meter. Load capacity, geometry and installation method are unchanged; what changes is lead time, availability and factory-cut responsiveness for project-specific heights.
How does UAE manufacturing benefit contractors on site?
Local production means shorter lead times from a local stock, factory-cut legs delivered to specification without sea-freight delays, and technical support from our Dubai-based team on the same working day. It also removes exposure to international shipping disruption for a component that often sits on the critical path of podium, amenity floor and sunken slab works.
Which applications is ABS Plus used for?
ABS Plus is used for lightweight fill applications including amenity floor construction, sunken slab fills, landscape fills, inverted beam fills, fills between foundation footings, car park ramps, swimming pool decks, elevator and staircase hallway fills, crawlspace construction, low-voltage distribution rooms and rainwater harvesting.
About ABS Middle East
ABS Middle East (ABS Disposable Formworks Middle East Building Materials Trading L.L.C., License No: 1098711) is the UAE subsidiary of ABS YAPI Group, a void formwork manufacturer since 2011 with 3.5M+ m² installed worldwide. From our Dubai office we supply ABS Plus void formwork and Volimax voided slab systems to 100+ projects across the GCC. Learn more about us or browse our reference projects.