World Outsourcing Forum holds its first edition - UAE

Downsizing cost and work force, more flexibility and access to high-end professionalism are the main advantages of outsourcing, said Ayed A. Al-Ruwaili, Comm. Engineer at Saudi Aramco, yesterday at the first edition of the World Outsourcing Forum. The forum, discussed challenges and opportunities the rapidly developing outsourcing industry presents. "Oustcouring should not mainly be introduced for cost cutting reasons, although this is one aspect of it.


The overall decision to outsource certain aspects should be based on various considerations and an profoundly evaluated risk-cost comparison," Al-Ruwaili expressed. Co-host of the event was the Dubai Outsource Zone (DOZ), an initiative of the Dubai Internet City.

DOZ, the first free zone in the world dedicated to the outsourcing industry, has been developed to provide a base for both captive and third-party outsourcing operations to supply mid and high-end services in areas such as finance, accounting, IT, payroll processing, engineering, R&D, and design. The Institution is to be completed in 2006; it has so far attracted US, US, European and Indian businesses looking to relocate their existing operations to Dubai. The World Outsourcing Forum gathers experts and industry professionals to discuss, develop and implement structure within the industry associations every year. "Outsourcing has become a defining global strategy for many high-profile multinational businesses, but until now the industry has lacked an annual focal point to support these companies and the vendor companies that make up this industry," James Freeman, director of the World Outsourcing Forum, emphasised.