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in the south of germany if you call somebody ein richtiger Kerl which could be translated as a cracker or a fine chap this means something and is more than just a compliment Moritz Kerler his family name contains this expression is such a Kerl a successful entrepreneur who has his base in ras Al Khaimah and at the same time activities in saudi Arabia egypt and elsewhere in the region his story is certainly unique and thus cannot necessarily be a copy and paste model for others to imitate however what can be learned from it is that the famous german virtues such as quality orientation diligence hard work persistence and an engineering mind combined with knowledge of the Arab culture and respect for Arab business partners creates a real success story that is worthwhile to tell and learn from morITz PLEaSE TELL mE aBoUT yoUr ExPErIENcE IN ThE mIDDLE EaST ParTIcULarLy IN UaE Firstly I would like to mention that we Swabian I come from a small village in the Southern part of Germany don t like to talk much about ourselves but let us make an exception here Back in 1974 in Cambridge England I met many young Arabs and through these friendships I was asked to submit a quote for a Mercedes truck which I sold and finally drove to Kuwait myself This was quite an adventure which was followed by one year of fruitless travelling all over the Middle East as I had started my own company After expenses exceeded the budget by far I finally borrowed 3000 DM Deutsche Mark from my family bought a one way ticket to Riyadh KSA and thought I would have a good chance as KSA was the most promising market although at the same time known to be quite difficult The first few nights I had to sleep at the Airport as I was not able to reach my local contact The following 2 years were extremely difficult but then success came overwhelmingly After these 2 years my brother Johannes since then the back bone of all of my activities joined me and we stayed for the next 16 years in Riyadh and built with our team a sizeable company We were mainly working in the field of Industrial Plants At that time it was not possible to officially be a Partner in a Saudi Company therefore I made like many others a so called private agreement which was legally not protected I was not lucky in my partnership and left KSA in 1992 during the first Kuwait war unfortunately almost the same way I had reached there For the following 10 years I mainly operated from Germany but in 2002 I decided to go back to my old home as the experience had no impact on my trust and love for the Arab world After first visiting KSA I decided to build my new base in the UAE It was clear that I would stick to what I knew and so I concentrated on Industrial Plants It took almost a year to realize the first project while the major equipment was supplied by my long time German business partners who also provided the manufacturing drawings which enabled me to have the steel works done by UAE subcontractors Soon I realized that there is no other way to succeed than by having our own Engineering Design team and our own local manufacturing of steel work and installation teams We added further products to our portfolio such as different types of Conveyor Systems and various Bulk Handling Equipment In 2006 I was able to win one of the best Design Engineers in our field into our team Michael Schmidt About the same time my son Michael Moritz Johannes joined how Do yoU SEE ThE markET oF UaE aND ThE EmIraTE raS aL khaImah IN ParTIcULar UAE is the most ideal domicile for a foreign investor and his team It offers everything you need You are protected by the law and you can grow fast because of limited bureaucracy existing tax law and the support of the UAE Authorities You have all the logistic advantages of a modern country several airlines airports as well as amenities like hospitals and schools Only in countries with such favourable conditions can one build a company of our size from scratch in a little more than 10 years With Ras Al Khaimah I am in love Its mixture of rural charm people with warm attitudes and hospitality reminds me of my experiences with the Bedouins who I met in the remote areas of KSA Ras Al Khaimah became my home and I hope to be allowed to stay here together with my team my family I think it is well known in the meantime that Ras Al Khaimah is developing fast and in the right direction That I chose Ras Al Khaimah as our place to live and to grow was not by coincidence I think I made the right and best possible decision I would also like to say that German Emirati Joint Council for Industry and Commerce AHK is the platform for us German companies established in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah Not only me but INTERVIEW a swabian in ras al Khaimah INTErVIEw wITh morITz kErLEr 2 ISSUE 12 MAJLIs