On Guard

Mike McGeever, MD of the Transguard Group.

fmME: Transguard will retain the MACAir name?
The MACAir name is currently being retained. We see an intrinsic value in the name at this moment in time, simply because of the association it has had with quality in the MEP business over the last ten years.

It will be the fourth division within Transguard. We have already put our mobilisation and transition team into play to allow MACAir and its staff to bridge, hopefully bump-free, into Transguard.

So we have mapped across things like HR, finance, IT, estimating, quality control, health and safety and security. These things are quite easy to do; we are already an established organisation.

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MACAir will be a very important part of the business, and it will certainly be very important in terms of its relationship with our overall FM service offering.

fmME: What is your overall growth strategy?
We have been asked by customers in Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and many African countries, as well as India, Pakistan and four European countries, to go and open Transguard internationally.

We have not done so because the marketplace in Dubai, and the extraordinary growth we have had since our inception seven years ago, has suggested we are much better off to build on what we have and know, and that is across the UAE.

We will be moving internationally, and we will be selecting somewhere within the GCC to open first and foremost. Internationally, outside of the GCC, we are in discussions with several organisations about taking on a Transguard franchise.

We will supply the knowledge, know-how and, in some instances, the opportunities and leads for the business; they will supply in-country knowledge and infrastructure. So that is very exciting for us.

fmME: Any final message?
I would like to extend a sincere thank you to the historic customers of MACAir and the Transguard group. All of you will understand that change sometimes brings uncertainty – that is not our intention at all in this instance.

We would like the customers of MACAir to acknowledge and understand the benefits of the deal. We look forward to servicing them in the future, and introducing MEP to our existing customer base.

Transguard’s FM division
Transguard’s FM division delivers carefully-tailored and bespoke FM solutions built upon a solid foundation of global best practice. The division’s operational service delivery is designed along the FM continuum or whole lifecycle of a building or facility.

Its FM consultancy team ensures that, from conceptual design through to construction phase, the principles of cost-efficient, sustainable buildings are delivered to the client.

The operational team then ensures that the assets, infrastructure and appearance of the building are maintained to the highest standards and in compliance with the client’s and constructor’s guidelines, municipality instructions and globally-recognised standards.