Abu Dhabi Industrial Zones (ADIZ) — Manufacturing Setup Guide 2026
Abu Dhabi Industrial City (ADIZ, formerly ICAD — Industrial City of Abu Dhabi) provides Abu Dhabi’s primary industrial land for manufacturing, processing, and logistics. Managed by Abu Dhabi Ports Group, ADIZ offers large industrial plots adjacent to Khalifa Port. This guide covers ADIZ for manufacturers in 2026.
In this guide:
ADIZ Overview
- Full name: Abu Dhabi Industrial City (ADIZ); formerly Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD)
- Manager: Abu Dhabi Ports Group (formerly ADFZACA)
- Location: Musaffah, Abu Dhabi; 30 minutes from Abu Dhabi city centre; adjacent to Khalifa Port and KEZAD (Khalifa Economic Zones)
- Scale: over 14,000 hectares of industrial land; one of the world’s largest industrial cities by area
- Residents: 600+ industrial companies; petrochemicals, steel, aluminium, food manufacturing, building materials, automotive
ADIZ Key Industrial Clusters
- Petrochemicals cluster: BOROUGE (Abu Dhabi Polymers Company, a joint venture between ADNOC and Borealis) is a flagship tenant; world’s largest integrated polyolefins complex in ADIZ; significant downstream petrochemical SMEs in the same area
- Steel and aluminium: Emirates Steel (now Emirates Steel Arkan) in ADIZ; construction materials; significant steel fabrication and processing businesses
- Food and beverage manufacturing: large-scale food production for UAE and GCC market; cold chain; halal food processing
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing: Abu Dhabi’s growing pharmaceuticals sector; Julphar (Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries) and others in ADIZ pharmaceutical cluster
ADIZ Land Lease and Setup
- Land lease: available in plots from 2,500 sqm to 50,000+ sqm; long-term leases (25-50 years) for large industrial investors
- Investor designation: ADNOC, Mubadala, or ADQ portfolio companies get preferred land allocation; foreign manufacturers need Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) engagement for larger plots
- Utilities: ADIZ provides water, electricity (ADDC — Abu Dhabi Distribution Company), sewerage, and industrial gas connections within the industrial city
- Maintenance services: Abu Dhabi Ports Group provides maintenance, security, and waste management within ADIZ
ADIZ vs Dubai Industrial City
- Scale: ADIZ is vastly larger than Dubai Industrial City (DIC); ADIZ suits mega-industrial projects; DIC suits SME-scale manufacturers
- Port access: ADIZ has direct connectivity to Khalifa Port (one of UAE’s most modern ports); DIC has access to Jebel Ali via road
- Government support: Abu Dhabi offers more generous industrial subsidies (energy, land) for strategic sectors; Dubai is market-driven with fewer subsidies
- Setup complexity: large ADIZ projects require multiple Abu Dhabi government approvals (ADIO, Abu Dhabi Ports, DOE); more complex than Dubai industrial setup but government support compensates