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could withstand heat . It was an interesting project because the landscape and materials challenged us to think ‘ outside the box .’
“ Just this week , the new Terminal A opened at Abu Dhabi International Airport : a project we ’ ve been working on for the last five years . We collaborated with designers on the product , as it required unique forms in terms of shape and visual aesthetic , so it ’ s rewarding to see the signs in place in a now operational terminal .”
While Blue Rhine ’ s portfolio growth has been driven by internal forces , its geographic expansion has been very much driven by consumer demand . “ We launched the business in 2006 when Dubai was on the rise ,” John recalls . “ As one of the first established retail sign manufacturers in the UAE , our business grew alongside the shopping malls and entertainment spaces of the region .
“ We ’ re aiming to do the same in Saudi
Arabia in line with the country ’ s goals and ambitions for its 2030 vision ,” John reveals . “ It ’ s a very promising market for us , so we were already operating a well-oiled machine in Saudi Arabia , which enabled us to rapidly mobilize when the market and demand picked up .
“ Specifically , we ’ ve been chosen to deliver the complete wayfinding signage , comprising 18,000 signs , across two projects : the Red Sea Project ( a desert city aimed at increasing tourism ) and the King Abdullah Financial district ( KAFD ) in Riyadh . We ’ ve completed around 60 percent of the product requirements in what is the single largest project we ’ ve ever worked on . The signage is the first-of-its-kind – AI-powered , hyper personalized wayfinding – combining our 15 years of experience in static and digital signage in a natural progression of digital transformation .
“ We also expanded into Egypt last year , again to follow the demands of our clients .
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