Milestones are a testament to resilience and the strong relationships built along the way. As we celebrate our 10-year anniversary of local presence in the UAE, we're looking back at how EPI-USE Labs went from a new entity in the region (though never new to the field) to a trusted partner delivering strategic SAP solutions to some of the biggest businesses across the Middle East. From Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, the journey moved from core product solutions to end-to-end support, advanced services and active software implementations.
SUMMARY: As EPI-USE Labs celebrates 10 years of local presence in the UAE, this blog looks back at how the business grew from a new entity in the region – though never new to the field – to a trusted partner delivering strategic SAP solutions across the Middle East. From Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, the journey moved from core product solutions to end-to-end support, advanced services and active software implementations. Shared trust, relationships and local presence remain central as the team focuses on local growth, local people and expanding local headcount for the next decade.
Milestones are a testament to resilience and the strong relationships built along the way. As we celebrate our 10-year anniversary of local presence in the UAE, we're looking back at how EPI-USE Labs went from a new entity in the region – though never new to the field – to a trusted partner delivering strategic SAP solutions to some of the biggest businesses across the Middle East.
I sat down with Hilton Anspach (Director), Riel du Toit (Account Manager) and Matt Pillay (Delivery Manager) to get their first-hand take on how we’ve evolved in the region and what the next decade might look like.
Selecting our UAE home
In 2016, the EPI-USE Labs board decided to establish physical presence in the UAE. Up to then, we relied exclusively on a local partner to bring us business opportunities and nurture our cultural understanding.
We chose Masdar City in Abu Dhabi as our home for two reasons: commercial practicality and location. We opted for a free zone entity to simplify our licensing and setup processes from day one.
Even back then, Masdar was positioning itself as a hub for sustainability, which aligns very neatly with our own corporate values.
When I first visited, I recognised the emphasis on sustainability. It's very environmentally friendly and conscious. They use solar energy and self-driving vehicles; it was a great fit for us!
Hilton Anspach
From selling products to delivering services
The regional landscape has shifted over the last ten years. Looking back, the EPI-USE Labs journey splits neatly into two five-year chapters, alongside a big shift in how global technology gets delivered:
Our first five years | 2016–2021
Our initial footprint was focused on niche software delivery. Riel explains that during this foundational era, we initially focused exclusively on delivering our core product solutions.
Our second five years | 2021–2026
In the latter half of the decade, we successfully scaled up to provide end-to-end support, diversifying into advanced services and active software implementations for a growing client base, resulting in faster delivery timelines, reduced migration risk and stronger support continuity for our clients.
First impressions: safety, skyscrapers and shared meals
You can learn a lot about a country's culture through the personal memories of the people on the ground. Hilton still remembers his very first trip to Dubai back in November 2013, before the EPI-USE Labs entity was even official:
I was hosted by our local business partner. He picked us up in his big black car with the air conditioning blasting on high, navigating this fast-paced and energetic city. We went straight to lunch, and the food was just fantastic. The way he ordered for us, the Middle Eastern dishes... it was that initial experience of the heat, the air conditioning, and the shared meal that served as the perfect welcome to the country.
There was also a big mindset shift regarding local security during his early business trip:
We were a bit early to see a client, so we decided to sit down for a coffee. I got out of the car and automatically grabbed my laptop bag. Our business partner laughed at me and said, 'Why are you taking your laptop? We're just going for coffee. Leave it on the seat, no one's going to touch it.' Leaving a laptop and jacket in full sight in an unoccupied vehicle was foreign to me. No one would dream of stealing in Dubai. It required a complete mindset change to realise just how safe it truly is.
EPI-USE Labs as a trusted problem solver
Over the last decade, we’ve worked hard to become a trusted resource for regional enterprise technology partners and global consulting firms. Whether it’s navigating intricate data migrations under tight deadlines or untangling unconventional payroll configurations, our partners know they can lean on EPI-USE Labs to help them navigate those tricky technical hurdles. For us, it’s all about being a dependable, collaborative partner.
Shared trust has really defined our identity in the region. Partners and clients approach us with complex problems to solve.
Riel du Toit
Relationships over transactions
A large part of solving these problems comes down to our commitment to being relational rather than purely transactional. Matt highlights that this approach is exactly what keeps us thriving. Doing business in the Middle East is entirely about relationships, trust, and personal connection.
When clients run into hurdles, we don't just hand them a rigid, standardised answer. We think outside the box.
Matt Pillay
This flexibility was put to the test during a project for the largest utilities company in the Middle East – marking our second major SLO initiative, following a successful first project in the UAE's aviation industry, and our first SAP Landscape Optimisation (SLO) project in the region. The client had a highly unique, non-standard architecture requirement. The typical advice from the wider IT community in these situations is to simply tell the customer they have to comply with standard systems.
Instead, Matt and Riel engineered a flexible, customised solution. The outcome: improved SAP landscape management, resolved architectural complexity, and a 100% project success rate, with zero emerging issues a year after implementation.
Working within these unique local parameters is what makes working in the region incredibly rewarding:
I'm so very excited to be in this region. I've been here multiple times, and the excitement hasn't worn out. It's exciting because it's different from the rest of the world. The culture is different, the people are different, the problems are different. And therefore, it's very satisfying to still be here and succeed.
Matt Pillay
Looking ahead at our strategic roadmap
As we look toward the next 5 to 10 years, our vision centres on navigating short-term market dynamics while doubling down on local growth.
1. Expanding local headcount
Remote delivery might be the norm now, but a physical presence is still culturally important in the Middle East. True business here is still done by sitting around a table, looking someone in the eye, and building a relationship over a coffee.
To support this, we’re actively growing our local team. We started with business development, then added delivery capability. The next areas will be technical architecture, marketing and project management.
Hilton Anspach
2. Local presence over global frameworks
While we have embraced a global delivery model, it is still important to us that the region is supported locally:
Local presence satisfying local requirements with local people, with Arabic-based team members who can speak the language, understand the culture, and can relate to our clients on a level that goes beyond what any remote team can offer.
Matt Pillay
Here’s to ten years… and counting!
Reaching ten years of continuous operation in the UAE is a unique milestone within our wider group, and it's one we certainly don't take for granted. Navigating global economic shifts, a pandemic, and regional uncertainties over the last decade has been quite a journey, and it has taught us a great deal about resilience and adaptability.
We owe a sincere thank you to our incredible internal team, our partners, and the clients who have trusted us and walked alongside us every step of the way. We are excited to continue collaborating and shaping the next ten years of excellence in the UAE together!