Jebel Ali Racecourse: A Digital Transformation Success Story

Based in the United Arab Emirates, Jebel Racecourse is one of the most unique racecourse tracks in the emirates of Dubai, located in the heart of “new Dubai.” The facility was built in 1990 and the first season kicked off in 1991 under the direction of H.H Sheikh Ahmed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The Racecourse is widely known for its unique track, attracting many regional and international trainers, top horses, and international jockeys.

Along with the growing fame and reputation of Dubai, and due to its cultural roots and heritage, Jebel Ali Racecourse has been in the spotlight for the past 10 years by providing the best experience for both visitors and racers. With the objective to drive an even better visitor experience, Jebel Ali Racecourse adopted several digital initiatives, one of which was an advanced document processing solution from Kodak Alaris.

The Challenge: Rapid Growth in Visitors Required an Advanced Platform for Intelligent Document Processing

The story began a few years back with a complex challenge: processing handwritten race session forms with precision and speed. The system had been burdened by slow manual processing, poor data accuracy, and time-consuming corrections. Jebel Ali Racecourse sought a revolutionary approach to document processing and data extraction.

Meeting visitor expectations was crucial, so the Jebel Ali Racecourse management team onboarded document imaging and extraction solutions which separated documents based on barcodes and attempted to interpret and extract handwriting. However, the results were not acceptable—the extracted data was of low accuracy which resulted in bad visitor experiences and many complaints. As the number of visitors increased, the "Pick & Win" forms had to retain the intuitive experience of having race attendees completing and submitting it on the go. 

The need for a more advanced and reliable document processing solution became clear.

The Solution: Best-in-Class Scanners and AI-Powered Intelligent Document Processing

Recognizing the challenges and the opportunity, the Jebel Ali Racecourse team reached out to their partner, TechBee, for guidance. Kodak Alaris has been a trusted technology partner of TechBee for many years and is recognized as a best-of-breed vendor of high-performance document scanners and as a rising leader in the IDP software space. With the broadest portfolio of solutions in the industry and a Professional Services team that has worked successfully on complex cases for many years, Kodak Alaris was the perfect fit for the Jebel Ali Racecourse team.

With support and guidance from Kodak Alaris, TechBee recommended a phased approach, starting with a Proof of Concept involving a new fleet of document scanners from Kodak Alaris that included KODAK S3100 Scanners. This was followed by a rollout of KODAK Info Input Solution, a browser-based intelligent document processing (IDP) platform. The adoption of Info Input was quick and painless, and the productivity gains have been compelling and consistent.

The Results: 80% Reduction in Operational Costs

After observing the initial results of the PoC project, Jebel Ali Racecourse had high confidence in the power of the Kodak Alaris solution and decided to move forward with a real test on one of the early races of the season. The aim was clear, to extract more than 1 million data points distributed over an average of 20,000 forms within a strict timeline not exceeding 120 minutes.

The solution had to extract the data with high accuracy and minimal human intervention, and confidently deliver it into the Jebel Ali Racecourse system to select the winners and deliver prizes directly at the end of the race. This challenging task required technical collaboration between Jebel Ali Racecourse and the Kodak Alaris team. With high-quality images generated by the KODAK S3100 Scanners and intelligently processed by KODAK Info Input Solution, the team was able to craft and innovate a custom AI engine.

Parallel threading was required to allow the locally installed solution to seamlessly connect with a cloud-native AI engine, process the data, and accurately retrieve it within the required timeframe. The results were nothing short of extraordinary. By implementing the AI-powered solution from Kodak Alaris for advanced handwritten data extraction, the racecourse achieved a remarkable 97% accuracy rate in form processing, dramatically reducing operational costs by 80% and infrastructure expenses by 90% compared to the previous solutions.

A Partnership for Driving Growth and Service Expansion

In a memorable ceremony at Kodak Alaris' new state-of-the-art offices in IMPZ, Jebel Ali Racecourse was crowned the 2024 Innovative Solution Champion, marking a pivotal moment in the racecourse's digital transformation journey. The event, held on January 21st, 2025, was more than just an awards presentation. Senior management from both organizations toured Kodak Alaris' cutting-edge experience center, a showcase of breakthrough technologies that highlight the company's commitment to innovation. Executives walked through displays of advanced machinery and solutions, providing an immersive insight into the technological ecosystem that powered their remarkable digital transformation.

During the tour, the management team discussed the intricacies of the technological intervention that maintained the critical two-hour service level agreement while significantly enhancing visitor experience and operational efficiency. What set Kodak Alaris apart was not just their technological prowess, but their unique multi-thread communication approach with cloud AI models and unparalleled handwriting recognition.

“We'd like to thank Jebel Ali Racecourse, their management, and their team for the great and successful work we created and delivered together," said Elias Mouchantaf, General Manager of the Kodak Alaris Dubai Office. "We have built a strong partnership and are committed to continuing our journey of innovation together. We look forward to providing AI-based advanced solutions for their near-term and long-term future needs."

"Our experience with Kodak Alaris has been transformative," said Mohamed Ahmed, General Manager of the Jebel Ali Racecourse. "When we started our digital transformation for the Pick & Win games, we needed a solution that would enhance the visitor experience while introducing something unique. The Kodak Alaris team didn't just provide a service; they became true partners."

This partnership represents more than a technological upgrade—it's a strategic transformation that demonstrates how intelligent document processing can redefine business operations. The collaboration between Kodak Alaris and Jebel Ali Racecourse stands as a testament to the power of innovative technological solutions.