Gulf Pack, described as the Gulf’s largest packaging trade fair is set to take place between Dec. 11 and14 in Dubai. With over 300 exhibitors on show from more than 40 countries, this year’s exhibition has grown by 26 percent in a little over a year. Notably, support from packaging companies in the Kingdom has increased four-fold with many manufacturers keen to access the export potential that the trade fair offers. Major Saudi firms taking part at Gulf Pack include ACIS, Al Watania for Containers Arabian Gulf Manufacturers, Arnon Plastic Industries, Gulf Packaging Systems, MEMCO, Prime Plastic Products, Raffia Factory, SAPIN - Saudi Arabian Packaging and Zamil Plastic Industries. They will all join in a truly international event with 83 percent of exhibitors taking part from outside of the show’s domestic market. Many of these come from Europe where a 93 percent increase in the number of European exhibitors has been recorded. Saudi Arabia ranks highly in the international group supporting the event from countries such as Canada, China, Croatia, Indonesia, South Korea Germany, Spain, Turkey, Taiwan, the US and UK. According to Sharla Hancock, Gulf Pack’s project manager, the reason for the success is the highly dynamic market. “Global growth stands at about 4 percent annually with a total value exceeding $485 billion. But the Middle Eastern markets are far more dynamic than this with double if not treble digit growth in certain categories.”
LG
LG electronics unveiled its latest communication mobile phones - P7200 and S5200 in Jeddah on Sunday. “The new phones are fully-fledged multimedia and equipped with latest communication technologies and support tri-band services, 64 MB onboard memory and a 1,000 entry phonebook,” LG’s Senior Manager Simon Kim told a press conference. The P7200 comes with the GPRS and EDGE technologies for fast downloads of data. Sharing files will be simple with the inclusion of Bluetooth, USB plug, and play connectivity. Browsing the Internet is possible due to the presence of WAP. The phone is equipped with 265 TFT LCD screen and has a built-in MP3 player with special buttons to control music playback on the external side of the phone, enabling the use of the handset as a music player directly. It is also equipped with an extra T-flash slot for additional data and MP3 memory, as well as with extra T-flash slot for additional data and MP3 memory, Bilal Ali, LG’s GSM software engineer, said. It has a 2-mega-pixel camera with a video capture and auto focus feature. “It is equipped with a lithium-ion battery which will allow talk time of four hours and standby of 200 hours,” he added. The P7200 will enjoy good demand in the local market in view of its sophisticated shape and high technology,” LG’s Marketing Manager Khalil O. Al-Saadawi said.
JUFFALI
Ibrahim Juffali and Brothers Company, dealer of Mercedes-Benz in Saudi Arabia, received the “Brand protection” award from DaimlerChrysler in Jeddah recently, in recognition of its efforts to develop its workshops, increase the number of spare parts outlets, counter the menace of fake spare parts, and promote the usage of genuine spare parts. It is the first time in Juffali’s history that it has been honored with such award from DaimlerChrysler. Juffali Automotive Company (JACO) Chairman Khaled Juffali, said the company’s achievement was a result of the efforts of the new management of Ibrahim Juffali and Brothers Company, headed by General Manager Safi Kobeissi. Kobeissi said JACO, which started with four spare parts outlets, today has 10 of them in addition to 45 authorized dealers across the Kingdom.
AFS/EURONET
Arab Financial Services Company (AFS), the region’s major provider of electronic payments and consumer finance outsourcing services, recently announced the launch of a joint venture with Euronet Worldwide, Inc., an electronic payments provider, to boost ATM and POS driving in the MENA region. The new joint venture company, Euronet Middle East, will offer unsurpassed outsourcing capabilities to banks and financial institutions across the MENA and Pakistan. Euronet Middle East will be based in the Bahrain and will provide bank clients with debit card management and operational services, ATM and POS outsourcing services, chip card issuing services, and gateway services to Visa/MasterCard and National switches.
ASTECO
Regional property services leader Asteco has opened a permanent office following its first major contract win in the Kingdom. Asteco will provide development consultancy, leasing and management services for a new five-storey development, Buildex, in Alkhobar. Due for completion by the third quarter of 2006, Buildex will mainly house design, architecture and building trade companies serving the wholesale market. “We’re seeing increasing maturity in the regional property market, with considerable inter-regional investment taking place over the last three to four years. That’s why Asteco has brought in market specialists from all over the world to join the team and take advantage of the many growth opportunities the Middle East now offers,” Asteco MD Andrew Chambers said.
FEDEX
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and a major express transportation company, has announced the arrival of two large MD-11 aircraft at Dubai International Airport. The new aircraft will increase FedEx’s capacity from Dubai to Europe and the United States and will facilitate new direct flights operating five times a week from Dubai to northern India. The first of these flights will travel eastbound and directly connect Dubai to many more parts of India, linking the Middle East to the two largest economic and industrial cities in the country - New Delhi and Bombay. The second flight will travel westbound increasing the FedEx cargo capacity to Europe and the United States, providing heavy weight shippers greater access to its global network. “Dubai is the distribution hub for the Middle East, and with an annual growth rate in excess of 13 percent a year, is becoming an increasingly big player on the world stage,” says Hamdi Osman, VP Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa, FedEx Express.
JOTUN PAINTS
Jotun Paints is celebrating its 20 anniversary in Saudi Arabia. Jotun Saudi Co. Ltd. opened its first operation in the Kingdom in 1985 with a factory in Yanbu and has since gone from strength to strength. Today, Jotun Saudi is the leading manufacturer of paints in the Kingdom surpassing all other international brands, a factor largely accredited to its ability to maintain profit and growth, while exceeding customer expectations. In the early days, Jotun was fortunate enough to establish local partners in Ahmed Al Amoudi and Marei ibn Mahfouz with the latter passing the responsibility to his son Dr. Abdullah Marei ibn Mahfouz. Throughout the 20-year period, Jotun has been responsible for protecting and maintaining many prestigious projects with their expansive range of paints and protective coatings.