SABIC
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) Chairman Prince Saud ibn Abdullah ibn Thunayan Al-Saud and Joop Wijn, Dutch minister of economic affairs opened the head office of SABIC Europe in Sittard yesterday. The prince underlined the importance of the new head office and said, “This building with its unique techniques will be a tribute for the revitalization of energies and the incentive to unleash the creativities and capabilities, and help enhance corporate achievements.” Wijn focused on the already long lasting ties between Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands, especially since SABIC came to Europe, “The petrochemical industries clustered at the Chemelot complex are of great importance to the Dutch economy,” he said, adding that Saudi Arabia is the Netherlands’ foremost trade partner in the Middle East.” Other guests of honor were SABIC CEO Mohamed Al-Mady, Sittard-Geleen Mayor Jean Bronckers, Limburg province Governor Léon Frissen, the president of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, René van der Linden, and the CEO of SABIC Europe, Frans Noteborn.
SPI, LIFESTYLE HOMES
LifeStyle Homes & Properties, under the full operation and management of Sabban Property Investments (SPI), will host a first-of-its-kind “Open House” at the offices of Lifestyle Homes in Doha on Sept. 10, to provide potential investors and the general public an opportunity to discuss in detail various aspects of the Sabban Towers on The Pearl-Qatar. Organizing the Open House is part of the customer-centric strategy adopted by SPI and Lifestyle Homes to broaden channels of communication and create a transparent relationship with existing and potential customers. Highlights of the event, which will last three days, include interactive sessions with SPI’s senior executives and discussions on layout, pricing and the recently announced exclusive mortgage scheme for the Sabban Towers. In addition, special tours to the construction site of the project will also be arranged for current and potential investors, John Browne, MD, SPI, said.
RAKISA
Heralding a significant development in the real estate sector, Rakisa Holding Company, Kuwait Finance & Investment Company, Gulf Finance House and Abu Dhabi Investment House signed a strategic agreement in Kuwait on Tuesday to launch several investment funds in the Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Mousaed Economic City. These investment funds will be pertinent to several economic sectors, which the project is involved in, with total investments topping $2.9 billion (SR10 billion). The various components include transport & logistics, down stream industries, mining, agriculture and food industries, infrastructure, education city, tourism development and housing. A specified percentage will be raised through an IPO targeted toward Saudi nationals by the year-end, as per the rules and regulations of the Saudi stock market, which is the regulating body. Being the second in a series of new economic cities in the Kingdom being planned by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), the Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Mousaed Economic City is a key component in Saudi Arabia’s recent initiative.
LG
Students of the King Abdul Aziz University’s faculty of engineering, headed by Dr. Omar Ali Al Rabghi, head of thermal engineering and desalination department, recently visited the LG Air-Conditioning Academy in Jeddah. The group visited the academy’s different sections and was briefed about its activities. An in-depth lecture was also arranged for the visiting students where different topics on central air-conditioning industry and its applications were discussed. Through the interaction, the students revealed a serious intention to know more about the HVAC industry and its market applications. The team was very much delighted with technical furnishings and workshops, and modern and advanced training methods that link theoretical education with empirical applications. The academy organized three training courses on air-conditioning operations, attended by a large group of engineers, technicians and operators of maintenance departments from various ministries and official agencies.
AL-RABIE
Al-Rabie Saudi Foods Company organized a launch ceremony for a new product range under the name “Awal Qatfa” in Riyadh on Sunday. Awal Qatfa will be unique as it will be a “ready-to-eat” food that will be packaged in Tetra Pak’s “revolutionary” Tetra Recart. Awal Qatfa is being launched shortly after Al-Rabie finalized its agreement with Tetra Pak Saudi Arabia by investing over SR60 million in the development and production of the “Awal Qatfa brand will deliver a wide range of food products, many of which will be ready-to-eat. Initially, Awal Qatfa will be launched in traditional Arabic beans, commonly known as “Foul,” Monther Al Harthi, MD, Al-Rabie said. He added that these new products were packed using advanced technology that would revolutionize the food industry within the GCC market and open new opportunities for Al-Rabie in the area of food products such as ready-to-eat fruit and vegetables that could include beans, diced tomatoes and carrots.
I-MATE
Dubai headquartered i-mate, a dedicated Windows Mobile 5.0 device manufacturer, has launched two new lightning-quick 3G handsets. The technology allows for download speeds approaching those of broadband connection both at home and in office while on the go. The i-mate SP JAS and the i-mate JASJAM are the first i-mate devices to feature thumb-wheels for easy menu navigation, allowing users to quickly scroll within their inbox or simply move from one function to the next. The I-mate has also extended its Arabic offering to its Middle Eastern customer base by allowing almost all applications on both the SP JAS and JASJAM to be run in Arabic. The SP JAS offers Microsoft Windows Mobile functionality in a stylish and slim mobile phone format, while the JASJAM is a fully-featured Microsoft Windows Pocket PC, or handheld computer phone and one of the first products in the world to offer 3G (WCDMA), EDGE and WiFi global roaming access, Jack Craine, global sales director at i-mate said.