A SR200-million contract was signed here yesterday for the supply of 500 heavy- duty trucks for road construction projects in the Kingdom. The agreement was signed between Marwan Ahmed, vice president of Jamjoom Vehicles and Equipment, supplier of Hino trucks, and Faheed Al-Ayuni, chairman of Al-Ayuni Trading and Contracting Company that is involved in major road construction projects in the Kingdom. Al-Ayuni said the new trucks would accelerate his company’s road construction projects. At present, the company has a fleet of 1,000 vehicles. “We are happy that we are participating in the infrastructure development of the Kingdom,” Marwan Ahmed said following the signing ceremony. He added that the new range of vehicles would include ZS rigid chassis and tractor heads SH and SS which are equipped with ZF transmission incorporating 16-speed transmissions for smoother drive. Jamjoom General Manager Mansoor Ali Khwaja said that this new generation of trucks has the highest horse power and torque in its class, being environmental friendly, durable, safe, fuel efficient and easy to maintain on a par with Euro 3 standards.
SABB Eid Cards
As part of “SABB in the Community” program and in line with the bank’s commitment to preserve the environment, SABB has designed Eid e-greeting cards to be used by different bank’s departments/areas, to replace the traditional paper cards, and consequently assist in preserving the environment. Ibrahim Abo-Mouti, head of corporate communication at SABB, said: “The bank’s aim is to develop a sense of responsibility among individuals, and remind them of their role toward environment preservation. SABB is currently applying a number of initiatives related to this cause, which emanate from its pioneering role of “Friend of the Environment”, and to convey the importance of preserving it to staff, some of these initiatives — which are already in place — are water & electricity conservation plan, and the recycling of paper used in the bank’s daily routine work.”
Binzagr/Unilever
Unilever Group Chief Executive Patrick Cescau paid his first visit to Saudi Arabia recently to commemorate the 75th year partnership with local distributor Binzagr Company and meet with government officials. Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer products companies of global leading brands such as Lipton and Dove, has deep roots in the Kingdom. Binazgr Unilever Ltd., a joint venture between Unilever Overseas Holdings AG and Abdullah & Said M. O. Binzagr Company, was established in 1978 to locally produce global Unilever Home and Personal Care brands for Saudi Arabia. Currently, the factory has 350 permanent employees and a 45 percent Saudi workforce, many of whom have been trained to lead in senior management positions. Global brands like Lux, Dove, Sunsilk, Comfort, Signal and Close Up are common household names in the region but not many people are aware that they are produced in Saudi Arabia by this factory. The completion of the latest expansion plan by Binzagr Unilever Ltd., a 25 percent increase in production since last year, has further propelled it into a world class manufacturing facility, servicing not only the Saudi Arabian market but exporting to ten countries including Yemen, Sudan, Tunisia, and Morocco. The competitiveness of the factory is driven by a strong local market base combined with the ability to leverage superior Unilever technology and access to global R&D resources. Cescau, who met with Sheikh Mohamed Binzagr and later with Amr Al-Dabbagh, governor, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), confirmed the importance of working together and in partnership with the Binzagrs. He added that “our long heritage and deep ties in the region have helped us build a very strong and successful business. We look forward to further strengthening our association with the Binzagrs and continuing our investment in this fast growth market. We pledge to continue to serve Arab consumer by providing global brands that meet their everyday needs in health and nutrition while raising the bar on social and environmental accountability, which have become critical drivers of our business growth.”
Kodak
Kodak, a world leader in digital imaging, has announced the latest addition to its award-winning line of digital cameras — EasyShare V1253, a trendy 12 mega pixel camera with an ultra wide LCD and HDTV compatible for image and video display. With a plethora of features yet pocket-able, this nifty number is ready to be the next rage in the region. Arif Khan, area manager Kodak (Near East) Inc, said: “Kodak’s motto is to provide customers with complete digital imaging solutions that are highly functional, affordable and also not to forget, very stylish and chic.” The USP of this camera is the sleek styling with huge LCD-3 inch wide and HD feature, which enables high quality image viewing on HD, ready LCDs and Plasmas. No other pocket size 12 MP camera with a wide 3.0” LCD even comes close,” Khan added. Slim, stylish and all metal body, the V1253 cameras are also highly functional and loaded with features.
Lufthansa
With only 186 days to go until the kickoff of the 2008 European Football Championship in Austria and Switzerland, Lufthansa says it has good news for all soccer fans. It will be the only European airline to fly to all the Euro 2008 venues. A total of 31 European Cup games will be played in Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Basle, Zurich, Berne and Geneva between June 7 and 29, 2008. Lufthansa has designated Munich as its “football hub.” The German flag carrier will link its hub in southern Germany with all the venues in Switzerland and Austria and thus offer its customers and football lovers throughout the world convenient, fast connections to the individual matches. From June 5 to 20, Salzburg and Innsbruck will be served twice daily from Munich. With five flights a day to Vienna, the city will be within easy reach of Munich for football fans. A further four daily flights to Vienna will be operated on a codeshare basis with Austrian Airlines. On March 30, Lufthansa will launch a new thrice-daily service to the Austrian city of Klagenfurt, offering one of the fastest connections to the region of Carinthia. During EURO 2008, Lufthansa will offer up to 21 flights a day between Munich and Switzerland. Lufthansa will serve Zurich six times daily.
Al Rajhi Bank
The 26th edition of the 5-day Riyadh Motor Show started on Sunday amid growing interests of both the enthusiasts and customers. Al Rajhi Bank, a main sponsor of the event, aims to boost national events with the objective of getting closer, further interaction with its customers, and introduce a wide range of practical, flexible and attractive financing solutions that better serve both nationals and residents’ particular needs and aspirations. The bank’s stand in the exhibition will offer visitors various auto financing programs and Car Xpress program. Specialized representatives are available at the stand ready to answer any inquiries regarding the offered services. The exhibition is a key player in boosting automotive industry as authorized car dealers showcase the latest car models.