JEDDAH: Mohammed Jameel, president of Abdul Latif Jameel Company, said yesterday that his company would invest SR3.8 billion on its expansion and development projects over the next five years. “The new investment plan also comes within the framework of our ‘Client First’ principle,” Jameel said, adding that the new funds would be used to expand existing centers and improve its services.
“We also intend to open new sales and service centers in various Saudi cities and improve after-sale services to our valued customers,” the president said.
“The new investments are planned to increase the services being provided to the clients of Toyota, Lexus and Daihatsu and providing advanced training to our workers,” he explained.
The ALJ group chief said one of the company’s largest sales centers would be inaugurated shortly at Khurais Street in Riyadh. “We will also establish new training centers and develop existing ones to improve the skills and capabilities of our employees,” the president said.
Jameel said his company intended to increase investments in various fields with the objective of improving services to its clients.
“We have plans to increase the number of sales outlets, maintenance workshops and develop after-sales services, rising up to the expectations of our clients.” Known as the largest independent Toyota distributor in the world, the ALJ group also operates in real estate, financing, consumer electronics and logistics.
ALJ recently won the prestigious Gallup Great Workplace Award of 2008. The international awards, which were announced in Washington, recognized the best-performing workplaces in the world.
A panel of workplace experts, who compared each company’s results to those of thousands of work teams all over the world using Gallup’s massive database, evaluated companies considered for this award, Gallup said. “We are proud to have won this prestigious award. Our associates are the people who have made ALJ a great place to work,” Jameel said in a statement after the announcement of the awards.
ALJ shares the award with 19 other elite companies from around the world, some of whom belong to the Fortune’s list of 100 best companies.
“When compared to the millions of workgroups we have studied around the world, these organizations have worked tirelessly to create an environment that values people”, said Tom Rath, who leads Gallup’s workplace and leadership consulting practice.
Jameel, who is also president of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Services Programs, received King Abdul Aziz Medal of the First Order from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah during the inauguration of the Culture and Heritage Festival at Janadriya in March 2008.
Jameel, who is a great philanthropist and an amiable and easily accessible businessman, has developed a community program committed to further promoting job opportunities for thousands of young Saudi men and women.
The program created more than 22,000 jobs in the Saudi labor market by the end of 2007. From the beginning of 2008, it has made efforts to create an additional 24,000 jobs for Saudis.