BDP Kanoo Chemical Logistics, a newly formed JV company between Kanoo Freight and BDP International (BDP) held its inaugural customer event in Alkhobar recently. The event, which included a banquet, was attended by several senior officials from the two partner companies, headed by Fawzi Ahmed Kanoo, board director, Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group, and chairman of Kanoo Freight, and BDP President and CEO Richard J. Bolte Jr. The senior officials from the new company, which was formed to serve the logistics and transportation needs of the Middle East's burgeoning chemical and petrochemical industry and based in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, highlighted the challenges in the logistics industry, particularly with regards to this sector. Key issues discussed included supply chain reliability, market figures and emerging trends, and technological challenges, among others. The two companies bring together Kanoo's wealth of regional experience and diversified logistical services portfolio with BDP's expertise in the chemical sector and advanced supply chain technology platform to take advantage of the abundant feedstocks and significant investments currently being made in the downstream petrochemical industries. Industry analysts forecast that within 10 years, the Middle East will account for about 75 percent of the world's petrochemical exports, led by Saudi Arabia.
 

Sony Gulf FZE and the Modern Electronics Company Ltd. launched the sixth edition of Sony Creative Science Awards 2010 at a press conference attended by Prince Mohamed Khaled Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, president and CEO of Al-Faisaliah Group, Tarek Fakieh, board member of Fakieh Tourism Group and GM of Tazaj Co., Ziad Al-Tunisi, VP & COO, Al-Faisaliah Group, Bader Al-Swailem, MD, Modern Electronics Company Ltd., and Taro Kimura, GM, sales and marketing, Modern Electronics and Sony representative in Saudi Arabia. The award, described as the first of its kind in the Kingdom, is an initiative launched in 2005 by Sony Gulf and Modern Electronics. The award promotes students to create a game based on a specific scientific rule, such as magnetism, gravity, buoyancy, etc. Prince Mohamed said: "Our commitment to participate in supporting and discovering talents among Saudi male and female students is part of our responsibility toward our community and country. We are continuously seeking to discover and develop those creative and talented students, and empower the Saudi youth to create and show their innovations in diversified fields. They are the men and women of the future, who will be responsible for the development of the country," he added.
 

Bin Dawood Super Stores recently organized in Jeddah the celebration of its five-month long contest, which was themed "Shop and Win." A car winner in the second draw of the contest gave a speech in which he appreciated the Bin Dawood organization. Ibrahim Al-Ojaimi of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry referred to the creditability of the contests organized by Bin Dawood over the years. Representing Bin Dawood board of directors, Aamir Al-Halaq highlighted the progress of the national company, which embodies aspirations of its management through its operations. Al-Halaq mentioned the efforts of the late Abdullah Bin Dawood and his brothers who are represented by Abdulraziq Bin Dawood, chairman of the board. Al-Halaq said Bin Dawood had its branches in Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah. It has 18 branches in which shoppers find under one roof all of their requirements, from foodstuffs, home appliances, electronics and toys to antiques, gifts, accessories, garments and dresses. Dawood Abdullah bin Dawood, operations manager, and Hashim Abdulrab, procurement manager, honored the companies sponsoring the Bin Dawood contest. Cars including Chevrolet Trailblazer and BMW 520 were presented to five winners. The winners were Fahd Fayez Saleh Shihab's child, Zakariya Amin Aghor, Shihab Saleh Abu Daham, Foad Ibrahim Ali and Olfat Mohammed Mustafa Mawordy.
 

Etisalat's Chairman Mohammad Omran in Abu Dhabi urged the industry to adopt new business models to maximize their reach across international boundaries. He highlighted the case of the music industry, which has successfully transitioned into a digital era and proposed similar models would be effective for other content providers. "Previously, selling 10 million albums or CDs would be considered a success. Today, with the digital environment music providers are able to reach a billion customers at a fraction of the cost. This opens new markets and creates new opportunities. We are ready to work with other content providers to provide the solutions that will open new markets in the same way," Omran said. He prescribed this business model to the banking industry in particular. In some developing countries, mobile banking will be a key access tool. He also discussed how technology was supporting education and how Etisalat was working with the UAE Ministry of Education to connect all schools in the nation with broadband Internet.
 

Jotun Paints, a major producer and supplier of paints and coatings, is highlighting "Megayacht Professional", a new range of protective and eco-friendly coating solutions for luxury yachts at the Dubai Boat Show 2010, which ends on Saturday after a five-day run. The unveiling of the new coating range is in line with the manufacturer's aim to address the growing demand for increased fuel efficiency, vessel protection and reduced environmental impact within the maritime industry. Developed through leading edge technology in paint and coating production, the Megayacht Professional range comprises high performance top coats, antifoulings, primers, undercoats, fillers and sealers, which have been formulated to give luxurious water vessels a silky gloss finish while keeping their underwater hulls clean. The range also includes tributylin (TBT)-free antifoulings, which provide effective protection against algae and slime for vessels that are docked for long periods of time. As a true testament to the superb quality of Jotun's products, local yacht builders like Gulf Craft, Riviera Boat, Dry Docks World, Al Shaali Marine and Abu Dhabi Marine are showcasing Jotun-painted vessels at the event.
 

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) and TATA Communications have confirmed their partnership for the construction of the Tata Global Network (TGN) Gulf Project, where Qtel will enable Qatar's role as a designated "landing party" in the regional network. The announcement was made during a celebratory event attended by Nasser Marafih, CEO, Qtel and Vinod Kumar, president and COO of Tata Communication, which took place in Doha on Saturday. The TGN Gulf project is a state-of-the-art Gulf-wide undersea cable network connecting the Gulf Region directly to the world's major business hubs and city centers, improving connectivity and providing the foundations for next generation communication technology. Other regional partners in this project are the Bahrain Internet Exchange in Bahrain, Nawras of Oman, Mobily of Saudi Arabia and Etisalat of the UAE.
 

Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON) seeks to attract investments of up to SR2 billion. Modon has adopted a standardized design for fencing of industrial cities as part of its efforts to maintain the security of industrial cities and reduce encroachment on the property of the factories, and to have industrial cities look beautiful with a model of the fences design. Director General of Modon Tawfig Alrabiah signed a contract for fencing Madinah industrial city. The terms of the contract include survey works of the fence route, erection of a 6 km long fence, identification of regulations, borders and matching ownership deeds at the site. The implementation period will be six months. Alrabiah said this project was a new addition to a series of projects being implemented in the industrial city of Madinah. Modon recently tendered projects for linking the industrial city to Al-Hijra (migration) road and King Khaled Road, and beautify the northern entrance of the city at a cost of SR114.4 million, which is to be implemented during the current year, and consists of a three-lane double road providing traffic in each direction and a central island of around nine meters with the intersection of flyovers.
 

The global premiere of Nissan's all-new global compact car and the Juke small Crossover took place at this year's Geneva International Motor Show. And for the first time in Europe, Nissan's Leaf Electric Vehicle will also be presented, all of which underlines Nissan's ambition for growth, its strategy of product innovation and design leadership. The world premiere of Nissan's new global compact car - the replacement of Micra - at the show. It is the first new model to be developed on Nissan's all new V Platform. Particular attention has been made to minimizing weight on the new V Platform, with the added benefits that it can bring in terms of economy and emissions. Sales will begin in Thailand in March, with European sales starting in the autumn.