Haji Husein Alireza Co. Ltd’s (HHA) commercial vehicle production company Saudi Automotive Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (SAMCO) recently commemorated the completion of its 1,000th MAN truck produced at their plant in Jeddah. At a ceremony held at its Janubia assembly plant, Ali Alireza, HHA’s MD, complimented the team of dedicated professionals who with lean and lateral thinking have been responsible for bringing the new company through the initial phase and said the high quality of the locally built trucks have been completely accepted by the discerning fleet owners who are already placing repeat orders now that the world economy is back on track. Dave Van Graan, MAN’s MD for MEA, referred to the successful relationship his company has enjoyed with HHA for the past 25 years and for the important role the SAMCO staff have assumed in building the trucks. This highlights the strategic importance they meet in the Middle East for MAN Truck & Bus Ag. with their new facility in south Jeddah. Dave Van Graan said that as SAMCO’s assembly procedures and internal standards were the same as those prescribed by MAN, their German audit team have awarded the Jeddah built vehicles A-1 status. “Truck in a Box” may sound like a magician’s trick — but speak to anyone at MAN Truck and Bus Ag. in Germany or the team at HHA responsible for bringing this concept and paradigm shift in truck building to reality, and one immediately is confronted by serious visionaries whose passion for lean management and world-class scales of efficiencies in truck assembly could not be stifled.
 

Toyota Motors Corporation (TMC) has renewed its warning from the negative effect of counterfeiting to the consumer life and health in Saudi Arabia, noting that “counterfeiting has resulted in losses running into billions of dollars for both national and global economies, the company said that these counterfeit goods not only cause severe consequences to consumer safety but to the companies and trade who are associated to the original products. Toyota noted that the Saudi Customs Authority and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry are making a good effort to reduce the counterfeit level in Saudi Arabia. TMC has been drawing the attention the motoring public that it is necessary to make sure to get the original goods from the owner or the authorized company in the Saudi market as it has lesser the chance of getting faked. The company has called for implementing the recommendations of the third Arab Forum for the Protection of Consumer from commercial fraud and counterfeiting, and holding out an assurance that it is necessary to make a joint effort for fighting counterfeiting and other commercial frauds. Whether it is the authority, trade or consumer, they should play their role to keep the society safe. Consumers should refine their buying behavior by making sure that they pay same attention in buying parts of the car as they pay in choosing the car itself. Authorities will have to enforce the law against the counterfeiters with tough penalties so that they cannot repeat it.
 

H&M, an international design-driven clothing retailer, will open its 14th store at Othaim Mall in Dammam and 15th store at Red Sea Mall in Jeddah. The new store in Jeddah will carry a wide range of fashion for ladies and kids. The lines reflect the very latest international trends as well as updated basics. H&M’s fashion philosophy is to deliver new stock everyday to the fashion hungry crowds and make high fashion trends accessible as well as present complete looks. “H&M looks forward to bringing style conscious shoppers at Red Sea Mall the inspiration to make their own personal fashion statement,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, head of design. The women’s collections are intended for fashion-minded women of all ages. The extensive range includes everything from modern basics to tailored classics, sportswear, maternity clothes and cutting-edge fashion. The collections are complemented by matching accessories, underwear and shoes. For Kids, the range is fashionable, yet practical, stylish, durable, safe and comfortable. The new store at Othaim Mall in Dammam will carry a wide range of fashion for ladies, kids and men. “H&M looks forward to bringing style conscious shoppers at Othaim Mall the inspiration to make their own personal fashion statement,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, head of design. “We hope that we can offer our customers added value through fashion and quality at the best price.” Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) was established in Sweden in 1947.
 

The latest Kelley Blue Book Brand Watch study shows Ford has reclaimed the No. 1 spot as the most considered automotive brand overall for new car shoppers. And Ford is back on top in a big way, with a significant lead over second-place Toyota/Chevrolet and third-place Honda. In addition to being the most-considered auto brand overall (regardless of segment) for Q4 2010, Ford has been the highest-considered brand within the truck segment for nine consecutive quarters. Ford is currently the most-considered brand in the non-luxury SUV/CUV segment, and continues to gain ground quarter-over-quarter in the non-luxury sedan/coupe/hatchback segment. “With enticing products offered in nearly every segment and an emphasis on forward-thinking technology like SYNC and MyFord Touch, Ford is dominating the shopping lists of many new car buyers,” said Jack R. Nerad, kbb.com’s executive editorial director and executive market analyst. kbb.com shoppers’ opinions are considered leading indicators of future new car sales, and the study shows that in the fourth quarter of 2010, durability/reliability, fuel efficiency, driving comfort, and performance and safety ranked as the top five most important factors in their search for a new vehicle. Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. Ford’s history in the Middle East goes back to over 60 years.
 

Gulf Bridge International (GBI), described as the Middle East’s first privately-owned submarine cable operator, along with its partner, Vodafone Qatar, has announced the landing of its new cable at Vodafone’s international cable landing station north of Doha. Launching later this year, the GBI cable system is a high-capacity, fiber optic cable that will connect all the countries of the Gulf region to each other and provide onward connectivity to Europe, Africa and Asia. The system will provide an alternative connection from Qatar to the outside world, and significantly increase the country’s international call and data capacity. The cable landing near Doha is one of 10 planned cable landings around the Gulf region, through which GBI will offer the most comprehensive geographic reach of any sub-sea network in the region. Ahmed Mekky, board member and CEO of GBI, said: “This cable landing is the first of two we will have in Qatar and keeps us well on track to launch our services later this year.” Over the coming months, the cable ship “Responder” will continue to install the GBI cable system, which is configured as a self-healing ring within the Gulf. The GBI cable system deploys several state-of-the-art technologies, such as new dual-stage repeaters and wavelength monitoring units. Vodafone Qatar’s acting CEO John Tombleson said this marks a milestone for both Vodafone and for Qatar. “The arrival of the GBI system in Qatar today marks an exciting new stage of national economic growth.”