PANASONIC

Panasonic has achieved consolidated sales of 110 percent in 2010 compared to the previous year, and the Japanese manufacturer targets double digit growth in 2011, according to a company announcement. The company also laid out its strategy for the year, and unveiled its product portfolio for 2011 at Panasonic’s convention for MEA. Panasonic witnessed strong growth in all product categories in 2010, and this year the company aims to increase sale of 3D TVs and VIERA LED TVs by 300 percent across the region. Panasonic also aims to become the ‘No. 1 Green Innovation Company’ in the electronics industry in Middle East as part of its group-wide global commitment to drive eco-innovation in the world by 2018, the 100th anniversary of its foundation. “The Middle East continues to be a key market for Panasonic, and we will continue to invest in the region, bringing in new technology and products. 2011 will also see Panasonic concentrate on Africa, with the company looking to establish regional offices in Kenya and Angola by the end of the year,” said Seiji Koyanagi, MD, Panasonic Marketing Middle East FZE. “We are on track to be the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry and pledge to double the sales of our industry-leading environmentally-friendly superior green products in the region,” added Koyanagi. This year, the new intelligent VIERA line up, called VIERA BLACK, will feature infinite black pro and interactive Internet connection that calls VIERA connects.

QATAR AIRWAYS

Qatar Airways is to boost its fleet with three additional Boeing 777 Freighters and two Boeing 777-300 ERs in an order valued at $1.4 billion at list prices. The announcement was made on the sidelines of the Business & Investment in Qatar Forum held in New York in the presence of Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, US Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood and US Ambassador to Qatar Joseph LeBaron. Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker and Boeing sales director Tony Valentine signed the deal. The forum was held with the support of Sheikh Hamad to promote Qatar’s emerging role as a political, economic and cultural hub in the Middle East. The Doha-based carrier currently operates eight long-range Boeing 777-200LRs, 15 777-300ERs and two 777 freighters. The airline’s 25th Boeing 777 was delivered last week. Al Baker said: “Qatar Airways has made a significant commitment to the 777, an airplane which has become the flagship of our fleet. The capacity of the Boeing 777 freighter is unrivalled and its economics make it an attractive addition to our fleet. It’s an opportune time to be introducing more cargo capacity to our fleet. As Qatar and other parts of the region are growing at a phenomenal pace, we are well positioned to take advantage of this growth.” In November 2007, the airline placed orders for 32 Boeing 777s comprising passenger and cargo aircraft. Today, it operates 25 Boeing 777s, part of its modern fleet of 97 aircraft to 100 key destinations worldwide.
 
INFORMATICS AWARD

Sheikh Salem Al Ali Informatics Award board of trustees has announced the winners of the 10th round of the largest annual informatics award in the region, valued at over 100,000 Kuwaiti Dinars ($375,000). The winners included 14 participants from 7 different Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Qatar and Oman. The Kingdom’s winner is Saudi General Organization for Social Insurance for the best service project. Award Manager Khalil Abul said the awards were withheld in three fields this year for not being up to the competition’s standards, reaffirming the evaluation committee’s commitment to the award’s criteria and its transparent, objective, and accurate mechanism. The evaluation committee included 90 experts divided into three evaluation and 20 arbitration teams from several educational institutions. Abul said the awards will be handed out at a ceremony next month with the support of Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah. “I would like to congratulate the winners and wish tough luck to the participants who did not make it in our bronze jubilee,” Abul said, noting that the award should serve as a motivation toward a future filled with success and prosperity.” The Sheikh Salem Al Ali award is considered developmental methodology in the field of informatics and digital culture and is an independent, non-profit award. The award was established in 2001 with the support of Sheikh Salem Ali Al Sabah, president of National Guard.
 
DANUBE

Danube Building Materials, a leader in construction, building materials and shop fitting industries, has opened its new SR51.05 million showroom in Saudi Arabia. Ahmad Hamza Awadh, director, Jeddah Municipality, led the opening of the new integrated showroom and warehouse facility in the Jeddah Industrial Area. The new showroom is part of Danube’s strategic move toward creating a strong market presence in the Middle East construction industry and meeting its goal of achieving $1 billion in revenue by the year 2015. The opening also complements Deloitte Middle East’s latest GCC Powers of Construction report that reveals the Kingdom’s 38 percent share of the total construction projects in the region. The report also shows that the Kingdom has $624 billion worth of current and planned projects for 2011. Danube’s new showroom measures 5,000 square feet while the warehouse, which is also the company’s first completely covered storage facility, measures 150,000 square feet. The new facility will feature a wide range of building materials that include plywood, timber, medium density fiber boards, steel, sanitary, hardware, gypsum tiles & boards, laminates, doors, wall panels, flooring, veneer and aluminum composite panels. “Opening our new Saudi showroom proves to be strategic and reflects perfect timing as recent reports have shown that Saudi Arabia currently has a 38 percent share of the total construction projects in the region and has over $624 billion in current and planned projects,” said Rizwan Sajan, chairman, Danube Building Materials.
 
BUPA ARABIA

Continuing its search for talented young Saudis, Bupa Arabia was a leading participant in the third Saudi Labor Market Exhibition, which was recently opened by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal. Organized by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) at the Jeddah Exhibitions & Conferences Center, the annual event attracted a record number of Saudis seeking employment with the Kingdom’s first specialized health insurance company. “Participating in such events is crucial to Bupa Arabia,” said Tal Nazer, CEO of Bupa Arabia. “Localizing our manpower is at the core of our strategic planning for steady business growth and we are fully committed to train and recruit more young male and female Saudis as we continue to expand our operations, which stands in line with the government’s ambition to boost the country’s development and secure greater job opportunities for its citizens.” Last year, Bupa Arabia signed an agreement with the HRDF valued at more than SR2.6 million in order to recruit and train 94 male and female employees for various types of work within the company. “We are proud that Bupa Arabia’s workforce has reached a Saudization level of 52 percent of the total number of employees,” said Zuhair Ibrahim Maghrabi, chief HR officer at Bupa Arabia. “The Saudi Labor Market Exhibition is an important link between job seekers and the private sector, in recruiting Saudi male and female employees.”
 
MASTERCARD

MasterCard Worldwide has teamed up with Saudi singing sensation Qusai to launch a song for the Zain Saudi League (ZSL) that resonates with the passion of football fans across the nation. ‘Everyone Can Play’ pays tribute to the appeal of football as the Saudis’ national sport and reflects its impact on fostering team spirit and promoting fair play. The song enhances MasterCard’s program of activities and supports the organization’s status as the official payment card of the Zain Saudi League (ZSL). MasterCard is well known for its long-term involvement in the football community across the globe. MasterCard’s three-year sponsorship of the ZSL, Asia’s biggest football professional league, marks an important addition to its stable of sponsorship properties. “We are confident that the league, the clubs and above all the fans of Saudi football will reap significant benefits from MasterCard’s involvement in ZSL. The company’s long international experience in sponsoring major football tournaments will be instrumental in the further development of the sport in the Kingdom and is a testament to its appeal and the value it yields for sponsors, marketers and advertisers alike,” said Mohamed Al-Newaser, CEO of the Saudi Professional League Commission. “MasterCard is extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work together with the ZSL and contribute to the further development of football in the Kingdom,” said Kashif Sohail, market manager, Saudi Arabia & Bahrain, MasterCard Worldwide.
 
EMIRATES

Shanghai, the most populous city in China, is set to join Emirates’ expanding list of Airbus A380 destinations, when the superjumbo begins its non-stop service from Dubai on April 27. Shanghai will be Emirates’ third destination in Greater China to welcome the Airbus A380, following the launch of the aircraft to Beijing on Aug. 1 followed by Hong Kong on Oct. 1 last year. Emirates’ 489-seater A380, which will be the first scheduled A380 service to Shanghai, will operate three days a week. “Thanks to the support that we have received from the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the Shanghai Airport Authority, Shanghai will become the latest destination to join our global Airbus A380 network. Emirates currently has 15 A380s in service, flying from Dubai to 10 countries around the world,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman and chief executive, Emirates Airline & Group. “Emirates has enjoyed a long and successful partnership with China; we began cargo operations between Dubai and Shanghai in 2002 and then started passenger services in 2004. The A380 launch demonstrates our continuing commitment to this important country, in addition to boosting trade between China and Dubai, the Middle East and Africa,” added Sheikh Ahmed. “We are happy to welcome Shanghai’s first A380 flight to land at Shanghai Pudong Airport, having adapted the facilities and enforced thorough safeguard measures for A380s to ensure the smooth operations of this revolutionary superjumbo,” said Yu Wuyan, VP, Shanghai Airport Authority and chairman of the board, Shanghai International Airport.
 
BRITISH AIRWAYS

British Airways (BA) and Iberia are placing their codes on a new tranche of one another’s flights, bringing Latin America closer for BA’s customers and the Middle East to the doorstep of Iberia’s travelers. BA has placed its code on Iberia flights between Madrid and San Jose (Costa Rica) and Panama City. Iberia has added its code to BA’s Bahrain, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait and Muscat flights. Iberia will also add its code onto BA’s services to Cape Town and both airlines will share their Johannesburg flights. Iberia’s flights to Havana will also carry the BA code from mid-April. Paolo De Renzis, BA’s regional commercial manager, Middle East, said: “Our customers in the UK and the Middle East are now seeing the real benefit of our merger with Iberia as we introduce these exciting routes to them. Latin America and Spain are a real draw for our travelers and it will be simpler for Iberia’s customers to access the Middle East.” Customers are also now able to mix and match Iberia and BA’s flights to and from Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg, Lagos and Cairo enabling them to access flights to suit either their schedule or their budget.