ICD/Al-BANAWI
The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) signed an agreement with Al-Banawi Agencies for International Industries Company Ltd. at the ICD headquarters in Jeddah on Monday. ICD CEO & GM Dr Ali A. Soliman and Al-Banawi’s GM Mohammad Ismael Al-Banawi signed the deal, which involves the provision of a $2.7 million lease finance facility by the ICD to the Al-Banawi for purchase of equipment and machinery. The Al-Banawi is the lead sponsor of a project of Coffor-Egypt for Construction Systems Company, which aims to establish a plant under the Coffor system in Egypt. Coffor is a patented formwork system to build load-bearing walls. The formwork is a stay-in formwork; it remains in the wall after concrete has been poured. This product is new and being used in a number of real estate projects in France, China, Ukraine, Algeria and Russia. The production capacity of the plant is 500,000 sq m.
NOKIA
For the fourth year in a row, Nokia played a central role in implementing a highly reliable mobile network to manage the enormous call demands of Haj pilgrims while in the Mashaer area. More than 2.44 million calls were attempted during peak hours, and the traffic density was 22 percent higher this year compared to 2005. Despite this, nearly all pilgrims who attempted a call, even during the busiest times, reached their intended recipient. The Nokia optimization team, working with Saudi Telecom, monitored the operator’s network 24 hours a day and managed loads generated by more than 2.3 million pilgrims through efficient and optimized use of Nokia’s state-of-the-art GSM/EDGE Base Station System features. Meanwhile, Nokia, a leader in WCDMA contracts and deployments announced new frequency variants for its small and modular Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station.
NCB
The National Commercial Bank received the Lord Mayor of London Alderman David Brewer and a group of executive officials from chief British banks, in Jeddah recently. NCB’s Chairman Abdullah Bahamdan and CEO Abdulkareem Abu AlNasr welcomed them. Meanwhile, the bank launched a training course in Riyadh, especially for women who want to establish their own home-based business. Titled “How to start your own home-based business,” the course is one of the programs of the bank’s community service unit organized in cooperation with the businesswoman’s center at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The program is part of an agreement between the NCB and the RCCI, which was signed by RCCI’s Deputy Secretary-General Hamad Al-Hemaidan and NCB’s Community Service Unit head Mahmoud M. Al-Turkistani.
BMW
BMW Group Middle East has relaunched its academy website, one of the most innovative training initiatives to be undertaken by any automotive manufacturer. Through an interactive portal the BMW academy website offers BMW dealers across the region: A course calendar, an online booking facility, self study material, online tests and a means of tracking sales executives progress as they complete the training program. Guenther Seemann, managing director, BMW Group Middle East, said: “Our vision and target is to equip and train our sales teams to reach the optimum level in their knowledge of the BMW Group brands. “By employing the latest technologies and systems, in the online training academy, we can provide the support needed to bring out the best in our sales teams.”
GULFOOD 2006
Exhibitors at Gulfood 2006, the Middle East’s largest food, drink, foodservice and hotel equipment exhibition, on Tuesday confirmed that business deals midway through the annual event are already at the multi-million-dollar mark. “As a regular participant at Gulfood, we project that this year we should conclude between 40 million-50 million dirhams ($10.9 million — $13.6 million) of business as a direct result of our involvement,” said Hagop Kassabian, marketing manager, Abu Dhabi National Food Company (Foodco).
BRAUN
Braun, world’s leading electrical goods manufacturer, released its latest Braun Silk-epil X’elle in February, and became the first to feature a built in Smart Light, to enable effective removal of hairs. Regional business manager at Braun personal care, Salma Massoud said that, “The large bright, angled Smart Light built into the Silk-epil X’elle illuminates the area being epilated and makes it easier for women to spot even the finest hairs despite poor lighting or body curves.” The Braun Silk-epil X’elle also features active massaging rollers that minimize any discomfort by gently massaging the skin before and after the hairs are removed.
SAMA
Sama announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a multi-year agreement with InteliSys Aviation Systems of America, a Canadian but Bahrain-based company as reservations system provider for the new Saudi low fares airline. Under the terms of the agreement, InteliSys will provide Sama with its hosted passenger management and reservation system which it markets under the trade name “amelia.” The agreement will see InteliSys deliver its amelia RES module, supported by several companion modules. Sudeep Ghai, chief commercial officer said “The choice of reservations system provider is a key strategic decision. We selected InteliSys for three reasons: the quality of its people, their experience in the region and willingness to work with us in developing tailor made solutions for our customers. We see InteliSys less as a vendor and more a partner on this exciting journey.”
STARBUCKS
Starbucks developed its signature espresso blend in the late 1970s to create the perfect shot of espresso. Literally, espresso is a beverage made from forcing hot water through finely ground coffee beans, which creates a sweet, intense caramelly flavor. The blend of coffees that make up the Starbucks Espresso, is the heart of every Starbucks coffee beverage. In an effort to share the importance of the espresso legacy, Starbucks organized a special event to mark the occasion which included guests asking for their favorite espresso based beverage while the Starbucks coffee experts prepared the drink live. Various hand crafted customized espresso based beverages were prepared during the session and each espresso shot was delivered with the passion and artistry of a skilled Starbucks barista. “Coffee is the heart of our business. Perfectly prepared espresso shots form the essence of each handcrafted beverage,” said Haitham H. Alshaya, general manager, Alshaya International Trading Co., the licensed operator of Starbucks Coffee stores across Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
