Schlumberger, a major oilfield services company, and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), a leading company with major oil reserves, have launched joint initiative, the Schlumberger Middle East and Asia Learning Center, in Abu Dhabi. Youssef Omair ibn Youssef, secretary general of the Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC) and CEO, ADNOC and Andrew Gould, chairman and CEO, Schlumberger, were among those present. The center has been built to provide essential advanced training for the oil and energy industry and is complete with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment including a custom-built training rig. The land on which the center was built was donated by ADNOC. “ADNOC’s continuous support has allowed us to finish construction of these world-class facilities within the record time of less than a year,” Andrew Gould, chairman and CEO, Schlumberger, said.
CALTEX
Chevron AlBakri Lubricants Company (CBL), a joint venture between US-based Chevron Corporation and AlBakri Group of Saudi Arabia, which manufactures and distributes Caltex products across the Kingdom, ran a “Rule the road with Caltex engine oils” campaign to promote Havoline car engine oils and Delo diesel engine oils. Over 1,000 prizes were distributed through a draw held in Jeddah recently. The first prize of half kilo gold was won by a young Saudi. “Caltex has a major share in the Middle East lubricant markets, offering world-class products including automotive, commercial, industrial and marine lubricants, greases and coolants,” said CBL General Manager Aftab A. Shah. “The promotion has shown Caltex engine oils not only provide ultimate protection to the car engines but also increase their life span,” Haris Iqbal, marketing in charge at CBL, said.
SAUDI READYMIX
Saudi Readymix Concrete Company, a producer and supplier of ready-mixed concrete and related products in Saudi Arabia, recently reached the 250,000 cubic meter milestone for the Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Company (PetroRabigh) mega-project in Rabigh. As of January, Saudi Readymix has successfully delivered 250,000 cubic meters of concrete, representing over 75 percent of the total concrete required for the project, 230,000 cubic meters of which came in the year 2006 alone. Saudi Readymix had successfully secured contracts with 8 of the 12 contractors working on the project prior to its launch. PETRORabigh is a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and the Japanese Sumitomo Chemical Company. The mega-project co-managed by the two companies will be one of the largest integrated refining and petrochemical complexes ever built at one time, Fadi Mujahed, marketing director for Saudi Readymix, said.
VOLVO
New, cleaner and more fuel-efficient trucks have given Volvo Trucks a record year in 2006. “The excellent results can be explained by the success of the most recent truck models; the new FH and FM and the world’s most powerful truck, the Volvo FH16 with up to 660 hp,” the company said. The FH and FM models are equipped with new 13-liter engines that are highly fuel-efficient and meet the environmental standards. Volvo Trucks delivered more than 105,000 trucks in 2006. “The market’s reception of our new models has been excellent,” Volvo Trucks president and CEO Staffan Jufors, said. Volvo’s deliveries in the Middle East, Asia and Europe developed positively, such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE. Volvo increased its share of growing Saudi market due to strength of Volvo Trucks local importer/distributor Zahid Tractor and the increased production capacity of Volvo’s Jeddah factory (Arabian Vehicle Industries).
