International Medical Center (IMC) and Modern Products Company (MPC) have jointly launched a year long guidance program on how to be a better mother. An agreement was signed in the presence of MPC’s Chairman Osama Abu Dawood and Kareem Alrijwani, director general of MPC, and Dr. Walid Fitaihi, IMC’s chairman and board of directors. “Launching the awareness program in cooperation with an industrial market leader in health care for children and mothers agrees with our holistic approach. Our holistic approach treats the body, mind and soul,” Dr. Fitaihi said. Ramie Yousif Damanhury, marketing manager, MPC “Pampers” Arabian Peninsula, gave a presentation on the campaign and highlighted the important role played by Pampers in educating mothers about child care and growth. Pampers will organize a symposium on “Importance of play to child growth” on April 7.
NCB
National Commercial Bank (NCB) recently launched the first program of its kind in the Middle East to qualify employees of special services, which is considered one of the most prominent fields in the banking industry. Saud Sabban, NCB’s head of human resources division, who inaugurated the program, said that the bank’s human resource strategy involves the strategy of considering the employee as the cornerstone of its high-level of services and programs. The bank applies the method of progressive population and capability development to achieve this. “Our human resources are our most valued asset. We place them at the top of our priorities. Investing in their training and education is one of the main pillars. We design and offer programs that help our employees acquire more skills and better ways to deal with customers, hence elevating the level of customer care,” Sabban added.
AJMAL
Ajmal, a perfume house in the Middle East, recently launched a new fragrance, Dahn Al Oudh Tabeer. Tabeer, which means impressions, is a strong fragrance based on a mix of Indian and Cambodi oils. It is designed to be used by both men and women who are sophisticated in character, know the importance of maintaining traditions and having strong values, yet understand the need to keep with modern developments. “We have been making perfumes in the Middle East for many years and are proud to be able to bring traditional, Arabic perfumes to our discerning customers” says Nazir Ajmal, chief perfumer at Ajmal. “With Dahn Al Oudh Tabeer, we are especially pleased as it combines traditional, deep ingrained scents with a modern touch. It is perfectly suitable for any man or woman, who regard themselves as modern people with refined tastes.” The perfume is available at Ajmal showrooms and dealers in the region.
VERIFONE
VeriFone Holdings, Inc. CEO Douglas G. Bergeron has ended a four-day tour of the Middle East during which he met with key customers and partners in Saudi Arabia and Jordan to discuss regional needs and the company’s strategy to address growing local markets. During his visit to Saudi Arabia, Bergeron met with senior officials of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, the US Embassy, and with senior management at numerous banks. In Jordan, he met with senior management of companies involved in the telecom sector. “VeriFone’s strong market penetration in the Middle East is a testament to our long-standing commitment to this region,” Bergeron said. “VeriFone’s network of electronics manufacturing services providers, primarily in Asia, provides us with scale and flexibility in addressing unique market needs in the Middle East, where there is growing demand for payment and value-added services.”
BATTERJEE GROUP
Jeddah-based Batterjee Group of Companies has entered into a joint venture agreement with Lloyds Steel Industries, an Indian steel company having its own steel plant in India, to erect and operate a manufacturing unit in the Kingdom for the production of steel and wire rods, plates, etc. The agreement was signed in Mumbai recently by Mazen Batterjee, vice president of the Batterjee Group and Mukesh Gupta, chairman of Lloyds Steel Industries Ltd. The joint venture company will be known as Batterjee-Lloyds Iron & Steel Co. Ltd., which will be located in the Western Province with an investment of $100 million. The new plant will manufacture one million ton steel products, mainly thermo mechanically treated reinforcing bars, annually. “The emerging boom in the construction industry throughout the Kingdom will generate enough demand for these products,” Batterjee said.
SUZUKI SAUDIA
Suzuki Saudia, sole distributor of Suzuki vehicles in Saudi Arabia, has been presented the “Award of Perfection” by Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) after recording the best sales figures in 2006. Suzuki Saudia was also recognized as the best distributor in the Middle East during the awards ceremony held at the company’s head office in Jeddah and attended by Kazuyuki Yamashita, deputy staff manager, Middle East and Africa, SMC. “It is a pleasure for Suzuki Saudia to receive this award. Suzuki Saudia has been chosen over other Suzuki distributors in the Middle East because of our efforts in improving customer care, after-sales service and human resource development. We have also followed high standards in developing marketing strategies to increase our share of the market. As part of its expansion plan, Suzuki Saudia will open four new branches in 2007, said Ahmed Al-Shamaile, sales manager, Suzuki Saudia.
AMIANTIT
Amiantit’s GRP manufacturing facility Amitech Spain has been recently awarded contracts amounting to approximately SR49 million. The orders are for Flowtite GRP (glass reinforced polyester) pipes for a variety of applications ranging from an underwater pipeline in Marseilles, France to sewage pipe systems in Spain, and GRP pipes for a power plant cooling system in Mallorca which, because of the good experience and trust built up, decided the owner of the project to order Flowtite GRP pipes for a power plant cooling system in the Canary Islands. However, the largest part of the contract awards consists of six orders for irrigation projects in Spain which amount to approximately SR35 million. “In 2000, when the Amiantit Group began the process of going global, Spain was given high priority in our strategic planning because of its strong economic growth,” said Amiantit President & CEO Fareed Al-Khalawi.
