LG
LG Electronics introduced its new “Shine” mobile set in Saudi Arabia yesterday. “This full metal mirrored model is the second installment in the South Korean mobile communications giant’s premium “Black Label Series” and is expected to be another best seller like last year’s “Chocolate” set, Simon Lee, general manager, LG, told a media conference at the Jeddah Hilton. “The Shine can be described as the perfect balance between style and technology,” he said, adding that it is a full-metal bodied slider phone with a large perfectly reflective 2.2 inch “magic mirror” screen. “You can access the menu system by the unique and easy-to-use multi-function scroll key,” he said. It also boasts a 2.0 mega pixel camera, a multi-media player that supports MP3s, WAV and ACC++, and real spectrum display. “The Middle East is part of our strategy to become one of the top three handset companies in the world, and the Kingdom is our top focus right now. Last year, LG proved its strength in the mobile market with multimillion Chocolate mobile sales,” he added.
GM
General Motors (GM) has continued its record sales growth in Saudi Arabia to register first quarter sales of 18,857 units, up 20 percent over first quarter of 2006. All brands have performed very well so far this year, with Chevrolet sales at 13,222 units, GMC at 5,134, followed by Cadillac and HUMMER at 501 units. Across the region, GM registered 30,679 units, an increase of 16 percent over first quarter 2006, bringing first quarter 2007 to a new all-time record for first quarters. March was the company’s 41st consecutive month of record sales. This growth is fueled by a series of launches last year. “Success in all of our largest markets is due to the wide appeal of the 17 models that were launched in 2006, the impact of which has been seen more visibly in the first quarter of this year,” Terry Johnsson, MD, GM Middle East, said. “This is a trend we intend to continue in 2007 as we plan 12 further model launches across our entire portfolio.”
GIH
Gulf Investment House (GIH) has underwritten 10 million Bahraini dinar capital of Bahrain’s Durrat Al-Marina project, about 15 percent of the project’s total capital. The project is a joint venture between Al-Khaleej Development Company (Tameer) and Kuwait Finance House (Bahrain). GIH is now the exclusive promoter of the project in Kuwait, according to GIH’s acting CEO Bader Abdullah Al-Ali. He said that the projected IRR of the Durrat Al Marina project was 25 percent and the investment period three years. The project will be built within the Durrat Al Bahrain Project in the southern area of Bahrain. Durrat Al-Bahrain has a variety of luxury buildings including shops, villas, apartments and recreation centers. It is one of the biggest real estate projects in Bahrain with a total value of $1.3 billion. “This is the first development project in Bahrain’s southern region, which is a powerful draw for touristic investment,” he said.
AFPSA
Alhamrani-Fuchs Petroleum Saudi Arabia (AFPSA) will hold a series of technical seminars with the cooperation of Afton Chemicals to train Saudi youth for petroleum industries. This was announced by Mezahem Basrawi, AFPSA chief operating officer during a technical seminar on AFPSA’s “Total solution provider” held in Jeddah in cooperation with Afton Chemicals on Saturday. He emphasized the benefit of such seminars for industrial use. The objective of the seminar was to enhance the know-how and update on the latest technology of lubricating oils. The two-day seminar was conducted by Afton Chemicals’ technical and industrial consultants from their UK, US and Dubai branches. Present were AFPSA’s Vice President Sales and Marketing Zafar Talpur, GM Operations and Technical Mohammad Hanif Sattar, and Afton Chemicals Area Sales Manager Syed Matahar Rizvi.
BUPA
BUPA Middle East, a major health insurer in the Kingdom, together with all BUPA businesses around the world, has conducted its 10th annual service organization profile (SOP). This advanced business tool is an internal staff survey administered on the web and designed to enhance growth by improving areas such as service quality, employee satisfaction and commitment, external service value, and customer satisfaction and retention. The results of this annual survey serve as a feedback mechanism to the management and shared with the staff to formulate action plans on how to address the findings. “BUPA’s annual SOP is an opportunity for staff to comment on business-wide issues as well as offer their own manager feedback,” Tal Hisham Nazer, MD, BUPA Middle East, said. “It’s about helping all of us improve and we use the results to help develop better ways to manage people and enhance the quality of our service.”
SHARP
Sharp Middle East reopened its representative office in Jeddah earlier this month, Tomio Isogai, MD, Sharp Middle East FZE, said at a press conference held in Riyadh on Tuesday. The office which will function under the sponsorship of Hussain A. Saklou and Sons Establishment will oversee Sharp’s new marketing strategy. Isogai unveiled a number of initiatives focused on regional expansion with a view to strengthening its foothold in Saudi Arabia. The company also revealed its global brand strategy as well as details of the Kameyama 2 LCD plant in Japan — “the world’s most advanced production facility for LCD Televisions” — which started operations last August. “It has been our belief that to be a powerful brand in a geographic region, we must be committed to making long-term investments there,” Isogai said. “In view of the growing future potential, Sharp is actively considering setting up collaborations with local manufacturers to start local assembly of CRT CTVs in several parts of the region,” he said.
SAUDI READYMIX
Saudi Readymix, the leading manufacturer and supplier of ready-mixed concrete and related products in Saudi Arabia, has kicked off a major recruitment road show aimed at raising awareness among graduating students on the numerous employment opportunities available to them. The recruitment program includes visits to King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), King Faisal University (KFU), King Saud University (KSU) and King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU). At the latest event, the Saudi Readymix team, which included university alumni, delivered presentations to KFUPM and KFU graduating students in civil engineering, mechanical engineering, finance, accounting and administration. The recruitment road show will visit again KSU and KAAU on April 16 and 21, respectively.
