AFPSAL
Alhamrani-Fuchs Petroleum Saudi Arabia Ltd. (AFPSAL) has completed the first phase of its three-year Yanbu plant expansion program. The additional 1,500 MT base oil tank and two 110 MT bulk additive tanks are installed and fully functional. The construction of a 3,400 sq. m. warehousing facility extension was also completed well on time. The completion of the project was felicitated with the visit of Stefan Fuchs and Alf Untersteller to the AFPSAL Blending and Grease Plant in Yanbu recently. COO Mezahem Basrawi, VP-Marketing Zafar Talpur and GM Finance and Administration Dr. Ibrahim Missaoui accompanied the visitors from Fuchs Mannheim. They were greeted at the Yanbu Plant by Mohammed Hanif Sattar, GM-operations and technical, and Yasir Adel Al-Quasmi, DGM-operations. Sattar gave a presentation on the development growth of the Yanbu plant in its 20-year operations. A tour to the upgraded facilities of the blending and grease plant followed. The new bulk and additive tanks were presented at the tank farm area and the new warehouse facility was inaugurated. Fuchs, Untersteller and Basrawi jointly took part in the ribbon cutting ceremony.
MARUTI SUZUKI
Indian car market leader Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. has launched Suzuki's A-Star, its newest and most compact passenger car, in India. The A-Star is Suzuki's fifth world strategic model but is the first to make its world market debut in India. Built at Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant and powered by Suzuki's K10B 1.0-liter engine, it offers a kind of compact, fuel-efficient mobility for which there is a growing demand from Indian motorists. From spring 2009, this model will also be shipped to Europe, its main export destination, where it will be known as the Alto. Environmental credentials including Euro5 compliance and CO2 emissions of only 103g/km for the European model will help to ensure its success in the 'A' segment of the European market. Exports to other markets will follow.
TRADEX
Khaleej Finance and Investment car showroom was officially re-branded as TRADEX in Bahrain yesterday. The board of directors voted on the name change to help position the car showroom as a modern entity and to become more market focused in line with expansion plans in the pipeline. The occasion was marked by a celebratory event for the showroom staff and key board members, where the new name was officially unveiled. "This change is a perfect opportunity to examine the way we see ourselves in this particular market to make it clear to the public that we will continue in this business domain of selling cars from different brands through Shariah-compliant transactions, but with a new, more modern-looking corporate identity," TRADEX AGM Yaser Abdulqader Saeed, who is one of the masterminds behind the "strategic brainstorming" that led to the renaming said. Launched in 2001, the showroom has over the years gained a solid reputation in Bahrain for selling a wide range of cars targeting different customers, while offering personalized customer service meeting clients' needs and individual expectations. The new corporate identity under the TRADEX name will contribute to emphasizing the showroom's positioning as a confirmed destination for all local car buyers from different backgrounds looking for Islamic transactions, good deals and friendly personal attention in buying the car of their choice and within their budget, he added.
NISSAN
Nissan Middle East has posted impressive sales figures for its Pickup, which it says is the best selling among Nissan's light commercial vehicle (LCV) lineup in the GCC region. Customers in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar proved to be the highest selling markets for this model in the region over the period from April until October 2008. The sales figures show that the Saudi market accounted for a massive 48 percent of total GCC sales of Nissan Pickup, while UAE and Qatar each comprised 18 percent sales during the same period. "Nissan pickups are built strong and tough to withstand the most grueling conditions. But they're also built with the customer's comfort and safety in mind. And our sales figures prove that we are building a highly appealing product which appears to have great cultural appeal, creating loyal customers across the GCC," said Ibrahim Abou Samra, head of Nissan's light commercial vehicle business unit in the Middle East. "Nissan's heritage spans over 50 years of supplying very durable vehicles to the GCC, with many Nissan Pickups still supporting families, businesses and communities, Abou Samra added. The Nissan Pickup is also available in Single or Double cab formats.
STARBUCKS
Starbucks has announced the launch of its newest edition of gourmet coffee, the Black Apron Exclusive (BAE) number 19, "Aged Sumatra Lot # 9697" at most Starbucks stores in the Middle East. The coffee, which will be available in limited quantities, hails from the Indonesian island of Sumatra and is set to improve the overall living conditions of migrant workers in Singapore. Each BAE coffee highlights the pinnacle of high quality and flavor, and Starbucks maintains a deep dedication to the farmers who grow these fantastic crops. Farms yielding coffees selected for this collection are awarded with a $15,000 grant to improve and sustain their communities and livelihood. This grant will be dedicated to the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME), a registered society and charity that look into the welfare and rights of migrant workers in Singapore. The money will help HOME in improving and maintaining their shelter facilities for the workers, according to Rana Shaheen, CSR and communications manager, Starbucks Coffee, Middle East and Egypt.
ESC GULF
ESC Gulf LLC was officially launched at an event in Muscat attended by Sheikh Ahmed Suhail Bahwan and Stephen Gregory, MD of ESC Ltd. ESC Gulf is a joint venture between the Suhail Bahwan Group and Economic Security Consultants from the UK. The two leading organizations have formed a partnership that brings a unique portfolio of services to Oman and the wider Middle East. The services offered by ESC Gulf will provide assistance to anyone with responsibility for the management and control of risk, be it through the provision of security services, crisis management skills, emergency response activities or business continuity expertise. The formation of ESC Gulf is the culmination of two years of local integration in Oman; learning, understanding and respecting those organizations and individuals who are stakeholders in the critical national infrastructure. ESC Gulf has been incorporated into Oman with Sheikh Ahmed Suhail Bahwan as the company chairman.
K-DOW
The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) and Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), signed a Joint Venture Formation Agreement and other key definitive agreements regarding the formation of K-Dow Petrochemicals, a 50:50 joint venture that will be the leading global supplier of petrochemicals and plastics. It is expected that the new company will begin operations no later than Jan. 1, with closing on that date as articulated in the Dec. 13, 2007 MOU announcement. K-Dow will be a leading global supplier of essential petrochemicals and plastics and will manufacture and market polyethylene, ethyleneamines, ethanolamines, polypropylene and polycarbonate, and will also license polypropylene technology and market related catalysts. "The signing of these documents is the critical step in the formation of K-Dow, which will immediately become a leading petrochemicals supplier globally," said Andrew N. Liveris, Dow chairman and chief executive officer.
GULFTAINER
In this time of global uncertainty, it is not just the financial sector that has been affected; every industry is feeling the effects of the economic slowdown. However, indications from the ports and shipping industry are that it is not all bad news. Speaking at two conferences for the ports and transportation industries, 4th Trans Middle East 2008, held in Dubai, and Ports Management and Shipping Congress 2008, held in Abu Dhabi, recently, Keith Nuttall, commercial manager of international port management and logistics company, Gulftainer, addressed some of the concerns relating to ports and shipping and the current global financial crisis. Nuttall's presentation, entitled 'Terminals, logistics and infrastructure: Investing ahead of demand in uncertain times', focused on two of the major issues facing the industry today: The increasing number of large containerships. According to Nuttall, in the next four years alone, nearly 200 large containerships are on order, and one of the biggest questions faced is where all the new ship capacity will go.
