KAEC
Emaar, The Economic City (EEC), the Tadawul-listed company developing King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), recently announced the start of construction of a new manufacturing facility for polymer concrete pipes at the Industrial Valley (IV) in KAEC by Saudi Specialized Pipes (SSP). The announcement was made at an inauguration ceremony attended by SSP’s President Nabil Krimmley and Vice President Labib Chehab, and Ahmed Linjawy, president of the Industrial and City Services Division in EEC. SSP is claimed to be the first large scale industrial project specialized in the production of polymer reinforced concrete pipes (PRC) in the Kingdom. The new facility, to be built on a 30,000 square meter land at a cost of SR32 million, is scheduled to be operational by Q3 2011. The plant will create many jobs and develop new skills among Saudis in the region. SSP, founded in 2010 in collaboration with Metromax-r-PRC, Germany, enjoys a team of Saudi and German professionals, highly skilled engineers and top-rank R&D experts. Mazen Kotob, director of operations at Krimmley Group, said: “The new facility is part of a long-term plan to improve the competitiveness of Saudi Specialized Pipes in the region. The new facility will be the largest production capacity for PRC in the GCC. KAEC’s Industrial Valley was chosen from among various options to serve Global demand.” Linjawy said: “EEC recently announced that the first phase of the Industrial Valley has been fully leased out, and the second phase leasing has started.”
STC
Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has expanded its Invision interactive television service to cover nine more cities across the Kingdom including Makkah, Madinah, Abha, Buraidah, Onaiza, Jazan, Taif and Jubail. Previously, Invision was available only in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. STC stated that providing these new regions with Invision interactive TV confirms the company’s role as the national leader in bringing advanced telecommunications and IT to the Kingdom. Invision utilizes interactive technology to provide high definition via Internet connection with high speeds up to 20 Mb per second plus free calls to landline numbers in the Kingdom, all on one bill. With the Invision service, STC’s Afaq DSL Shamil customers can enjoy visual content through satellite TV channels featuring sports, cultural and documentary programs and videos on the TV screen. The service is unique in that it offers exclusive viewing of paid TV categories including Al Majd, Al Jazeera Sports and Abu Dhabi Sports with high quality images thanks to the Invision device that eliminates the need for other receivers, dishes or even extensions. In addition to the most important sports events such as the Premier League, Spanish and Italian leagues, Invision provides comprehensive coverage of events and developments in countries across the region, as well as cultural subjects, documentary films and many programs that are popular favorites. The service enables customers to pause a program and continue viewing it later on.
LG
LG has announced its plans to become a major player in global energy solutions market by introducing the 3rd version of existing tropical Multi V III, and the newly released VRF Air Handling Unit (AHU) within the MEA markets. The Multi V III boasts a 4.6 coefficient of performance (COP) for heating and 4.3 for cooling, as well as a bigger capacity per unit with an extended piping length of 1,000 m. In addition, LG’s HSS Inverter Compressor greatly enhance efficiency on the Multi V III, reducing energy use by up to 11 percent compared with previous models. LG’s VRF Air Handling Unit (AHU), integrated control system lets users manage air-conditioning for an entire building. The AHU provides outstanding heating, cooling and outdoor fresh air-conditioning while saving energy. These AHU’s can be used for 100 percent fresh air application or re-circulating air application. Based around these advanced solutions, LG plans to aggressively expand its market share in MEA commercial air conditioning this year. With the establishment of a full line-up of air conditioning systems, LG is planning to evolve into a total solution provider for the MEA market. Through heavy investment, LG has built up its technical capabilities, by constructing a custom-built AC Academy at Jebel Ali, which has been LEED Silver certified, where LG is customizing products to the needs of MEA consumers. “We’ve developed a range of products and solutions that meet the ever more pressing demands of consumers, while also containing costs and reducing energy consumption,” said John Lee, MD, LG Electronics Saudi Arabia.
ARHG
Al Rajhi Holding Group (ARHG) held a ceremony at its Riyadh head office recently when ARHG’s Deputy Chairman Ahmed Al-Rajhi signed a contract between Mada Nonwoven factory of ARHG and Reifenhauser of Germany. Those in attendance were Reifenhauser’s Sales Manager Markus Mueller, ARHG’s CEO Mansour Al-Kharboush and Industrial Sector CEO Manfred Klepacz. The contact relates to the designing and manufacturing of hygiene application production lines for Mada NonWoven to produce for Saudi and Middle East markets. Reifenhauser is one of the major factories in the world exporting production lines to the Middle East and international market. Mada Nonwoven was established in 2005 in Jubail Industrial City to be the market leader in producing the nonwoven to the Middle East-Gulf market. Ahmed Al Rajhi said the import of machines and technology for Mada Nonwoven was meant for adding value to the quality and quantity of production in Saudi Arabia. He underlined the importance of moving fast to follow the latest technology and import the know-how to hire and train Saudi workers with a view to meeting the needs of the local and regional markets. Mueller hoped that this contract would pave the way for a long business relationship with ARHG. Klepacz noted the continuous expansion and improvement of the business environment across Saudi Arabia.
ABB
ABB, a power and automation technology group, has signed an agreement with the Prince Nayef Center for Dialysis (PNCD) to supply a lighting control system that aims to improve patient care while significantly reducing energy consumption. A medical facility dedicated to the treatment of kidney-related disease, the three-story PNCD will be the primary provider of medical care for kidney patients across the Kingdom. Construction began on the PNCD in 2008. Once completed the center will treat more than 70,000 patients every year. ABB’s KNX-based technology will allow the facility’s management to control lighting throughout the eight-story building. Individual functions include automatic lighting control, timer control, and a host of custom light scenes. ABB’s lighting control system will provide the medical facility with controllers for maintaining constant lighting levels through a combination of natural and artificial light as well as motion and presence sensors for the automatic control of lighting and other consumer loads according to need, both indoors and externally. The KNX lighting control system is to be implemented by ABB partner Nassli. The main contractor for the project is Azmeel Construction. “ABB’s solutions will allow the PNCD to enjoy significant energy savings,” said Ali Nazzal, senior sales and operation manager for Smart Home and Intelligent Building Controls for ABB Saudi Arabia. “We are constantly looking and reviewing technologies that will have a positive effect on patient treatment,” said Fathi Abdullah from Khateib & Alami consultant office at PNCD.
COBONE.COM
Having redefined online shopping across the Middle East, Cobone.com, an online source for top deals, now brings its bargains to Saudi Arabia. Cobone.com one of the most fun, social and innovative ways to shop online, and the chance to make the most out of their city. “Cobone’s expansion to Saudi Arabia is yet another milestone in our growth as the leading regional online brand,” said Paul Kenny, founder and CEO of Cobone. A company majority owned by Jabbar Internet Group, a regional leader in e-commerce ventures, Cobone.com provides enormous savings on the best hotels, goods, restaurants, spas and more across the Middle East. A different offer appears each day, allowing members to take advantage of the most sought-after services for at least half the usual price. The web-based business model uses the power of group purchasing to bring the best goods and services at discounts of 50 to 90 percent. A certain number of people must participate in each offer before the deal can be activated. Shoppers are encouraged to invite friends, colleagues and family to join in on daily deals to increase their own chances of completing a purchase. Customers will also be given the flexibility to purchase coupons for themselves or their friends by using a selection of credit cards and cash on delivery in addition to online payment options such as CashU and Paypal. “With one of the region’s highest internet penetrations and users, Saudi Arabia is ideally placed to benefit from the unique deals offered by Cobone.com,” said Thamer Bamieh, country manager for Cobone.com in the Kingdom.
