Saudi Build / Saudi Stone 2010 attracts new investors from Belgium, Egypt, UK, France and Taiwan

March 9, 2010

Real growth in the construction sector of Saudi Arabia reached 3.9 per cent in 2009 with real estate growing by 1.8 per cent according to a report from the Ministry of Finance, as sustained government expenditure and continued private sector investments drive new real estate and construction projects across the country. The positive growth trajectory has in turn generated a diverse range of business opportunities, while fuelling demand for the latest construction technologies, building material and equipment in the country.

In addition to a wide range of commercial and residential developments, Saudi Arabia has also embarked on a diverse range of education, transportation, agriculture and other infrastructure development projects, which has further boosted the demand for specialised construction technology and expertise. Large-scale projects being launched in the country include around 1,200 new schools in addition to some 3,112 schools currently under construction, and the rehabilitation of some 2,000 existing school buildings.

A total of 6,400 kilometres of road will also be constructed, adding to 35,000 km of roads currently under construction. The government has also appropriated a total of SAR 46 billion for various water, agriculture and infrastructure projects, representing an increase of 30 per cent over the previous year. The new budget covers construction of water sources, dams and wells, water and sewage networks, and water desalination plants.

Saudi Build / Saudi Stone 2010, the premier business-to-business platform for the Saudi construction and stone market, has revealed that demand for space at the exhibition has increased sharply, as the favourable market conditions attract regional and international industry payers. Saudi Build / Stone 2010 is scheduled for October 18 to 21 / Dhu-al-Qa’dah 10 to 13 1431 (H) at the newly completed Riyadh International Exhibition Center.

Shahid Bhatti, Project Manager of Saudi Build at Riyadh Exhibitions Company, said: “The continued growth in international participation reflects the strength and huge potential of the Saudi market, while underscoring the strategic importance of Saudi Build / Saudi Stone 2010 as a gateway for international exhibitors and visitors to explore a wide range of business opportunities in the country. This year’s edition is shaping up to achieve another record participation as real estate and construction market conditions remain bullish in Saudi Arabia. In fact, we have recently added Belgium, Egypt, UK, France and Taiwan to the growing list of country pavilions at the exhibition.”

The exhibition comprises ‘Saudi Build 2010 – the 22nd International Construction Technology and Building Materials Exhibition’, and ‘Saudi Stone 2010 – the 13th International Stone and Stone Technology Show’. The twin events expect an influx of thousands of industry-related visitors, including high-profile business leaders from Saudi Arabia and around the world, diplomats and high-ranking Saudi Government officials. Hundreds of exhibiting companies from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia are also expected to attend.

To cater to the rising demand for stone, heavy machinery and construction equipment in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Build / Saudi Stone 2010 will have dedicated indoor and outdoor exhibition areas to serve exhibitors and visitors specialised in these market categories. Saudi Stone 2010 in particular will feature the most up-to-date stone, marble, granite, slate, and other natural products, while the PMV Series will feature market leaders in the heavy construction machinery and equipment sector.

This early, the number of country pavilions at Saudi Build 2010 has already increased to a total of 42 compared with 37 in 2009. The total exhibition area has also increased to reach around 30,000 SQM, compared to 23,000 SQM last year. Saudi Build is the only construction trade show in Saudi Arabia accredited by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. UFI certification is only granted to high-end professional events and experienced organisers with a distinguished record of attracting top-quality international exhibitors and select professional visitors.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, March 8, 2010: HP today announced that Sahara Petrochemicals Company (Sahara), a Saudi based industrial development company specializing in petrochemical, chemicals and related products, has selected HP BladeSystem and HP ProLiant servers solutions to automate and optimise its datacentre processes.

The new implementation is part of Sahara’s technology overhaul to support and meet its growth objectives.

The HP BladeSystem c7000 enclosure deployed at Sahara will allow it to consolidate its server, storage, network, power and management capabilities into a ‘datacenter in a box’. 

Additionally, the HP ProLiant BL460c G6 Server Blade will provide leading performance, expandability and the latest energy efficient technologies that are needed for a dense compute environment such as Sahara’s. The HP ProLiant Server Blade delivers excellent performance and energy savings to reduce overall datacenter spending in power constrained scale-out environments.

Commenting on the hardware implementation, Ihab Y. Hawari, IT Manager at Sahara said, “HP is our chosen technology partner to deliver both immediate business value and ongoing business advantage. When it came to selecting the right datacenter solution we studied the different offerings from various vendors that were available in the market and found that HP solutions best met the requirement of our IT infrastructure. Through this implementation our aim is to address our technology automation and flexibility challenges.”

Sahara has also implemented HP’s Virtual Connect Flex-10 10Gb Ethernet Module for BladeSystem which offers high performance connectivity to the datacenter and makes server administration and server applications more efficient.  With Virtual Connect, Sahara will be able to reduce costs and simplify connections to LANs and SANs, consolidate and precisely control their network connections and enable administrators to add, replace and recover server resources as an when it is needed. 

“The solutions implemented at Sahara offer the best-run IT infrastructure out of a box that is available in the market today. They are manageble, simple to operate and offers flexibility to expand depending on the company’s growth needs. It will also help Sahara reduce up-front capital costs and ongoing power and cooling costs. Our aim is to support companies in the manufacturing sector with our end-to-end solutions and allow them to realize the full potential of their business investment,” said Ali Tamimi, Enterprise Storage, servers and Networking Manager HP Saudi Arabia.
 
HP partners with the industry’s leading hardware and software providers to develop and implement solutions to help customers solve their most pressing datacenter transformation issues.

This move is part of the company’s expansion plan into the GCC market

Jeddah, 08 March 2010: averda, a leading regional environmental services company, has announced the launch of its operations in Saudi Arabia yesterday (March 7th, 2010) at the opening of the ‘Gulf Environmental Forum’ which runs until March 9th at the Hilton Hotel, Jeddah. The company, which is now ready to offer a full collection and disposal service for the private sector in Saudi Arabia, is currently showcasing its comprehensive range of services at stand H02. averda’s latest expansion initiative will cover the Eastern, Western and Central regions of Saudi Arabia.

Last year, the Kingdom produced 13 million tons of garbage, from a population of some 28 million, at a rate of approximately 1.3 kilograms per person each day. With the World Bank placing KSA as the 13th most ‘economically competitive’ country in the world, analysts believe that the country’s strong GDP, which implies higher consumer spending, is further fueling the production of waste. Moreover, the gradual shift from oil and gas production to the manufacturing and services sectors also plays a significant role in such massive waste generation. Construction debris in Riyadh alone has reached 2.1 million tons in 2009, with commercial and domestic waste adding another 1.4 million tons.

With an initial team of some 250 operatives in KSA, averda has the capacity to provide more effective and advanced recycling and resource management to the Kingdom. The company’s wide range of services include source separated collection, on-board weighing and on-line viewing and control.

Speaking at the event, Walid Shaar, averda’s Chief Operations Officer, said, “As far as recycling and resource management goes, the Middle East region and KSA in particular are steadily progressing in the right direction. Accordingly we are working very hard to introduce a new level of service that will help the region build an efficient waste-control system. As perceptions about the environment in the Middle East continue to gradually change, we believe that our entry into Saudi Arabia will encourage both the public and private sectors to adopt technologically advanced solutions for their resource management needs. We are proud to be making this announcement here at this event, and reiterate our commitment to the Saudi market.”

A key element of averda’s KSA-based operations is its ability to monitor its own environmental footprint through a fleet management tracking programme. The company sees such new technology as the standard model for servicing future environmentally friendly cities. In addition, averda has also specified and deployed a range of hybrid trucks and electrically operated vehicles to safely transport waste and discarded materials in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Finally, both labour and equipment are integrated and shared across averda’s broad range of services to manage costs and minimize downtime.

“We have high hopes for our latest venture, and we are optimistic about the impact we will have in the Kingdom’s recycling and resource management sector,” concluded Shaar.

Annual 3.5 per cent growth of ME construction sector to hike demand for engineering, procurement & construction management expertise

Collaboration, Management and Control Solutions (CMCS) - Saudi Arabia, a leading provider of project portfolio management (PPM) solutions in the MENA region, has signed a strategic partnership agreement with SOFCON Group to offer project management solutions and services to all SOFCON’s projects in the Middle East region. SOFCON is one of the fastest growing multi-disciplined engineering and project management (E&PM) providers in the region.

Under the multi-million Saudi Riyal deal, CMCS will carry out project management maturity assessment, professional project management development, and Oracle Primavera project management software and collaboration software installation, training and implementation, among other key services. SOFCON is enhancing its project management capacity as part of a broader E&PM efficiency buildup in preparation for a projected annual growth rate of 3.5 per cent in the Middle East construction sector. In the Gulf, almost 70 per cent of registered projects are still ongoing, with active civil building developments alone worth over USD 1.3 trillion.

“The Middle East’s engineering and construction industries have remained relatively stable despite the persistence of the global downturn. However, engineering firms cannot just remain complacent, they have to continuously improve their service levels so that they can engage in all types of project opportunities that come their way. Through our advanced PM and PPM solutions we intend to help bring SOFCON at the forefront of the region’s rapidly evolving engineering markets,” said Bassam Samman, CEO and Founder, CMCS.

“When we outlined our goals for our E&PM growth strategy we identified PM as a critical area for expansion.  After considering some of the region’s top PM experts we decided that CMCS’s ISO-certified approach to PM solutions was the best fit for our vision. We expect projects to start picking up this year as the engineering and construction sectors accelerate their market corrections. We look forward to serving our target markets in the region through CMCS’s PM capabilities,” added Alaa Fattani, President & CEO, SOFCON Group.

SOFCON offers comprehensive Design, Engineering and Project Management services for the Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals, Telecommunications, Utilities and Infrastructure sectors. The company’s corporate office is based in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, while its international headquarters is located in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Some of its prominent clients include Saudi Aramco, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), Saudi Electricity Company, Royal Commission and Maaden.

SOFCON is the latest strategic partner of CMCS, which recently became the first project management consultancy in the UAE to receive ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System Certification, the most widely recognized quality benchmark in the world. Under this strategic partnership agreement, CMCS and SOFCON will offer similar services to other key clients in various sectors in Saudi Arabia.

CMCS provides advanced project and portfolio management (PPM) solutions to over 1,400 clients from various industries ranging from engineering and construction to media and entertainment. It is an authorized Middle East representative of Oracle Primavera’s line of Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Applications, as well as Hard Dollar, Deltek, EcoSys, ADePT, eTimeMachine and Synchro.

More than 550,000 computer units expected to be sold, as stock of installed computers reaches 4 million

February 27, 2010

Computer hardware sales in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is expected to reach SAR 7.5 billion in 2010, fuelled by the growing adoption of technology solutions by businesses and households across the country, and the increasing computer penetration, which has reached 24 per cent and is expected to exceed 30 per cent by 2014. Easy accessibility to top-quality IT products and services has helped encourage IT spending in Saudi, which remains the biggest IT market in the GCC with a forecast value of SAR 19.5 billion by 2014 from an estimated SAR 13.875 billion in 2010.

GITEX KSA 2010, a premier business-to-business networking event and leading consumer ICT showcase, has been one of the key marketing platforms that have supported the sustained growth of the ICT sector and helped drive sales performance of ICT companies in the country. To be held from April 25 to 29 / Jumada al-Awwal 10 to 14  at the Riyadh Exhibition Centre, GITEX KSA 2010 serves as the perfect gateway for distributors, manufacturers, resellers and other ICT businesses to boost exposure and gain a foothold in Saudi Arabia’s lucrative ICT market.

PCs, notebook computers and computer accessories are expected to be among the best-selling product categories at GITEX KSA 2010 as analysts estimate that at least 550,000 computer units will be sold in the country this year alone. Current stock of installed computers in Saudi has been estimated to exceed 4 million units.

Shahid Bhatti, Project Manager of GITEX at Riyadh Exhibitions Company, organiser of the event, said: “With Saudi Arabia being the biggest IT market in the Gulf region, ICT expenditure has always been strong in this country. However, with confidence levels in other industries surging this year following a generally conservative outlook in 2009, we expect greater market activity and more business opportunities at GITEX KSA 2010. At least 15,000 square metres of exhibition space has been allotted this year and we are nearly sold out. This certainly underlines the enthusiasm of ICT companies in the Saudi market this year.”

“GITEX KSA 2010 has consistently provided exhibitors a convenient platform to easily reach buyers and decision makers, generate new leads, showcase new products, and appoint new agents and distributors. In addition, the event concurrently provides direct access to the entire Middle East market, giving exhibitors optimum exposure in key target markets in the region,” added Bhatti.

GITEX KSA 2010 will showcase a wide range of products and services that cater to the full spectrum of Saudi Arabia’s diverse IT segments. The event will run concurrently with Saudi Communications 2010.

KSA market accounts for 70 per cent of revenue growth while UAE contributes 30 per cent

February 25, 2010

FINE, the market leader in the Middle East’s hygienic paper industry and part of the Nuqul Group, has revealed that its multi-pronged approach of expanding into newer distribution territories and implementation of a more customer-centered strategy has helped reinforce the company’s leadership in the region’s hygienic paper segment. Amidst the current economic downturn, the leading tissue manufacturer successfully recorded an increase in revenue for 2009; with its market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) accounting for 70 per cent of the growth and the UAE market contributing 30 per cent. FINE’s continued growth and expansion into newer areas in the region complement a recent industry report that the Middle East region’s tissue paper segment is expected to post an annual growth of eight per cent between 2009 and 2011.  

According to the company’s latest annual performance report, various levels of growth were experienced by all of FINE’s product categories. However, key products like facial tissues, maxi rolls, toilet rolls and baby diapers recorded higher growth rates over other categories. FINE’s key export markets in 2009 included Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and the Indian subcontinent. The company’s positive performance reflects the success of its 2009 strategy of improving its products according to consumer needs and developing a wider distribution network that aimed at penetrating untapped yet high potential areas. FINE also resolved to improve manufacturing efficiencies, which later resulted in a 15 per cent increase in output per unit and a decrease in manufacturing costs per unit of output.

Peter Janho, Chief Area Officer for the Arabian Peninsula and Iran, FINE, said, “The Middle East region has been identified as the largest and fastest growing segment of the global tissue paper industry. The region’s tissue industry growth is widely attributed to a strong presence in niche segments such as boxed facial tissues and kitchen towels. FINE aimed at complementing this strength by looking deeper into these niche markets to find out what consumers want. Our efforts to implement a more customer centric approach combined with the development of a wider distribution network have given us the advantage of reinforcing our leadership in the tissue industry segment. FINE’s 2009 performance reports have also shown that despite the global financial crisis, consumers did not cut back in its consumption of essential items like paper products.”

In 2010 FINE will be adopting a similar multi pronged strategy that includes investing in latest production technologies, further development of its distribution network and enhancing automation of current sales and distribution for both KSA & UAE through the use of individual PDAs by the entire sales force. The company has already announced that it will be allotting 80 per cent of its investment portfolio for the purpose of increasing production output. FINE will also concentrate on product improvements for its line of facial tissues, kitchen towels, toilet rolls and baby diapers. 

“FINE’s positive outlook for 2010 is reflected in the strategy that we have chosen to implement. We are also keen on increasing our market presence as more Far East-based brands are carefully making their way into high potential markets such as the Indian Subcontinent and Eastern Africa. We are confident that consumers will still continue to patronize us as we have already established a brand that is known for its quality and hygiene, and as we are the only company to offer sterilized products. Our prompt attention to customer needs and presence on any store shelf in the region, are also major factors in our success” concluded Janho. 
  
The FINE stable of products includes facial tissues, toilet paper, baby diapers, wet wipes, refreshing towels, adult briefs, jumbo rolls, kitchen towels and sanitary pads. FINE has a manufacturing unit at the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai that is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, and employs around 300 highly skilled staff. Currently FINE has an established presence in most of the Middle East countries including Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the UAE, and also in the USA. 

New Al-Khobar based entity will focus on providing full-service engineering and project management services

February 24, 2010

Foster Wheeler AG (Nasdaq: FWLT) has announced recently that a subsidiary of its Global Engineering and Construction Group has signed a Joint Venture Agreement to form a jointly owned Saudi Arabian entity with A. Al-Saihati, A. Fattani and O. Al-Othman Consulting Engineering Company (SOFCON) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
 
The new entity, Foster Wheeler SOFCON Consulting Engineering Company, is planned as a regional engineering hub and will be based in the city of Al-Khobar in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Foster Wheeler SOFCON will focus on providing full-service engineering and project management services for onshore/offshore oil and gas, refining, petrochemicals and associated infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia.

“Foster Wheeler and SOFCON have a long and outstanding record of successful cooperation in project execution in Saudi Arabia. The formation of this new company demonstrates the ongoing commitment of our two companies in working together to deliver successful projects in Saudi Arabia and the provision of high quality services and expertise from a local base,” said Umberto della Sala, president and chief operating officer, Foster Wheeler AG.

“It is our goal to make Foster Wheeler SOFCON the leading full-service engineering and project management provider in Saudi Arabia, delivering professional and competitive services in front-end engineering, detailed engineering, procurement, construction and project management. The new entity will bring an enhanced value proposition in the development of the local economy and capabilities,” said Ala’a Fattani, president and chief executive officer, SOFCON.

Foster Wheeler AG is a global engineering and construction contractor and power equipment supplier delivering technically advanced, reliable facilities and equipment. The company employs approximately 14,000 talented professionals with specialized expertise dedicated to serving its clients through one of its two primary business groups. The company’s Global Engineering and Construction Group designs and constructs leading-edge processing facilities for the upstream oil and gas, LNG and gas-to-liquids, refining, chemicals and petrochemicals, power, environmental, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and healthcare industries. The company’s Global Power Group is a world leader in combustion and steam generation technology that designs, manufactures and erects steam generating and auxiliary equipment for power stations and industrial facilities and also provides a wide range of aftermarket services. The company is based in Zug, Switzerland.

SOFCON was founded in the year 2000 by engineers Abdullah A. Al-Saihati, Othman R. Al-Othman, and Alaa D. Fattani by merging their respective design engineering organizations into a larger, technically more diverse consolidated company continuously aspiring to achieving the founders’ vision and meeting clients’ expectations in terms of successful delivery of a wide range of local engineering and project management solutions.

SOFCON specializes in providing a complete range of program management, engineering design, procurement, construction and environmental services to various clients in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in the Gulf Co-operation Council countries. As a major engineering and project management service provider to Saudi Aramco, Saudi Electric Company, as well as the SABIC Group of Companies, SOFCON has executed a large number of engineering and project management contracts for prestigious projects. SOFCON’s areas of operation include the oil and gas, refining, petrochemicals, power, water and infrastructure business sectors.

System to enhance online management of sales, shipment & delivery

February 24, 2010

ALFalak Electronic Equipment & Supplies Co., a leading provider of technology-based end-to-end solutions in the Middle East, has announced that it will be incorporating the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Collaborative Portal solution to the online self-service portal of Al Rashed Fasteners, an ISO 9001-certified manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of quality fasteners.

EnterpriseOne has the potential to improve sales by providing easy-to-use and secure ordering utilities. Based on IBM’s WebSphere portal, the system supports a highly secure, interactive and single point of information access to suppliers, business partners and customers. It will enable Al Rashed’s online users to efficiently manage and track data on Sales Order Status, Shipment Status and Shipment Delivery, among others.

“We can attest to the operational advantages of the EnterpriseOne system, which we recently adopted ourselves into our self-service platform. Today’s tight markets require advantages in terms of speed, efficiency and information, all of which are supported by this technology. Al Rashed will definitely gain an edge in its markets through use of this solution,” said Ahmed Ali Ashadawi is the President and CEO of ALFalak Electronic Equipment & Supplies Co.

“We serve industries that heavily rely on timely and efficient materials delivery to proceed with their projects. It is thus imperative for us to provide a convenient yet efficient platform for providing data on critical operational phases such as ordering and

shipment. The combination of JD Edwards’ advanced portal technology and ALFalak’s IT expertise assures us of a system that is both cutting-edge and dependable,” added The Senior Management of Al Rashed Fasteners.

Al Rashed will be able to build its own mini-portals through EnterpriseOne’s catalogue of pre-built portlets for common business processes and integrated development tools. The JD Edwards system’s portal interoperability standards allow easy configuration and deployment, while security options such as Single Sign-On, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, and a native application security program can be combined depending on user requirements. ALFalak recently deployed EnterpriseOne on its own self-service portal.

Al Rashed Fasteners is part of the Al Rashed Group, a leading trading and industrial conglomerate in Saudi Arabia which operates in the five business sectors of Trading, Manufacturing, Construction, Services, and Consumer Products. The company’s major clients include Saudi ARAMCO, Saudi Consolidated Electric Company, and SCECO and Saudi Basic Industries Corp.

ALFalak Electronic Equipment & Supplies Co. is a leading information technology and communications solution provider with over 27 years of experience throughout the Middle East. Its comprehensive service portfolio covers System Solutions and Consulting, IT Risk Mitigation, Computer Supplies and Accessories, Enterprise Resource Planning, and e-Business Solutions, among others. ALFalak has been ranked by Arab News as one of Saudi Arabia’s top 100 Companies in Saudi Arabia for the past four years.

Al Rabie represents KSA via exhibitions, meetings & seminars

February 22, 2010

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is reaffirming its leading status within the Gulf’s food and beverage industry at Gulfood 2010 – The 15th Gulf Food, Hotel and Equipment Exhibition and Salon Culinaire which started yesterday (Sunday, February 21, 2010) and runs until February 24, 2010 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Al Rabie Saudi Food Company Ltd., a pioneering producer of dairy products and juices in the Kingdom, is representing the country through product exhibitions and proactive meetings and seminars designed to provide valuable insights on how to further develop the region’s food and beverage businesses.

Al Rabie continues to partner with other major Middle Eastern industry players and launch key initiatives to meet growing demand for its products and further expand its brand awareness. Since its founding in 1980, Al Rabie has pioneered food production, processing and distribution in Saudi Arabia. It was the first dairy and juice company in the Kingdom to use Psion hand-held computers for its distribution channels and was also the first in the Middle East and the third in the world to adopt TetraPak’s innovative Tetra Prisma aseptic packaging. The company is also a four-time recipient of the King Fahd ‘Ideal Factor Award,’ affirming its commitment to quality, safety and total customer satisfaction. Its industry-leading products, services and technologies figure prominently within Gulfood 2010’s over 20,000 sqm of exhibition space.

“Although our products are in high demand within the KSA market, we face increasing competition across the Arab region. We thus need to increase our visibility through major events such as Gulfood which serve as excellent platforms to showcase the superiority of our products. We believe that our 30 years of experience and expertise will enable us to eventually compete in major markets outside of the Middle East,” said Monther Al Harthi, CEO, Al Rabie Saudi Food Company Ltd.

A Special Seminar Discussing the Specifications and Standards for Foodstuff Transport and Storage

(Unrefrigerated and Unfrozen)

February 21, 2010

The validity period of Beverages and Foodstuff is adversely proportional to the speed of deterioration in their quality due to being affected by the different conditions and factors caused by the transportation and storage processes. Such different variables may affect the expiration date of these materials and therefore lead to major financial losses or health hazards for the consumers. Due to the steady growth that the beverages market is witnessing in the Middle East, the technical conditions and health standards followed during the transportation and storage of such materials are currently getting the attention of the concerned bodies in the region. Therefore, the GCC Standardization Organization initiated a new project tackling these specifications.

The “Arab Beverages Association”, which is one of the committees working under the umbrella of the “Arab Federation of Food Industries”, is going to hold a seminar titled “The Specifications and Standards for Transporting and Storing Foodstuff” on February 22, 2010 in Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center . It is decided that representatives from the “Saudi Food and Drug Authority”, “Saudi Standards and Metrics Authority”, “Arab Federation for Food Industries”, “Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology” and the Union of UAE Chambers of Industry and Commerce will attend the seminar.

The seminar, held under the patronage of both “Arab Federation for Food Industries” and the Union of UAE Chambers of Industry and Commerce, aims to discuss a series of worksheets pertaining to the standard specifications and best practices adopted in transporting and storing foodstuff and beverages of diverse canned kinds in addition to the best control standards applied in local markets.

“The Foodstuff and Beverages industry sector in the gulf region and the Middle East is witnessing a significant growth. This fact stresses the need for providing high quality products that comply with the highest standards of health safety in addition to reinforcing the competitive abilities in the local and regional markets. Accordingly, we have to activate cooperation between all the concerned bodies in elevating the consumers’ sound purchasing culture regarding reviewing the nutrition fact sheet in addition to expanding the range of control on the guidelines for transporting foodstuff and the proper storing methods which insures protecting the consumer’s health against diseases caused by the lack of nutrition awareness.” Said Monther Al Harthi; head of the “Arab Beverages Association” and the chief executive officer of “ Al Rabie Saudi Foods Co. Ltd” commenting on the Seminar.

“Arab Beverages Association and the Arab Federation for Food Industries both play a vital role in tightening the control over the beverages and foodstuff industry by setting the specifications and standards in compliance with the international health and safety standards. In this regard, we are keen to support the joint efforts exerted towards elevating the level of the foodstuff and beverages markets through launching awareness campaigns and educational brochures to enforce awareness amongst workers and consumers alike regarding the importance of the health conditions of transporting, storing and using these materials.” He added.