LuLu, Ariel celebrate National Day with Guinness record

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Updated 24 September 2023
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LuLu, Ariel celebrate National Day with Guinness record

LuLu Hypermarket, the Kingdom’s fastest growing and largest retail chain, and Ismail Abu Dawood and Procter and Gamble Limited, manufacturers of products such as Pampers, Tide, Ariel and Herbal Essences, partnered to celebrate the 93rd Saudi National Day with a Guinness World Records title.

In partnership with Ariel Saudi Arabia, LuLu made an eye-catching formation in the shape of the number 93, using 16,494 Ariel detergent packs. The feat bagged the Guinness World Records title for the “Largest Packaged Product Number.”

The event, which took place at the Alawwal Park Stadium, Riyadh, on Sept. 19, was attended by popular Saudi actor Yousef Al-Jarrah. Guinness World Records officials were present to authenticate and certify the attempt. The LuLu and Ariel teams had been working for days on a logistics and design blueprint to build the formation.

To mark LuLu’s role in the progress of Saudi Arabia, the retail giant is partnering with Albir Charity to donate 6,000 packs from the display to families in need. This will also be part of the LuLu ESG effort. Of the remaining packs, more than 10,000 lucky customers shopping at LuLu stores in Riyadh on National Day, will get them for free on a “first come, first serve” basis.

“We are excited to aim for a Guinness World Records title dedicated to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the occasion of the 93rd Saudi National Day,” said Shehim Mohammed, LuLu Saudi director. “It is an exercise that frames the progress of the Kingdom and LuLu’s role in it. The top detergent brand, Ariel, produced by our project partner P&G, is manufactured in the Kingdom and, like LuLu, it showcases the development of industry and business in modern Saudi Arabia. We have also built our charity and ESG initiative into the event, thus reaching out to families in need and also our valued customer base.”

Turki bin Moammar, Saudi government relations and public policy senior director at P&G, expressed the multinational conglomerate’s happiness at partnering with LuLu for this landmark event. He said: “At P&G, we are committed to helping create a better world for future generations by driving initiatives across our brands and operations that help the communities we operate in. Our longstanding collaboration with LuLu offers both organizations an opportunity to demonstrate the power of brands to enact positive change. This imaginative effort to mark Saudi National Day with a Guinness World Record is sure to capture the hearts of the public while also serving the noble cause of charity. We look forward to building on this coalition through future initiatives with trusted and mindful partners.”

The project was also applauded by Fahad Al-Nashwan, assistant secretary-general at Albir Charity. He said: “Charity is one of the pillars of Islam and on the joyful occasion of Saudi National Day, what better way to join in celebrations than this, where families in need are served. We thank LuLu Hypermarket and P&G for reaching out in this imaginative way.”

Meanwhile, celebrity guest Al-Jarrah said: “I am very pleased to be here on this special day to celebrate the 93rd National Day and to participate with my brothers at LuLu Hypermarket and Ariel in achieving the world’s largest number, and I congratulate them on receiving the Guinness certificate.”

On Sept. 19, the display was inaugurated in the presence of LuLu top management led by Mohammed, director of LuLu Saudi. The P&G team was led by bin Moammar.


Aramco Digital to launch National Industrial Network on 450 MHz band

Updated 12 January 2026
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Aramco Digital to launch National Industrial Network on 450 MHz band

Aramco Digital, the digital and technology arm of Aramco, is preparing to launch its National Industrial Network operating on the 450 MHz spectrum, a network designed to enable secure, resilient, and high-reliability industrial communications across Saudi Arabia. The network has been engineered as a mission-critical industrial infrastructure to deliver high levels of security, flexibility, and reliability to meet the needs of industrial sectors. It provides wide-area coverage with advanced protection standards, supporting operational environments that require continuous performance and dependable connectivity for critical facilities and assets.

“The National Industrial Network has been designed to support the advanced operational requirements of modern industrial environments, aimed at enhancing efficiency, strengthening business continuity, and enabling a new class of highly reliable industrial communications. Together with next-generation mission-critical smart radios, the network aims to help build a future-ready industrial infrastructure that enables real-time data insights, supports industrial digital transformation, and aligns with the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030,” said Nabil Al-Nuaim, Aramco Digital CEO.

Unlike public networks, the National Industrial Network has been purpose-built for industrial environments, enabling connectivity for critical assets, supply chains, logistics operations, and autonomous mobility systems. The network seeks to elevate smart industrial services, supporting real-time monitoring, automation, enhanced safety, and higher operational efficiency across industrial sectors.

As part of the launch, Aramco Digital plans to introduce an integrated portfolio of industrial digital solutions powered by the 450 MHz network. These include specialized connectivity packages tailored to diverse sector needs, along with a new generation of mission-critical smart radios designed specifically for industrial operations. The devices combine rugged high-performance design and industrial safety compliance with advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, enhanced sensing technologies, extended battery life, and real-time on-device data processing, helping improve accuracy, safety, and operational continuity in complex environments.

The network has also been designed to support a wide spectrum of industrial IoT applications, including asset condition and performance monitoring, fleet tracking, air-quality and environmental sensing, intelligent video monitoring, smart metering, lighting and infrastructure control, as well as mobility and fleet-management solutions. These capabilities enhance operational transparency, automation, and efficiency across both industrial and public sectors.

The National Industrial Network aims to help establish a strong technological foundation for Saudi Arabia’s next industrial phase, contributing to the objectives of Vision 2030 by delivering highly reliable, nationwide industrial connectivity that enables automation, intelligence, and advanced digital services across vital sectors. By developing connectivity solutions aligned with the needs of modern industrial operations, Aramco Digital is helping shape the future of mission-critical digital infrastructure in the Kingdom, moving beyond traditional telecommunications to enable continuous interaction between devices, machines, and AI-powered systems, and strengthening real-time decision-making through edge processing.

The 450 MHz National Industrial Network represents more than an improvement in coverage or performance. It is a strategic step toward smarter, more autonomous, and technology-driven industrial ecosystems that enhance operational excellence and set a new benchmark for advanced digital infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

With the accelerating pace of digital transformation in the Kingdom, secure and reliable connectivity has become a fundamental pillar in supporting operational requirements and driving economic growth. Organizations across various sectors— including industrial sectors and those enabling future economies — are increasingly relying on advanced connectivity solutions and technologies to enhance safety and reliability, improve operational efficiency, and unlock new horizons for sustainable economic development.