EMAAR

Emaar Middle East, the subsidiary of Emaar Properties, has received the International Organization of Standardization’s ISO 9001:2008. “Receiving the certification is proof that we are on the right track in our devotion towards complete excellence,” said Alaa Abdullah Saed, CEO, Emaar Middle East. “The recognition showcases the company’s continuous improvement of performance in meeting the quality requirements of its clients and the value-added measures adapted by the company to enhance customer satisfaction.” The world’s most accepted quality standard, the ISO 9001:2008 recognizes good quality management practices and the ability to enhance customer satisfaction in supplier-customer relationships. The certification rewards top quality standards and guidelines relating to quality management systems and associated supporting standards.

BURJ DUBAI

Panel number 24348, the last piece of glass cladding that will complete the exterior of Emaar Properties’ Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, is now ready and awaiting installation. Arabian Aluminium Company — a member of Al-Ghurair Construction Industries LLC, started work on the exterior cladding of Burj Dubai in April 2007 and is now entering the final phase of cladding with the manufacture of the six-meter long last panel for the tower. The panel will be transported to the Burj Dubai work site for installation in the coming weeks. The main materials used in the cladding are reflective glazing, aluminum mullions and textured steel spandrels with vertical stainless steel tubular fins. The cladding accentuates Burj Dubai’s height while lending it a shimmering slenderness. Panels of more than 18 different strength specifications and over 200 sizes are being used for Burj Dubai, all of them double-glazed and factory-sealed. This is the first time that Arabian Aluminium Company has worked on a project of this scale.

HUMMER

The long-awaited Hummer H3 V8, which is now available in showrooms across the Middle East, combines traditional Hummer best in-class off-road capabilities with an all-powerful 365hp engine for an adventure experience like nothing else. “Off-road enthusiasts have been waiting for this, and now they have it. With a new V8 engine, the most capable off-road vehicle is now also the most powerful,” said Hummer Marketing Manager Adib Takieddine. The new cast aluminum VortecTM 5.3L V8 engine pumps 365hp and puts out a torque of 506Nm. The H3 V8’s other best in-class off-road features include the steepest approach and departure angles, tightest turning circle and lowest idle speed gearing. With a tighter turning circle, the H3 V8 can successfully navigate through narrower obstacles than any other vehicle in its class. “The new H3 V8 will provide the adventure of a lifetime, on or off the road. Now you can push it harder, faster, higher and even lower than ever before. It is the ultimate ‘do anything, go anywhere’ off-road adventure vehicle,” said Takieddine.

SAUDI AGRICULTURE

Set to reaffirm the Kingdom’s dominance in the fast-growing agriculture sector, this year’s Saudi Agriculture 2009 — the 28th International Agriculture, Water and Agri-industry Show, will run at the Riyadh International Exhibition Centre in the capital from Nov. 1-4. It will be held concurrently with the Saudi Agro-Food Industries, the 16th international trade show for food products, processing and packaging technologies. Organized by Riyadh Exhibitions Company (REC), it will gather leading international agricultural investors and companies, manufacturers, and key decision makers to identify new business opportunities in Saudi Arabia and showcase the latest in agricultural machinery, equipment and products. “The Kingdom relies on growth areas such as agriculture to advance its economic diversification strategy. The event will provide valuable insights into the technologies, trends, techniques and issues related to one of Saudi Arabia’s top three economic sectors,” Khalid Daou, project manager of Saudi Agriculture at REC, said.

HEAD & SHOULDERS

A cool, fresh, icy breeze blew through Tahlia Street recently despite the scorching summer temperatures, with the arrival of an unseasonal and fascinating summer blizzard — creating a frosty, Artic-esque scene. More than 8000 liters of “snow” covered cars, grass, palm trees, pavements and the front of the La Promenade shopping mall on Tahlia Street. Shoppers were also amazed to see the main icy feature at the entrance to the mall transformed into a summer iceberg, and a series of large ice boxes containing bottles of Head & Shoulders Menthol completely frozen in the 40°C + sunshine. Skiers moved up and down the street and samples were handed out to onlookers. The chilly, picture-postcard vista was created by Head & Shoulders to draw attention to its new menthol shampoo variety.

MERCEDES

Mercedes-Benz will be the first company worldwide to offer split view technology in the front of a vehicle when the new-look S-Class, the region’s favorite German luxury sedan, is launched in the Middle East & Levant in August. This innovative display located in the center console allows the driver and front passenger to simultaneously view different content on the same screen. While the driver, for example, uses the map-based navigation system, the front passenger can be watching a film or music DVD. For this purpose, the Splitview option includes a remote control unit and headphones. The generously dimensioned, 20 cm COMAND screen has a backlit active matrix color display (TFT-LCD) in combination with Splitview. This shows two different images simultaneously by placing pixels adjacent to each other. “A filter masking the display divides this mixed image in such a way that depending on the seating position, only the pixels making up one or the other image can be seen,” said Frank Bernthaler, director, sales and marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars, Middle East & Levant.

SAUDI BUILD

Riyadh Exhibitions Company (REC), organizer of Saudi Build, the biggest business-to-business construction event in the region, has revealed that Saudi Arabia’s remarkably strong construction expenditure has been the primary factor that has motivated more than 650 regional and international companies to confirm their participation in the event this year. REC added that exhibitors, who will come from at least 33 countries, collectively regard Saudi Arabia as a safe and secure investment destination amid an otherwise bleak outlook within the global construction and real estate industries. Saudi Build 2009 will be held from Oct. 4-7 at the newly completed Riyadh International Exhibition Centre. The event has been designed to be a gateway for investors to capitalize on the country’s construction market, and will feature two concurrent exhibitions — Saudi Build 2009, the 21st International Construction Technology and Building Materials Exhibition; and Saudi Stone 2009, the 12th International Stone and Stone Technology Show, said Shahid Bhatti, project manager of Saudi Build at REC

HANKOOK

The Audi A3, A3 Sportback and A3 Cabrio models are slated to roll off the assembly lines with Hankook tires. The high-performance Ventus S1 evo(K107) tires from Hankook Tire, which have garnered numerous awards in independent product tests by the European automotive magazines, have been tested by Audi and will now come factory-installed in the 225/45 ZR 17 dimensions on the Audi A3, A3 Sportback and A3 Cabrio models. With their newly finalized original equipment (OE) agreement, Audi and Hankook Tire are extending the scope of their successful partnership to the European market as well. Hankook Tire, currently the world’s seventh largest tire company, has been equipping various Audi models for the Chinese market since 2008. With this agreement to equip the A3 series production, Hankook Tire is now supplying tires directly to the vehicle manufacturer’s main plant in Germany, said Sang W. Lee, Hankook GM in Jeddah. “Hankook Tire now proves its top-notch technical performance by supplying original equipment for this premium car brand. Our ultra high-quality premium products have made a huge hit in the Kingdom.”

DEPA

Depa Ltd., a Dubai-based major interior contracting company, has announced that its subsidiary, Depa Abu Dhabi, and its joint venture, Mivan Depa, have together won a AED200 million contract for the complete fit out works for Abu Dhabi’s Ferrari World on Yas Island. Opening in 2010, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is set to be the world’s largest indoor theme park, sitting under a roof designed in the style of a classic double-curve body shell of a Ferrari GT car. With over 20 rides and attractions, including the world’s fastest rollercoaster, a full sized racetrack and the region’s first Ferrari store, Ferrari World will attract people from all over the world to Abu Dhabi. Depa’s scope of work involves the fitting out of all components of the theme park’s interior design, including flooring, walls, doors and ceilings. Having been appointed by Aldar BeSix, Depa has a completion date of March 31, 2010.