AL TAYER OPENS FORD TRUCKS’ FIRST 3S FACILITY

Servicing

The UAE’s official Ford Trucks importer-dealer has opened its first 3S – Sales, Service, and Spare Parts – facility for the brand at Dubai Investments Park, “in the heart of the city’s transport and logistics hub.”

Al Tayer Motors said the 2,700sqm facility includes a showroom with a two-truck display, a comfortable service area that includes a customer lounge, and a fully operational service center with six work bays. The facility is staffed with Sales and Service personnel to help customers with all their requirements.

“Our Ford Trucks business continues to grow, and we now have a strategically located all-new facility with service as well as sales operations and more, making it very convenient for our customers. It will help to reduce downtime, increase operational efficiencies of their businesses, and help us to connect better with them,” said Ashok Khanna, CEO, Al Tayer Motors.

The Ford Trucks facility has been designed with an energy-saving Building Management System (BMS) to control the lighting, air conditioning, and natural skylights – to create a great working space for our customers and teams while reducing its carbon footprint, added Al Tayer.All oil filters and waste in the facility are also recycled contributing to a more environmentally friendly operation.

Al Tayer Motors signed the Ford Trucks brand in 2014 and has since successfully established and grown its market share in the UAE.

Khalifa Port Gets Guinness World Record Logistics

Khalifa Port has set a new Guinness World Record for assembling the ‘Largest shipping container logo/image’. The Khalifa Port team assembled 676 containers in the shape of AD Ports Group’s logo at its South Quay to earn the new title. The total length of the logo formed by the containers was 1,000.4 metres, while the width reached 174 metres. This record nearly doubles the previous standard, set by Singapore’s Tanjong Pagar Terminal in 2017 with 359 containers.

Commenting on this recordsetting success, Saif Al Mazrouei, chief executive officer, Ports Cluster at AD Ports Group said: “We are proud of this remarkable achievement. Setting a new Guinness World Records demonstrates our capability to consistently raise the benchmark, whilst positioning our brand as an efficient and technologically advanced logistics provider.”

Khalifa Port’s strategic location connects Africa, Asia, Europe, as well as the Middle East. Hosting the region’s first semi-automated terminal, the port is capable of handling 7.8 million twentyfoot equivalent units (TEUs) of container capacity a year. The port’s expansion masterplan will support AD Port Group’s goal of handling 15 million TEUs and 25 million tonnes of general cargo annually by 2030.

Khalifa Port’s South Quay was inaugurated in December 2022 and the expansion has increased direct deep-water access, yard and warehousing facilities at Khalifa Port and extended the quay wall by three kilometres. Work also continues on the new CMA Terminals Khalifa Port, which is expected to add an additional 1.8 million TEUs by 2025.

“Khalifa Port’s capabilities and state-of-the-art facilities ensure that we continue to play a vital role in trade enablement at regional and global levels. We are keen and committed to continue pushing boundaries and coming out with innovative ideas to set more records in the future,” Al Mazrouei added.

MAERSK BREAKS GROUND ON $346MN HUB

Logistics

The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) and Maersk have broken ground on what’s billed as the latter’s largest comprehensive logistics zone in the Middle East. The Maersk Logistics Park, which will come up on a 225,000sqm area in Jeddah Islamic port, is being built at a total investment of US $346mn.

Mawani and Maersk first signed the agreement for the project at the end of 2021, and work on the project is expected to be complete in Q1 2024. According to a statement from Mawani, the logistics park is one of the company’s key initiatives aimed at developing and providing investment opportunities in logistics zones for the private sector, and increasing the number of logistics zones that deal with re-exports to 30 by 2030. This is said to be in line with the goals of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, which aims to enhance the Kingdom’s position as a global logistics center and a hub for three continents. The facility is said to offer several logistics solutions that connect and facilitate the movement of supply chains, and deals with annual volumes of up to 200,000 containers of different products.

6 In 10 Looking To Buy A Car In Ramadan Cars

60% of UAE residents are looking to purchase a new or used car during the Holy Month of Ramadan according to a survey commissioned by Audi Abu Dhabi. The survey explored consumer sentiment towards new car purchases and electric vehicle (EV) adoption ahead of what is considered a peak season for car purchases.

Of the 60% looking to purchase a vehicle, petrol cars dominated the demand at 33% while 13% are considering an EV and 14% are still undecided.

While the immediate prospect of EV purchasing is still niche, the survey revealed a growing number of consumers (52%) in the UAE are eager to buy an EV as their next car or in the coming three years. Almost half of the respondents also reported that they would purchase an EV if certain concerns related to EV ownership are addressed, such as improved charging infrastructure (28%) and understanding how much EVs total cost of ownership is (24%).

Commenting on the findings, Audi Abu Dhabi General Manager, Mark Austin, said, “The rapid increase in the adoption of EVs in the region aligns with the country’s plans for sustainability. Audi is proud to play its part in the UAE government’s vision by having an ever-expanding range of e-trons. The potential customers looking to buy EVs in the near future is significant, with their adoption helping to fast-track and contribute to the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 initiative.”