ARAMEX to build chain of logistics hubs as part of major regional development
The company has also confirmed that it will use The World Mail, Express & Air Cargo Expo taking place in Dubai in March to spotlight its regional development strategy.
Organised by Streamline Marketing and Triangle Management Services, the conference-led exhibition will be staged from 1-2 March at the Dubai World Trade Centre and, according to premium sponsor ARAMEX, is the natural forum in which to discuss the unique and expanding mix of mail, express and freight services which it calls 'total transportation solutions.'
ARAMEX, the Middle East's leading transportation company, has revealed significant development plans for the region, including the opening of new logistics centres in Dubai, Cairo, Jeddah and Beirut and a major expansion of the existing facility in Amman.
'ARAMEX is at the heart of the transportation industry in the Middle East, and it is only normal and natural that we are active in sponsoring such a high profile conference in the region,' said Osama Fattaleh, ARAMEX vice president Near East. 'Our aim is to create awareness of the big issues that face our industry, especially in our part of the world, and to interact with other leaders and experts on matters of mutual interest and concern.'
ARAMEX will significantly strengthen its regional presence over the coming months, not least with its expansion plans for its logistics business. Fattaleh explained: 'A new logistics centre in the Jebel Ali free zone which will become operational in August, is one among several state-of-the-art centres we are establishing around the region.'
Other expansion projects include a new logistics facility in Cairo, planned for early this year, an additional logistics centre in Jeddah, a recently opened facility in the free zone at Beirut Seaport in Lebanon, and the doubling of the resource at the Airport in Amman, Jordan.
ARAMEX will use The World Mail, Express & Air Cargo Expo in March to showcase initiatives such as its US mailbox service 'Shop&Ship', one of the more specialised elements within a multi-product portfolio which the company claims sets it apart from its competitors.
Shop&Ship provides customers with a personal mailing address in the US and the UK where they can receive standard mail and packages or goods sent from catalogues or online shopping sites.
Fattaleh explained: 'Shop&Ship was developed as a solution to overcome difficulties customers encountered when placing their online orders on US or UK sites. Once the overseas mailbox is set up, goods are forwarded to the mailbox which is cleared regularly by ARAMEX. We then forward the goods to the customer wherever they are in the world, at very competitive rates, saving them time, effort and money.'
The World Mail, Express & Air Cargo Expo Middle East & Africa is the first conference of its kind to be held in the Gulf, with regional issues top of the agenda. Key to this theme will be an address by Abdulla Ibrahim Al Daboos, Director General of host sponsor Emirates Post, who will give a Middle East perspective on the mail industry.
Visitors will get the chance to interact with key decision makers and the industry's biggest players to discuss the most pressing regional issues at a global level. Taking part in these debates will be a multitude of high profile exhibitors, such as all the major national postal services, including those from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, South Africa, Jordan and Qatar.
Nick Webb, Director of Streamline Marketing, said: 'Dubai is quickly becoming the uncontested
hub of logistics and transportation activity in this region, with first-class facilities to accommodate such an exhibition and its guests. We are looking forward to a very successful event.'
Alongside Emirates Post as the expo's host sponsor, ARAMEX and one of its main competitors DHL will attend as premium sponsors, with FedEx, TCS, Qatar Post and Dubai Cargo Village in the position of support sponsors. Headlining exhibitors so far include Emirates SkyCargo, Etihad Airways, Escher, GATS, Francotyp Postalia, Freightworks and Siemens.
The Dubai-based Expo follows the success of previous mail & express conferences around the world and marks the 22nd in a world series that currently incorporates Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas. However, the event will stand out as unique thanks to the inclusion of the air freight industry, which is being recognised due to the transient nature of Dubai as a trade city.
Taking place under the patronage of H.E. Sultan Saeed Al Mansoori, the UAE Minister of Communications, Chairman of Emirates Post and key speaker at the event, the World Mail, Express and Air Cargo Expo will also play host to the CEOs of the Tunisian, Kenyan, Sierra Leone and Lebanese postal services.
