Massive YANMU East Logistics Park Launching This Month

CAIRO – 13 March, 2023 – Hassan Allam Utilities, the investment and development arm of Hassan Allam Holding, and Agility, the industrial development specialist, formed a joint venture, YANMU, to develop, build and operate modern logistics parks and Grade A warehousing facilities in Egypt.

Hassan Allam Utilities and Agility announced that their first park, YANMU East Logistics Park, is a 270,000 SQM site, located on the new Cairo Suez road, 15 km from Cairo Airport and with proximity to the Ring Road. YANMU East Logistics Park opens in August 2023. A second park, YANMU West Logistics Park, is planned to launch in 2024.

YANMU parks are designed to meet the storage and distribution needs of companies in e-commerce, manufacturing, consumer products, food and beverage, technology, automotive, energy, industrial goods, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and other sectors.

YANMU East Logistics Park offers Grade A warehousing at a unique, strategic location and provides tenants with 24/7 security, power, connectivity, and facility management. In addition, the facility provides advanced warehouse engineering features, such as 14-meter ceilings, super-flat floors, efficient docking systems, and docking. Furthermore, YANMU is a green park incorporating sustainable design, including solar rooftops and other features that reduce power and water use and increase operational efficiency.

“YANMU will offer Egypt’s most modern, efficient, and sustainable warehousing. We are proud to have strategically partnered with Agility, which has nearly four decades of experience in developing and operating Grade A warehousing across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia,” said Amr Allam, Chairman of Hassan Allam Utilities.

Agility Vice Chairman Tarek Sultan said: “When it comes to warehousing capacity and distribution capability, Egypt is underserved. YANMU will fill the gap with modern, efficient infrastructure that is going to power growth domestically and strengthen Egypt’s role as a vital trade partner and crossroads. Hassam Allam Utilities’ reputation for excellence and intimate knowledge of the market gives YANMU a huge advantage.”

Both Agility and Hassan Allam Utilities recently announced significant new investments and expansion plans in Egypt.

In October, Agility announced that is investing roughly $60 million to develop and operate two customs and logistics centers in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. The project is intended to modernize operations and improve the flow of goods and commodities in the Ein Sokhna industrial zone and at East Port Said.

In September, Hassan Allam Utilities signed two concession agreements to develop and operate strategic warehouses for the Internal Trade & Development Authority (ITDA) in the governorates of Luxor and Sharqiyah under a BOOT scheme. The project is part of Hassan Allam Utilities’ investments in the logistics sector to establish an integrated logistics platform covering the entire value chain for storage and handling services in Egypt, and to further develop the industry and leverage a fast-growing market opportunity.

State-of-the-art warehousing complexes readied to host data centers

DUBAI – MARCH 7, 2023 – Agility Logistics Parks (ALP), a leading developer of industrial and logistics real estate in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, today announced the launch of tailored, master-planned data center campus sites in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and Ghana, with more to come.

The sites are being readied at ultra-modern ALP warehousing complexes in fast-growing markets and mega-cities that are looking to add hyperscale data center capacity and resolve data latency, security and compliance challenges to speed their growth and improve competitiveness.

ALP is a market leader in industrial real estate in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa with 1.5 million SQM of warehousing and 12 million SQM of industrial land across 12 emerging markets countries. ALP announced its plans for data center sites at the Capacity Middle East 2023 conference in Dubai.

ALP has readied data center campuses in its existing parks with power allocation, fiber connectivity, building permits, strong sustainability features and high security. The first set of campuses is in ALP parks in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Kuwait, Cairo (Egypt) and Accra-Tema (Ghana). ALP expects to add sites in other rapidly growing data center markets, including Nairobi, Casablanca, Lagos and more.

Ronald Philip, Senior Director at ALP, said ALP is “uniquely poised with a portfolio of ideal sites across the Middle East and Africa.  We have a strong track record of development in challenging markets, a healthy balance sheet, and the in-house engineering capability to meet the technical specifications of hyperscale data center operators.” In Kuwait, for example, the company’s site offers an existing sub-station with 80 MW capacity, and the property is allocated for two 46,000 SQM data center plots with capacity for expansion. In addition to conventional power, the Kuwait site offers 15+ MW of solar capacity.

Most global tech giants — Amazon, Microsoft, Google and others – have announced their intention to add data center capacity in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

“Based on feedback from several data center operators, we believe we can support them and accelerate their deployment through our data center campuses,” Philip said.

Stephen Beard, Global Head of Data Centers at Knight Frank, said: “We have strong feedback from our global clients that Agility’s value proposition in challenging emerging markets will help them with faster speed to market with a credible, institutional developer as a partner.”

Most still committed to net-zero, emerging markets plans despite bleak outlook

DUBAI – Feb. 7, 2023 – Nearly 70% of global logistics executives say they are bracing for recession amid higher costs, slowing demand, and ongoing supply chain disruption arising from China’s battle to contain COVID, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the impact of climate change.

Ninety percent of the 750 industry professionals surveyed for the 2023 Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index also say their shipping, storage and other logistics costs remain well above pre-pandemic levels of early 2020.

“Carriers and shippers are feeling the effects of higher energy prices, tight labor markets and broader inflation even though freight rates have fallen and ports have cleared cargo backlogs,” said Agility Vice Chairman Tarek Sultan. “Three years after the start of the pandemic, there is still a lot of volatility in supply chains. Now there’s fresh uncertainty as consumers and businesses pull back on spending and hiring.”

The survey and Index are Agility’s 14th annual snapshot of industry sentiment and ranking of the world’s 50 leading emerging markets. The Index ranks countries for overall competitiveness based on their logistics strengths, business climates and digital readiness — factors that make them attractive to logistics providers, freight forwarders, air and ocean carriers, distributors and investors.

China and India, the world’s two largest countries, held their spots at No. 1 and 2 in the overall rankings. UAE, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Thailand, Mexico and Vietnam rounded out the top 10. Turkey, No. 10 in 2022, dropped to 11th. No. 24 South Africa and 25 Kenya were highest among countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Arabian Gulf countries – UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman — again offered the best business conditions. Malaysia, with the 4th best environment for business, was the only non-Gulf country in the top 5.

China and India were tops for domestic and international logistics. India jumped four spots to No. 1 in digital readiness, followed by UAE, China, Malaysia and Qatar.

Farther down, there was more volatility in the rankings than in any prior year of the Index.  Conflict, sanctions, political tumult, economic missteps and continued COVID fallout damaged the competitiveness of Ukraine, Iran, Russia, Colombia, Paraguay and others. Among countries leaping forward in certain categories: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Jordan, Sri Lanka and Ghana.

 

2023 Index Highlights

Survey

  • Net-Zero Commitment – 53% of logistics executives say their companies have committed to net-zero emissions, and another 6.1% say their businesses have achieved net-zero.
  • Climate Change – Half say climate change is a concern their businesses must plan for, while another 18% say it is already affecting them.
  • Emerging Markets – 55% say they will be more aggressive in emerging markets expansion and investing or leave their existing plans untouched despite fears of recession.
  • Digital Forwarding – Respondents say the biggest advantage is improved tracking and visibility; the biggest disadvantage is error/exception management, respondents say.
  • Ukraine – 97% indicate that their businesses have been hurt by higher costs or other supply chain challenges as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
  • China – There is an even split between companies planning to reduce their reliance on Chinese sourcing and those planning to expand in China. But only 11% of respondents say their company’s manufacturing footprint is the same as before COVID.
  • Gulf Economies – Innovation, technology and good conditions for small businesses are seen as the most important factors in lessening Gulf countries’ reliance on oil and gas.
  • Africa – Logistics executives see big benefits for Africa from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA), despite slow implementation.

Country Rankings

  • In the Middle East and North Africa, overall rankings were: UAE (3); Saudi Arabia (6); Qatar (7); Turkey (11); Oman (12); Bahrain (14); Kuwait (15); Jordan (16); Morocco (20); Egypt (21); Tunisia (32); Lebanon (33); Iran (36); Algeria (41); Libya (50).
  • Rankings in Sub-Saharan Africa: South Africa (24); Kenya (25); Ghana (29); Nigeria (34); Tanzania (37); Uganda (43); Ethiopia (45); Mozambique (46); Angola (48).
  • Overall Index rankings in Asia: China (1); India (2); Malaysia (4); Indonesia (5); Thailand (8); Vietnam (10); Philippines (18); Kazakhstan (22); Pakistan (26); Sri Lanka (30); Bangladesh (35); Cambodia (38); Myanmar (49).
  • Rankings for Latin America: Mexico (9); Chile (13); Brazil (19); Uruguay (23); Peru (27); Colombia (28); Argentina (31); Ecuador (39); Paraguay (40); Bolivia (44); Venezuela (47).
  • In Europe: Russia (17); Ukraine (42).

Transport Intelligence (Ti), a leading analysis and research firm for the logistics industry, has compiled the Index since it was launched in 2009.

John Manners-Bell, Chief Executive of Ti, said “It is not possible to overstate the challenges faced by emerging markets countries in the past couple of years. Geopolitical tensions have combined with financial uncertainty and the lingering effects of the pandemic to create an ever more complex business and investment environment. The role that the Agility Emerging Market Logistics Index plays in providing insight into this volatile, uncertain environment landscape is more critical than ever.”

2023 Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index: agility.com/2023Index

3rd February 2023, London: Menzies Aviation, the world’s largest aviation services company, has acquired a majority stake in Jamaican-based AJAS Limited, a privately owned ground and cargo handling company.

AJAS Limited, which has operated in Jamaica for over 82 years and employs almost 600 staff, provides ramp, passenger, and cargo handling services to several international airlines at the two leading airports in Jamaica: Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston (KIN), and Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay (MBJ).

Following the acquisition, AJAS Limited will be rebranded as Menzies AJAS, bringing it in line with the other companies under the Menzies Group. The current AJAS Limited management team will remain in place to oversee the company’s strategic objectives of establishing Menzies AJAS as the handler of choice for all airlines operating in Jamaica.

John Redmond, Executive Vice President Americas, Menzies Aviation said: “We have provided ground services in the Caribbean for over 20 years, and we are excited to be expanding our footprint to Jamaica at a time when its aviation industry is experiencing a post Covid-19 pandemic recovery. The Menzies AJAS combination brings together local knowledge, relationships and expertise, which will strengthen our position in this market. We look forward to working with the AJAS team to grow the business under the Menzies brand.”

Howard Mitchell, Chairman, AJAS, said: “Partnering with Menzies will add tremendous value to our business, which has gone from strength to strength over the past 82 years. AJAS has always been recognised as a good employer in Jamaica, and we are proud of our strong relationships with our hard working and long-standing employees. We have a shared vision with Menzies and are aligned on the value of our employees and how we look after them, which in turn maximizes the service they provide as well as the return to our stakeholders.”

The transaction is expected to close in a matter of weeks once all regulatory approvals are in place. The rebranding to Menzies AJAS and integration into the Menzies global network, which spans six continents, will commence in February.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Agility, a global leader in supply chain services, infrastructure and investment, announced renewal of their partnership, along with an Agility donation to fund education for 1,788 refugee children in Egypt.

Agility first partnered with UNHCR in 2016. Agility’s latest donation will pay for tuition, transportation, uniforms, books, stationery and devices such as computers for nearly 4% of the total 51,000 school-age children receiving educational support from UNHCR in Egypt.

“Many forcibly displaced families face difficulty accessing education because of the growing needs and difficult living conditions. Agility’s kind contribution will support our efforts in making the education of refugee children more accessible, helping them build a better future.” – stated UNHCR’s Representative in Kuwait, Nisreen Rubaian.

UNHCR estimates that more than 103 million people have been forced from their homes across the world due to war, conflict, persecution, and human rights violations, a record number representing 1.2% of the global population.

“The world’s refugee population is growing at an alarming rate as people flee conflict and violence, economic deprivation, and the devastation of natural disasters and climate change,” said Tarek Sultan, Agility Vice Chairman. “Host countries find themselves overwhelmed and unable to meet the needs of those who cross their borders seeking protection. We have to find cost-effective ways of supporting people and providing them with the means to learn, work and thrive, or we risk losing a generation of young people who have much to contribute.”

Egypt hosts more than 288,000 refugees and asylum seekers, 32% of whom are children and youth of school age. UNHCR Egypt supports refugees and asylum seeker families with school-age children by providing education grants for their enrollment in Egyptian public schools under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. In addition, UNHCR supports the education of refugees and asylum seekers in urban settings at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

Since 2020, Agility has donated to fund a UNHCR outreach center in Johor, Malaysia where 4,000+ Rohingya refugees and others received shelter, healthcare, education, skills training and other critical services. In Jordan, Agility’s donation helped fund UNHCR’s Job Matching program, linking 180+ refugees with potential employers. Through the program, UNHCR arranged interviews and placed refugees in agriculture and construction jobs or other livelihood opportunities.

Globally, Agility has reached out to help those affected by natural disasters and other crises, providing supply chain expertise and resources in collaboration with commercial partners, relief groups and international institutions. In the past, Agility has supported UNHCR’s work in the Middle East, assisting Syrian refugee families (close to 2,500 individuals) through fundraising and donations. To find out more about Agility’s sustainability activities, visit sustainability.agility.com.

2023 training program for 1,000 students with expanded participation from young girls

Kuwait – 29 January 2023 – CODED Academy, the First Coding Academy in the Middle East – Based in Kuwait, is teaming up with Agility and other well-known local companies to launch Kuwait Codes, a free program that will train 1,000 high school students in programming languages and frameworks.

The Kuwait Codes initiative, now in its third year, aims to provide the basic digital skills that the country’s future workforce needs in order to build a successful knowledge- and innovation-led economy. To date, more than 1180 students have received free training through Kuwait Codes.

The 2023 program will focus on four distinct knowledge areas: Website programming, Game development, Python Programming, and Flutter. The intensive course runs over 3 main cohorts.

Ahmad Marafi, CEO OF CODED Academy, said: “We are pleased to partner with Agility in this strategic partnership to launch the Kuwait Codes initiative. It allows any high school student in Kuwait to learn coding and software development for free.  Agility, like CODED Academy, is also keen to ensure that girls are able to fully participate and complete the Kuwait Codes program. Our goal is 50% female participation in the 2023 program.  We want to extend our gratitude to Agility and all the supporters involved for contributing to this great initiative, which will benefit about 1,000 Kuwait youths.  Agility has previously supported CODED Academy’s Unicode program, which provided free training and skills development to more than 300 university age young people.  We’re proud to again have Agility as a Strategic Partner, and we’d like to thank the Agility team for contributing their time and effort to be part of our 2023 Kuwait Codes program.”

Henadi Al Saleh, Agility Chairperson, said: “Agility has long supported educational initiatives in the communities where we operate, especially initiatives that support the development of technical and digital capabilities, key skills we need in our workforce. CODED provides students in Kuwait with practical coding skills that set the foundation for the future. I look forward to seeing the progression and growth in the coming Kuwait Codes cohorts, especially progress achieved in girls’ participation.”

Hashim Behbehani – COO said: “I want to extend my warmest invitation to all eligible high school students in Kuwait to participate in this year’s Kuwait Codes program, especially to girls who are interested in apps and software development.  We will do our best to create space for any eligible student, and we will provide you all the tools, resources and support you need to be successful!

“I’d also like to thank Agility for its support of this year’s program.  I’d also like to thank Agility for engaging with us to ensure that girls can fully participate and complete this training.  Our goal is to make it super easy for participating students to understand the fundamentals of application development, and to help students to transition from classroom projects to “real” applications. I’m looking forward to seeing all the inspirational and very real apps this year’s participants will develop as part of this training!”

Registration for the Kuwait Codes program is now open. Female and male students are welcome to participate and can apply for the Kuwait Codes program by following CODED’s social media accounts at @Joincoded @kuwait_codes.

In 2022, Agility supported CODED’s UniCode program which provides digital coding basics to undergraduate students, and it has been organized with the support of the Computer Engineering Society (CPES) at Kuwait University, reaching 335 students, 60% of whom were female.

 

27 January 2023, Kuwait: SAL Saudi Logistics Services and Menzies Aviation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a comprehensive study on delivering best in class passenger handling services for low-cost carriers at Saudi Arabia airports.

Under the MoU, Menzies Aviation and SAL Saudi Logistics Services will work together to explore the potential of providing passenger handling services for low-cost carriers at Saudi’s airports with the aim of implementing industry best practice to improve passenger services, enhance the efficiency of operations, and support the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 targets associated with upgrading and developing airport services to be on par with the world’s leading and most advanced international airports.

SAL Saudi Logistics Services is the market leading air cargo handler in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and recently obtained a license to provide ground handling services in Saudi airports from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), enabling the company to continue offering high quality, professional logistics services at the Kingdom’s airports.

Menzies Aviation is the world’s largest aviation services company with operations at more than 250 airports in 58 countries. It provides ground services, fuel services and air cargo services.

Emphasizing the importance of the agreement with Menzies, Mr. Faisal AlBedah, Managing Director and CEO of SAL Saudi Logistics Services, stated: “This MoU will enable SAL to utilize Menzies’ global capabilities and expertise. It is also aligned with our ambitious vision to become the logistics champion for a globally connected Saudi Arabia. We believe the MoU will result in significant improvements in Saudi’s airport services, increasing capacity and enhancing the customer experience and satisfaction, in line with the highest international safety and security standards.”

“Our approach complements the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, in parallel with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 towards welcoming 330 million travelers by 2030,” AlBedah explained. “This will be achieved by offering cutting-edge innovation, integrated logistics services in airports and building a wide network linking domestic airports, seaports and land transport hubs to ensure the ongoing development of this vital sector and increase its contribution to the Saudi GDP, as well as driving the national economy in light of the Kingdom’s ambitious vision.”

Philipp Joeinig, CEO, Menzies Aviation, said: “This collaboration has huge potential not only for our businesses, but for the country’s aviation industry more broadly as the Saudi 2030 vision aims to increase passenger numbers significantly by the end of this decade. The agreement strengthens our position and relationships in the Middle East, which is a key market for Menzies as we look to accelerate our growth and bring the highest standards of aviation services to countries all over the world. I would like to thank Mr AlBedah and the team at SAL for the opportunity to work together and explore how we can help unlock the potential of Saudi’s airports.”

A leading national provider offering end-to-end logistics services, SAL Saudi Logistics Services key areas of expertise include cargo handling for numerous airlines operating in Saudi airports, in addition to providing comprehensive logistic solutions to its partners in other sectors, including sports, entertainment, culture and arts. This aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which gives special attention to this vital sector and prioritizes the Kingdom’s transformation into a global logistics hub and an international center for cargo and shipping services.

Agility donation funded the construction of a sensory gym at the Kuwait Society for the Handicapped

KUWAIT– December 13, 2022 – Agility, an operator and long-term investor in supply chain services, infrastructure, and innovation, has partnered with the Kuwait Society for the Handicapped (KSH) to build the country’s first international-standard sensory gym.

Agility’s donation allowed KSH, the first charitable society in Kuwait to offer free services to children with disabilities from all nationalities, to outfit the gym with clinical equipment and furniture designed to improve the user’s sense of movement, body positioning, balance, and spatial awareness.

KSH therapists will be able to guide users through activities intended to increase fine motor skills, strength, flexibility, coordination, and body awareness.

The gym will help approximately 100 children with disabilities per year to improve their motor and behavioral skills.  The facility will be used in 600 training sessions each year to enable these children to learn and improve coordination, movement, and motor skills while also supporting their ability to better use physical sensory inputs and information.  In the KSH facility and program, the children will have opportunities to experience movement and use their senses to play, learn motor skills and continue behavioral development.  The sensory gym environment is structured to provide the child with the sensory input needed according to their needs to improve their ability to learn and practice Activities of Daily living.

About the partnership, KSH Director General Dr. Elham Al Hamdan said: “Ensuring that children with disabilities in our community have access to training and development is an important task for our communities.   Sensory Integration Therapy ispositive difference-maker for these special children and their families, caregivers, and teachers.  The kind of training that KSH provides for these children helps them to have more positive interactions with their world.  But it’s a complicated challenge that requires support from our community – especially from socially conscious business leaders like Agility.  By partnering with leading companies like Agility, KSH will enable hundreds of children to better opportunities for growth and development.”

Agility Vice Chairman Tarek Sultan said: “At Agility, we put community education and development at the forefront of our sustainability strategy.  We are proud to help KSH succeed in its mission to provide education and skills development to the most gifted people from our community. KSH is a world-class organization that delivers the highest quality of therapeutic rehabilitation to children with disabilities at no cost to their families.   The society has a monumental mission to accomplish, and we are humbled to have this opportunity to help KSH to achieve their goals because it will help hundreds of children with disabilities and their families to have an improved quality of life through world-class motor skills and behavioral development training.  We congratulate KSH for the development of this facility, and we thank them for all the work they do to help these children to have better opportunities for community interaction and improved quality of life.”

KSH is a private charity established in 1971 by devoted volunteers eager to offer services for children with disabilities and to ease the burden on families and caregivers guiding them toward improving the education and rehabilitation of their loved ones with disabilities. And since its establishment, the Society has continued to provide integrated care and services which include comprehensive rehabilitation, psychological, social, and educational services at its headquarters and educational centers in three locations, Hawally, Jahra, and Ahmadi.