Loading...Swedish Ambassador Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt visited AVI’s state-of-the-art factory in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) recently, along with Swedish Trade Commissioner to Saudi Arabia Ali Shakir and Volvo Group Trucks Middle East MD Lars-Erik Forsbergh.
Zahid Group, led by EVP Fahad Y. Zahid, hosted the visit. HR & Group Affairs VP Amr Khashoggi, AVI GM Herve Simonin, Zahid Tractor CVD GM Operations Osama Azraq, and Zahid Tractor GM Prime Products Mohamed W. Zahid accompanied him.
Rayan Qutub, CEO and head of Industrial Valley at KAEC, welcomed them and gave a presentation about the city and its value proposition, followed by a short video that highlighted King Abdullah’s vision in attracting strategic investors and creating a working and living environment for the Saudi citizens.
During his visit, the ambassador commented on the advanced technology and exceptional work environment at the facility, which has the capacity to assemble 4,000 units per year in a single shift.
He noted the outstanding progress and development of KAEC.
This was the first visit by the Swedish Ambassador to the AVI facility, which opened at KAEC’s Industrial Valley in 2015.
Designed by a Volvo and Renault Trucks project team, the facility is one of the most modern Volvo factories in the world, and is also one of the first to assemble both Volvo and Renault trucks on the same line.
The partnership between Zahid Group and Volvo Trucks dates back to 1980, when Zahid Tractor became the local distributor for Volvo trucks in the Kingdom. As demand continued to grow, both companies made a decision in 1998 to form a joint venture, Arabian Vehicles & Trucks Industry Co. Ltd. (AVI), to build a truck-assembly plant in the south of Jeddah. The first truck that rolled off the assembly was in 1999, followed by decades of selling Volvo trucks.
