Released on: November 21, 2008, 9:32 am

Press Release Author: Bigmouthmedia

Industry: Advertising

Press Release Summary: Bigmouthmedia has named the DVLAs campaign to increase the use of its online services as the Marketing Strategy of the Year at the National Business Awards

Press Release Body: The DVLA’s campaign to increase use of its online services has been named bigmouthmedia Marketing Strategy of the Year at the National Business Awards.

Presented at a gala ceremony and Dinner which took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, the award recognised the DVLA’s unprecedented use of commercial tactics to promote a government service. Judges praised the agency for an innovative and successful campaign, which included giving away free low-emission cars in an online lottery.

“The DVLA’s campaign caught the public imagination and drove a massive increase in traffic to their site. It’s a classic example of how a blend of clear strategy, creativity and thinking outside the box can really deliver results,” said David Hardy, International Sales and Marketing Director at bigmouthmedia.

The DVLA managed to nudge ahead of some very stiff competition to collect the prize, with campaigns from Companies House, Lloyds TSB, Wow Stuff, Premier Inn, GD Environmental, Procter & Gamble UK, gocompare.com and Stockport Council all being nominated in this hotly contested category.

“The standard of entries was particularly high this year. Whittling them down to the final few nominations was hard enough, but in the end it was incredibly difficult to choose just one winner,” said Hardy.

The award ceremony which was hosted by Andrew Marr was attended by a number of leading and influential UK business figures, including Peter Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and HRH Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex.

Collecting the award, DVLA Head of Research and Marketing Derek Hobbs added: “We are absolutely delighted and honoured to receive this award. It’s a great boost for all the people that have worked on this campaign and provides welcome recognition for one of Britain’s biggest online services.”

About bigmouthmedia
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff located across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search engine optimisation, PPC, Online Media Planning, Affiliate marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

Web Site: http://www.bigmouthmedia.com/

Contact Details: For further media information please contact
Iain Bruce
Media Strategist
bigmouthmedia
51 Timberbush
Edinburgh
EH6 6QH
(44) 131 555 4848

Released on: November 20, 2008, 5:07 am

Press Release Author: Steve Gibson/ SkyaboveLocal.com

Industry: Advertising

Press Release Summary: Many Small Businesses are paying a monthly charge for a free service. Unscrupulous sales companies prey upon these companies with offers of top placement listing in the local directories such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, YellowPages, etc… What they don’t tell you is that submitting your site to these directories is free and there are no monthly fees to continue your listing.

Press Release Body: Skyabovelocal.com offers an honest and direct approach to getting you business listed where people are looking. For a one time fee, Skyabovelocal.com will list your business on the top directories. Skyabove creates individual accounts for each client and upon completion of the listing, all account information is transferred to the business owner. That way the business owner owns their listings, not some sales company that will delete your listing if they do not receive a monthly fee.

Owning your own listings gives you several advantages and tools you can use right away.

Free Websites and Webpages, Blogging systems, Coupon creation, Picture storage, Video creation and hosting.

Skyabovelocal.com wants to help your business grow and save you money.

SkyaboveLocal.com creates or claims your business listings on Yahoo, Google, SuperPages, YellowPages and MSN Live

We help you get rid of that monthly fee you’re paying now.
We put the power back in your hands
We give you access to our members only resources
We have a one time charge and NO monthly fees.
We include a custom video for your business and list it everywhere!
In addition, we also list you on SuperPages, YellowPages and InfoUSA.

Visit the site at www.skyabovelocal.com

Web Site: http://www.skyabovelocal.com

Contact Details: 866-647-6225, Info@skyabovelocal.com

Released on: November 20, 2008, 5:34 am

Press Release Author: Harvey McEwan

Industry: Financial

Press Release Summary: Insurancewide.com, the UK’s original and still the best online insurance comparison service, has signed a fourth annual agreement with Tiscali, the broadband, telecoms and media company, to continue acting as Tiscali’s preferred insurance comparison partner on www.tiscali.co.uk.

Press Release Body: Insurancewide.com (http://uk.insurancewide.com), the UK’s original and still the best online insurance comparison service, has signed a fourth annual agreement with Tiscali, the broadband, telecoms and media company, to continue acting as Tiscali’s preferred insurance comparison partner on http://www.tiscali.co.uk.

The alliance offers visitors to the Tiscali website a respected online comparison service for those seeking motor, home, travel, life, pet and many other types of insurance as well as advice on how to navigate the crowded insurance market and decipher the small print.

This agreement with Tiscali is the most recent in a series of significant partnerships for the newly relaunched http://uk.insurancewide.com and further consolidates the site’s position as the leading provider of an impartial, consumer-facing insurance service.

A spokesperson for Tiscali says: “Insurancewide provides a real plus to visitors of our Money Channel and increases the probability of finding the most relevant insurer for their needs, which is the first crucial step to finding the best price.”

Insurancewide.com’s cutting edge search technology enables the service to interpret each customer’s unique, keyed-in requirements quickly and accurately, and to provide an instantly accessible list of relevant, best-value insurers.

Insurancewide supplies this online comparison technology to more than 50 websites across the UK. Many are of these are white label agreements, reflecting the credibility of Insurancewide.com for finance portals as a respected, integral part of their core service.

James Harrison, chief executive of Insurancewide.com, says: “This partnership gives us another opportunity in our rapidly growing network of partners to offer genuine choice to people who want to compare relevant insurers; we don’t just identify the cheapest prices at any cost.”

Web Site: http://uk.insurancewide.com

Contact Details: Insurancewide.com Services Ltd
90 Long Acre
London
WC2E 9RA
harveymcewan@gmail.com

Released on: November 19, 2008, 7:48 am

Press Release Author: Bigmouthmedia

Industry: Internet & Online

Press Release Summary: Bigmouthmedia launches campaign to promote search marketing as career option

Press Release Body: Bigmouthmedia, independent digital marketing agency, has launched a new cross-industry campaign to promote a career in Search and digital marketing to university graduates.

The move follows the recent publication of survey results revealing that the majority of Scotland’s new graduates feel that higher education should do more to connect students to potential opportunities in emerging industries. The research, which was conducted earlier this year by bigmouthmedia, also revealed students’ beliefs that universities are failing to adequately prepare leavers for life in the real world.

Despite the fact that search marketing has grown from nothing to become a £1.2bn a year business in the last decade, until now none of the UK’s careers advisory bodies have listed search engine optimisation or digital marketing amongst the options available to graduates. However, following consultations with bigmouthmedia, Careers Scotland have now updated their records to reflect the industry’s growing significance.

While continuing to work with the relevant sector Skills Councils in Scotland to ensure that information is available to entry-level job seekers, bigmouthmedia now plans to carry the campaign to the rest of the UK and Europe.

“Every year companies like bigmouthmedia hire a raft of recent graduates, yet our experience attending university careers fairs tells us that many new entrants to the workforce are simply unaware of the opportunities available in the sector,” said Lyndsay Menzies, Managing Director of bigmouthmedia UK.

She continued, “With a wide range of roles on offer the search marketing sector can offer a career path to both science graduates with Maths, Statistics or IT related degrees and social sciences students with creative, language and communications skills. We believe that new career paths like this have a vital role to play in the economy, and will continue campaigning to ensure that the relevant advisory bodies are kept up to date.”

“It’s often been joked in the search marketing space that no one wanted to be a search marketer when they grew up. Such jobs didn’t exist. Now they do, and it’s great to see that careers services are catching up to help provide education for this important career,” said Danny Sullivan, Editor In Chief, SearchEngineLand.com.

Notes to editors:
Search marketing career campaign release screenshots and survey results are available through the bigmouthmedia website as well as additional up-to-date digital marketing news.

About bigmouthmedia
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff located across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search engine optimisation, PPC, Online Media Planning, Affiliate marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

Web Site: http://www.bigmouthmedia.com/

Contact Details: For further media information please contact
Iain Bruce
Media Strategist
bigmouthmedia
51 Timberbush
Edinburgh
EH6 6QH
(44) 131 555 4848
http://www.bigmouthmedia.com/

Released on: November 17, 2008, 12:21 pm

Press Release Author: Jean-Pierre Cruz

Industry: Consumer Services

Press Release Summary: Southern California’s best deals on office furniture is available online

Press Release Body: Gardena, Calif., November 10, 2008 — CheaperOfficeFurniture.net, the Internet’s most affordable selection of discount office furniture announced some of the most competitive prices on office furniture, workstations and cubicles for any size and any type of office environment. Customers can find savings on new, remanufactured and pre-owned office furniture, or consign existing items.

“Whether setting up a new office, refurnishing an existing facility, or outfitting workstations with the latest in office ergonomic, we have it all, at unbeatable prices” said Jean-Pierre Cruz, president, CheaperOfficeFurniture.net. “Our extensive online selection makes upscale office furniture accessible to small, mid-size and large businesses who are looking for a fiscally sensible way to bring offices up to date.”

Setting up a new office, liquidating existing furniture or upgrading to new office furniture, CheaperOfficeFurniture.net has a solution to meet each customer’s needs. From the initial selection of casegoods and accessories, our dedicated staff provides top-notch service to facilitate a smooth transaction at prices that aren’t available through traditional retailers or wholesalers. CheaperOfficeFurniture.net offers high-end office furniture comparable to the quality of Herman Miller and Steelcase, without the high price tag.

Cheaper Office Furniture provides the widest selection of new, pre-owned and remanufactured office furniture, cubicles and workstations for any type of business. From office chairs to discount desks, conference room furniture and reception area furniture, to lunch room tables and executive furniture, buying office furniture has never been more affordable. Medical office furniture includes medical stools, waiting room furniture, leather chairs and sofas. Office organization offerings include audio visual carts, bookcases, file cabinets, office shelving, office files, lateral files, mobile files, safes, shelf files, storage cabinets and vertical files. Shop from an unbeatable selection and enjoy our superior customer service for an exceptional online shopping experience.

About CheaperOfficeFurniture.net
Cheaper Office Furniture provides the best deals on office desks and casegoods, modularworkstations, office chairs, conference tables as well files, storage and bookcases ideal for businesses, hospitals, and schools. Specializing in the Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, Riverside and San Bernardino areas, Cheaper Office Furniture is your source for high quality, low cost office furniture. Browse our extensive catalog of workstation ergonomics and other office accessories by visiting us online at www.cheaperofficefurniture.net.

Web Site: http://www.CheaperOfficeFurniture.net

Contact Details: jpc@cof-la.com
310-856-4770
17014 S. Vermont Ave. Unit “C”
Gardena, CA 90248

Released on: November 13, 2008, 9:45 am

Press Release Author: Iain Bruce

Industry: Education

Press Release Summary: Bigmouthmedia reveal that the majority of recent Scottish university graduates feel that higher education is failing to adequately prepare leavers for life in the real world and opportunities in emerging industries

Press Release Body: Bigmouthmedia has revealed that the majority of recent Scottish university graduates feel that higher education should do more to connect students to opportunities in emerging industries and that universities are failing to adequately prepare leavers for life in the real world.

According to a wrap up of 2008 graduate intelligence, harvested by bigmouthmedia from a series of recruitment events, the majority of Scotland’s class of 2008 believed that the education system is not properly aiding the transition from student life. Some 56% of the recent graduates polled believed that university had not sufficiently prepared them for life in the business world.

The research revealed a worrying lack of awareness about opportunities in 21st Century industries. Over 46.3% of those surveyed said they knew little about opportunities in digital marketing and felt that universities should help increase awareness of such emerging industries.

Some 39% also believed they should have been told more about the search marketing sector during their time in higher education.

Respondents revealed a tendency to use online media to supplement gaps in the curriculum. Some 89% said that they had learned more about search engine optimisationand online marketing reading a range of industry blogs such as Search Engine Land and Search Engine Watch.

The research also revealed that a career in search marketing is beginning to appeal to university leavers from disciplines not typically attracted to the sector. While 24.4% of the recent graduates enquiring about a career in the industry had marketing/advertising degrees and 29.3% had been studying ICT/Computing, the clear majority - 46.3% - had studied unrelated subjects.

The results indicated that this broadening attraction could in part be due to the perception of the digital marketing as a ‘hot’ industry, with an overwhelming 80% stating that they believed the sector offered a more glamorous career than television marketing.

The graduate groups questioned also revealed a preference for remaining North of the border after leaving university. Some 95% of the graduates questioned said they would prefer to pursue a high-tech or marketing career in Scotland if possible.

See the results at: www.bigmouthmedia.com/live/articles/graduate-survey-2008.asp

About bigmouthmedia
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff located across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search engine optimisation, PPC, Online Media Planning, Affiliate marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

Web Site: http://www.bigmouthmedia.com/

Contact Details:
For further media information please contact
Iain Bruce
Media Strategist
bigmouthmedia
51 Timberbush
Edinburgh
EH6 6QH
(44) 131 555 4848

Released on: November 13, 2008, 9:32 am

Press Release Author: Lisa Masiello

Industry: Internet & Online

Press Release Summary: Small and mid-size businesses can decrease expenses, increase productivity and remain profitable despite the current economic crisis with hosted messaging and collaboration solutions.

Press Release Body: BURLINGTON, Massachusetts, USA – November 13, 2008 –123Together.com – a mindSHIFT Technologies company and the leading provider of hosted enterprise-class messaging and collaboration solutions such as hosted ExchangeServer 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 — today announced that it has eliminated setup fees for all new customers who sign up for its hosted Exchange Serverservice, available immediately.

“Our goal is to help businesses of all sizes remain profitable despite the current economic downturn,” said Ravi Agarwal, founder and Senior Executive Officer of 123Together.com, a mindSHIFT company. “By eliminating all setup fees for our hosted Exchange Server services, we make it possible for businesses, regardless of their size, to make use of the functionality that this industry-leading, enterprise-class messaging and collaboration application provides without having to incur significant financial expenses or hire additional personnel.”

As a result of the current economic downturn, many small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) are required to decrease overhead, cut operational costs and reallocate existing funds to get the most value from every dollar they spend. At the same time, business owners expect increased productivity and efficiency among their existing employees, with additional human and financial resources unlikely or impossible.

The economic climate has forced SMBs to search for more cost-effective alternatives for critical business applications, such as email, to maximize the effectiveness of existing business resources without having to incur any additional expenses. Hosted software services such as 123Together.com’s hosted Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 have become viable alternatives to in-house email server deployment and can be utilized in exactly the same manner as the in-house application but at a significantly reduced cost.

In order to assist businesses even further and help their employees remain productive,123Together.com has eliminated the setup fee requirement for all shared and dedicated hosted Exchange packages and any additional mailboxes activated through the month of November 2008.

Many SMBs do not have the financial or human resources or even the time necessary to deploy Microsoft Exchange Server in-house, as it requires significant investments in hardware and software, training and hiring of IT personnel, as well as around-the-clock server maintenance, monitoring and upgrades. 123Together.com’s new special offer makes it possible for SMBs to reap the same benefits from this industry-leading email application as most Fortune 500 companies but at a significantly reduced cost. It provides employees with anytime, anywhere access to their business e-mail no matter where they may be, as well as 2-way wireless synchronization of mail, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks with most mobile devices, including BlackBerry and Apple iPhone 3G.

In addition, 123Together.com offers 24×7 live U.S.-based technical support and 24×7 server maintenance, monitoring and upgrades, enabling businesses without an internal technical staff to profit from this service. All hosted Exchange users also receive free Outlook 2007.

123Together.com’s offer of no setup fees on all of its hosted Exchange packages is available immediately and continues through the end of November 2008.

About 123Together.com
Headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, 123Together.com, a mindSHIFT company, is the leading provider of hosted enterprise-class messaging and collaboration solutions including hosted Microsoft Exchange Server, Windows SharePoint Services and Dynamics CRM. These hosted services are offered on shared and dedicated servers to small and mid-size businesses and can be resold as a completely white labeled service. Full mobile access is also offered for BlackBerry, Treo, iPhone, PocketPC, and Windows Mobile handheld devices. Exchange hosting customers receive free Outlook 2007, live 24×7 U.S.-based technical support, advanced spam and virus filtering and a 100% uptime guarantee on dedicated servers. A 30-day no-obligation trial is available for shared customers. Additional information can be found at www.123Together.com

Web Site: http://www.123together.com

Contact Details: 123Together
111 S. Bedford St., Suite 200
Burlington, MA 01803 USA
Phone: (781) 273-6245
Fax: (781) 998-1093
E-Mail:Info@123Together.com
Website: http://www.123together.com
Contact: Lisa Masiello

Released on: November 13, 2008, 7:52 am

Press Release Author: Displaysense

Industry: Retail

Press Release Summary: Displaysense reports the high street is struggling as increased demand by stores for 90 per cent off sales banners leads to stocks running out in late October

Press Release Body: As the recession strikes and tightens its grips on British high streets, Displaysense report a worrying time ahead for retailers, with shops going to extreme lengths to encourage customers to part with their cash. The result of some stores taking up to 90% off of their prices has lead to stocks of certain sales banners running out.

The move towards massive sales which reveals the desperation of some high street stores, comes at a time when spending is usually on the increase as a result of consumers flocking to the streets for Christmas related gift ideas. Displaysense, a supplier of sale banners and display stands, is one such company that has been overwhelmed with orders for their sale product range, highlighting that the panic surrounding this Christmas sales period is leading retailers into unchartered territory.

Displaysense has been selling sale related banners and signs as well as other retail supportive products such as display cabinets for some years now, but has suddenly noticed a sharp increase in the demand for their 70%, 80% and 90% off sale banners, so much so that they sold out in October. Good news for Displaysense that they are meeting their audiences needs for products but worrying for the wider economy.

The retail display company is attempting to restock the items as soon as possible but feel that the demand for these sale banners will continue into the New Year alongside the overwhelming amount of orders received for their new range of sale related products.

Steve Whittle the marketing manager of Displaysense commented on this startling high street move by saying, “It’s a worrying trend for the economy in this run up to Christmas and the high street stores are really taking a big gamble”. He continued,“Normally this is the time of year for stores to hold their nerve on their pricing but it looks as if some have shown their cards early and we’ve noticed a great deal of shops with literature holders displaying major discounts”.

Not only are some of the stores taking up to 90% off their prices to encourage Christmas sales, but some are already beginning to revamp their look for 2009 as Displaysensehighlight an increase in sales of their shop fittings such as their range of display cases. With the economy not set to recover for some time, a store with a unique look just might have what it takes to prosper in the forthcoming year.

With a tough 2009 predicted, Displaysense is preparing for the tough times ahead for retailers and has already tripled the stock of their ‘buy one get one free’ sale signs but hope they don’t sell any ‘closing down’ signs .

About Displaysense:
Displaysense was established in September of 1978 as a manufacturer of quality point of sale displays. They have a wealth of experience in design and manufacturing and have been able to develop their ever growing standard range of over 1500 displays. The range is now hugely diverse including acrylic containers, display cabinets, mannequins, slatwall, shelving units, exhibition displays and business card holders.

Displaysense works with a large range of clients including, retailers (multiple and independent), blue chip corporate clients, cafés, bars, restaurants and night clubs, shop and office fitters,

Displaysense provide a full service to UK, Ireland and Europe with their dedicated websites www.displaysense.co.uk, www.displaysense.ie and www.displaysense.com.

Web Site: http://www.displaysense.co.uk

Contact Details: PR Contact:
Steve Whittle
Marketing Manager
Displaysense
Rye Street
Bishop’s Stortford
Hertfordshire
CM23 2HG
UK
0845 2008139

Released on: November 12, 2008, 5:15 am

Press Release Author: Ken Zwerdling

Industry: Financial

Press Release Summary: Greenville, SC, November 12, 2008 - In July, after a rigorous selection process, Foreign Translations, Inc. (www.foreigntranslations.com), through its General Services Administration (GSA) contract with the federal government, was awarded and recently completed a financial translation services contract with the FDIC. The project involved translating numerous training modules for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Money Smart Financial Education Program into Hmong.

Press Release Body: The FDIC Money Smart Program assists individuals with a minimal understanding of the banking structure to develop positive financial practices. The FDIC Money Smart Program has surpassed its goals in reaching over a million consumers and establishing over a thousand partnerships. The FDIC encourages the building of partnerships within communities to further the success rate of reaching more consumers.The FDIC believes that the more information people gather about banking and credit services, the more likely they are to purchase a home, save more money, and improve their overall financial well-being. According to the FDIC, training modules will be utilized throughout the United States, specifically in concentrated areas such as California and New York. The project will launch at the start of the New Year 2009.

Foreign Translations, Inc., worked diligently to ensure that the training modules were translated accurately, understanding that it is of great importance that those participating in the courses fully comprehend the mission of the Money Smart Program. The FDIC stated that Foreign Translations, Inc., assisted in providing a smooth process in translating the large volume and returning the content in a timely manner. To provide this accurate translation, Foreign Translations, Inc. ensured that Hmong was the native language of the translators assigned to the project, and that their area of expertise is in financial translations. Utilizing a financial translator native to the target language and knowledgeable in the financial services industry is the only way to ensure the effectiveness and accuracy of the FDIC documents. The project lasted three months with close and frequent communication between the FDIC and Foreign Translations’ Hmong translators. Foreign Translations, Inc. felt privileged to take part in this constructive governmental financial process to provide assistance to the public.

About Foreign Translations, Inc.
Foreign Translations, Inc. (www.foreigntranslations.com) is an 11- year old foreign language translation, interpreting and website localization firm headquartered in Greenville, SC. We offer translation services for a wide range of projects; from technical manuals, legal contracts and marketing collateral to financial statements, training manuals, e-learning courses, websites, medical journals, software, policy and procedure handbooks, newsletters and much more. With more than 1,000 native translators located in over 30 countries, we frequently translate documents r from 1,000 words to over several million in all the major languages of the world. In
addition, we provide interpreters for depositions, trials, sales meetings and conferences in every major city in the United States as well as every major country in the world. We also offer a full range of Multilingual Desktop Publishing Services in any format and any size.

Web Site: http://www.foreigntranslations.com

Contact Details: Kenneth Zwerdling - CEO
Foreign Translations, Inc.
55 Beattie Place - Suite 205
Greenville,SC 29601
864-272-0480
kzwerdling@foreigntranslations.com
www.foreigntranslations.com

Released on: November 11, 2008, 8:18 am

Press Release Author: Dubai International Capital

Industry: International Trade

Press Release Summary: Dubai International Capital adds strategic partnership with KEF Holding to its portfolio of assets in emerging markets to support expansion drive

Press Release Body: Dubai International Capital LLC (’DIC’), the international investment arm of Dubai Holding, has announced the acquisition of a 45% stake in UAE-based KEF Holding (’KEF’) by its Emerging Markets division. KEF is an international award-winning provider of steel castings for valves and pumps serving the oil and gas, mining, industrial, and chemical industries in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Sameer Al Ansari, Executive Chairman and CEO of DIC, said that, “The acquisition of KEF Holding reinforces DIC’s commitment to investing in outstanding Middle East businesses that combine strong growth potential with an experienced management team - KEF’s team have deep industry knowledge, excellent relationships within the sector and a clear vision for growth.”

Mr Al Ansari stated that he believes that KEF’s founder, Faizal Kottikollon, has in just 11 years built KEF into a significant competitor to European foundries that have been in operation for over 100 years and he pledged his full support for his strategy for sustaining an impressive growth trajectory. He continued, “As part of Dubai Holding,Dubai International Capital can access resources and relationships that are of great benefit to our portfolio companies.”

Established in 1997, KEF Holding, based in the Sharjah Hamriya Free Zone, is the holding company of its two flagship businesses including Emirates Techno Castings (‘ETC’) and JC Middle East (‘JCME’). Collectively, ETC and JCME form the Middle East’s first fully automated foundry boasting a production capacity of 36,000 tonnes per annum. KEF was recognised for its best-in-class practices, as evidenced by their award of Best Foundry in the World by Weir Clear Liquid, a division of Weir Group.

Faizal Kottikollon, CEO of KEF Holding, said: “We are delighted to choose DIC as our strategic partner and shareholder. DIC’s ability to leverage their strong relationships in our key target growth markets, mainly Saudi Arabia and India, will elevate KEF’s ready capabilities and talent. We are confident that with DIC’s market experience and guidance, KEF will be ready for an initial public offering in the near future.”

Anand Krishnan, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai International Capital and acting CEO of DIC Emerging Markets, added: “DIC congratulates KEF on creating its dynamic technology-based platform that will allow it to maximise its full growth potential and capture opportunities in new industries, products and geographies.” He further commented, “DIC is proud to complement its existing portfolio of technical manufacturing companies with the addition of KEF and will strive to add value by building synergies and relationships among all parties.”

-ends-

About Dubai International Capital LLC
Established in 2004, DIC is an international investment company with offices in Dubai and London focused on both private equity and public equity, with its current CEO beingSameer Al Ansari. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Dubai Holding, DIC manages an international portfolio of diverse assets that provide its stakeholders with value growth, diversification, and strategic investments. Assets under management total over US$13 billion. DIC was named MENA Private Equity Firm of the Year in the 6th annual Awards for Excellence in Private Equity Europe 2008, organised by Dow Jones Private Equity News.

About KEF Holding
KEF Holding is the holding company of Emirates Techno Casting (ETC) and JC Middle East (JCME) based in the Sharjah Hamriya Free Zone. ETC is the flagship business of KEF Holding. ETC manufacturers precision steel castings and distributes its products to the leading market players within the oil and gas, chemical, mining, industrial, and chemical industries.

Web Site: http://www.dubaiic.com

Contact Details:
Dubai International Capital LLC PR contact:
Mark Lunn
PR Contact
PO Box 72888
Dubai International Financial Centre
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Tel: (+971-4) 362 1888