RUF brings Bavarian business leaders to Bahrain

The special two-day visit was organised by RUF as part of the programme of events surrounding the opening of its new factory at the Bahrain International Circuit in the week of the 2007 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

Almost every major sector of international business was represented by the delegation of small and medium sized companies from Bavaria, which flew in to the Kingdom on Wednesday.

Among them were companies operating in such
diverse fields as engineering, Smart Card technology, mine clearance, dairy industry facilities, corporate law, specialist medicine, rehabilitative therapy and city planning.

Having soaked up the atmosphere and heritage of Bahrain and admiring new developments such as the Bahrain Financial Harbour and Bahrain World Trade Center, the delegation moved to the far south of the island to enjoy a guided tour of Durrat Al Bahrain.

Later, an evening function was hosted by His Excellency Roland Herrmann, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Much of the second day's activities were focused around the Bahrain International Circuit, where a morning reception at the new RUF Bahrain factory allowed delegates to enjoy the array of hand-crafted sports cars and admire the all-new CTR3 supercar for the first time. There then followed a VIP tour of the Bahrain International Circuit itself, with Alois Ruf, Chairman of RUF Automobile, giving the guests his insight into the venue and the recent Grand Prix before a farewell luncheon at the recently-opened Banyan Tree resort.

Among the delegation was Mr. Hans Spitzner, State Secretary, Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs: "I have visited the GCC before but this is my first time in Bahrain," Mr. Spitzner said. "It has an excellent mix of local colour and tradition, mixed with innovation and modernity. I believe that Bahrain is an excellent place for such German investment, particularly for companies of small to medium size such as are among this delegation. In Bavaria we have a number of global players such as Siemens, Audi and BMW but also 300,000 small to medium sized businesses; many of them
specialists such as RUF. For them Bahrain is an ideal location to increase trade links in the Middle East and Asia, working together with the Bahraini people in this dynamic country."

As host of the event, Alois Ruf said: "We are extremely proud of our new facility in Bahrain and we are looking forward to developing our German-Bahraini business model in the months and years ahead. We are full of enthusiasm for what the Kingdom has to offer and have been delighted to show other businesses of a similar size to ourselves just how much Bahrain can deliver as an international trading hub."