Page 105 - january-2022-issue-602-part2

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Rudy Girgis
(Chief Business Officer – AlJomaih Automotive Company):
The shortage of semiconductors was the main
challenge facing the automotive sector in 2021
Rudy Girgis, Chief Business Officer at AlJomaih Automotive Company, is a
performance-driven senior business executive with a progressive 30+ year career
distinguished by exceptional success in building, growing, and leading automotive
companies. He is an accomplished turnaround specialist who is highly skilled at
repositioning and leveraging both the company’s and brand’s strengths whilst
delivering outstanding results. Girgis, being an enthusiastic and consummate leader
with operational expertise and an ambassador for the organization;
Bayan Magazine met Mr. Girgis and conducted the following interview for
our special annual edition.
We earned the highest recognition from GM & GAC Motor in terms of the performance as being top Global distributors
* How do you evaluate the automotive sector during 2021?
- I think it has been pretty good given the struggles we went through due to
ongoing scarcity of inventory due to the semiconductor shortages. Most
manufacturers were not able to produce cars at the rate requested by
Dealers, but we were fortunate at the same time that we had just about
enough product to meet most of our customers’ demand. This situation and
the challenges faced as a result, has changed the way we operate, we were
a lot more focused on cost reductions initiative without compromising cus-
tomer care or the services we offered, operation efficiency, lowering over-
heads, and managing inventories allowed us to adjust to the situation and
still manage the business effectively.
* Do you think as a dealer, the sales will be impacted by this
challenge?
- There is still quite a bit of shortage of the semiconductors and it may
remain until Q3 of 2022. It’s too soon to have production clarity and when
we could start receiving the vehicles we ordered, depending on the situa-
tion, sales may be once again impacted by 20 to 30 percent, that is signifi-
cant considering our capabilities, network and workforce we have across
the Kingdom.
* Saudi Arabia started witnessing transformation and development in
all aspects and women were granted the right to drive. In your opinion,
how all this will be reflected on the automotive sector?
- I think it is positive, 70 percent of the Saudi population are below the mid- the brands that we represent in Saudi Arabia. All in all, we are extremely
thirties, and they are a lot more socially active than they ever were, so we
see more women, and younger people driving. This will be reflected posi-
tively on the automotive sector in the sense that customers now are looking
for affordable vehicles which AlJomaih with the Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac
and GAC are able to provide with a wide selection of vehicles with great
design, state of the art technology, top quality and distinctive luxury while
always maintaining highly competitive pricing. We are very enthusiastic of
the future, as the combination of the youth and the product portfolio that we
have really meets what consumers are looking for at all levels.
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* What are the latest realizations of AlJomaih Automotive?
- Technology wise, we have launched the e-commerce portals now for all
the GM brands and also for GAC. We are very active in motor shows with
high profile participation, we are also very active in universities, and shop-
ping malls; thus, doing a lot of activations to reach out the customers and
create touch points for consumers to better familiarize consumers with our
products and services. Moreover, we have achieved all our targets with the
manufacturers as we have continuously done over the years while earning
the highest recognition from General Motors in terms of the performance
and being one of the top Global distributor and also earning the Diamond
award given by GAC Motor to its top global Distributor, which Aljomaih won
in its 3 years since being appointed as KSA’s Distributor.
* What will be your main strategy for 2022?
- We are expanding our network and footprint throughout KSA, we want to
reach a lot more consumers in areas and regions we were not present in
the past. We dominate quite a bit in the main cities but in the past we didn’t
have a strong presence in the Southern and Western regions, we also plan
to have an even greater presence in the Northern and Eastern regions to
complete our area coverage plan for all Brands. So, for 2022, this will be our
top priority to start this expansion and provide sales and service facilities to
consumers outside the main cities. Moreover, our objectives will remain
steady as in previous years, we will focus on customer care and satisfac-
tion as well as hitting all our KPI target for sales, services and parts for all
positive especially that the Saudi economy is strong and moving robustly
forward, we are prepared and ready to meet the market demand, and to that
extent, we have taken steps to strengthen our team internally by recruiting
top quality professionals, providing ongoing training, increasing further our
Saudiazation work force, and applying world-class customer care practices
to ensure that we have our customers’ satisfaction at the forefront of
everything we do.
AL BAYAN ECONOMIC MAG - ISSUE 602 - JANUARY 2022