Blog

2020 milestones

Even though 2020 was a challenging year on many levels as the world fought the outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BMMI team rose to the occasion to achieve accomplishments and give back to the community.

Check out some of our 2020 milestones below !

CSR

  • BMMI donated BD200K for the build-up of the Alia Youth House. Alia for Early intervention is building and operating a Residential Care Facility for developmentally delayed adults. This facility will be available for individuals over the age of 16 and will serve the needs of thirty residents who are moderately developmentally delayed and require habit training.

 

  • BMMI and INJAZ Bahrain signed a memorandum of understanding, resulting in BMMI supporting INJAZ Bahrain students with full scholarships under the Alosra Scholarship Programme. BMMI will financially support Bahraini students planning to pursue their higher education at the University of Bahrain and Bahrain Polytechnic. The programme will fund each student over the duration of five years to cover university fees, as well as materials necessary to complete their studies. BMMI has committed to support eligible students each year over the course of five years.

 

  • Through collaboration with selected local charities, BMMI donated essential household and electronic items to over 350 families across Bahrain to support those most affected by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. White-goods were equally distributed to vulnerable families equally across the Capital, Northern, Southern and Muharraq governorates.

 

  • BMMI Group endorsed the national campaign ‘Feena Khair’ with BD100K. The nation-wide COVID-19 relief initiative was headed by His Majesty the King’s Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs representative, National Security Advisor and Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) Board of Trustees chairman His Highness Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

 

  • BMMI collaborated in an initiative by the Rotary Clubs in Bahrain to provide new laptops to help over 120 students in need continue their learning effectively as schooling took place at home in response to the outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

  • BMMI donated specialised hospital beds, to the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Ministry of Health. BMMI’s collaboration with the Ministry of Health saw the Group donate fifty-five specialised patient beds to help meet an urgent demand in the Salmaniya Medical Complex.

 

  • BMMI donated artificial pancreas insulin pumps and related spare parts to benefit five children with diabetes. The modern devices act as an artificial pancreas that secrete the insulin needed by the body automatically. This is in line with the Ministry of Health’s aim to raise awareness of prevention as well as improving treatment methods and providing comprehensive care for diabetics.

 

  • BMMI supported the ‘Takaful initiative 2’ under the Bahrain’s Ministry of Labour and Social Development by donating specialised wheelchairs to benefit individuals with disabilities. The 28 specialised wheelchairs donated by BMMI were customised to meet the specific requirements of each individual recipient.

 

  • BMMI donated a brick making machine to Confident Children out of Conflict (CCC)'s orphanage, as well as funded the education of over 20 children, as part of the Group’s commitment to continue sustainable support of the South Sudan NGO.

 

  • To ensure the children at CCC do not experience disruption to their learning, the NGO utilised funds from BMMI to hire three teachers for three months for three subjects: Maths, English and General Science, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to shut down.

 

  • Being one of the largest players in the Djibouti Free Zone, BMMI made a donation of five million Djiboutian Francs to the Ministry of Budget’s special entity dedicated to combating the spread of COVID-19.

 

  • GSS South Sudan’s team paid multiple visits to orphanages in Juba to donate food items and meet with the children throughout the year.

 

  • Alosra supermarket launched its Green Week, in collaboration with the Ministry of Works, Municipality Affairs and Urban Planning, and the Supreme Council for Environment. The event introduced several initiatives in-line with the supermarket’s commitment to continuously decrease its environmental impact and raise community awareness about the importance of striving towards a zero-waste lifestyle.

 

  • Alosra supermarket participated in the Bahrain Environment Awareness Week that was organised by Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Environment. The event raised public awareness on the use of plastic in Bahrain. As part of the initiative, Alosra distributed 2,000 of their re-usable eco-bags and discussed the steps they have taken toward a lower environmental impact.

 

  • BMMI launched its Happy Hearts corporate wellness programme that aims to support a holistic approach to wellbeing with a focus on three pillars (physical activity, diet and nutrition, as well as mental health) for all employees.

Achievements and updates

  • BMMI launched its new warehousing facility in the Bahrain Logistics Zone in Hidd that covers an area of 26,000 sqm and is the latest expansion in the Group's logistics and supply chain capabilities. The bonded warehouse facility in the Bahrain Logistics Zone acts as a hub in Bahrain that supports BMMI’s distribution services for 3PL clients across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.

 

  • BMMI launched enhanced and redesigned online shopping platforms for its retail businesses, with the aim of improving user experience.

 

  • BMMI’s beverages retail outlet store launched a drive thru service.

 

  • BLS, BMMI’s logistics arm, achieved no major interruption to logistics or supply chain services, and no incidents of failed deliveries even in the face of challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

  • BMMI Shipping Services (BSS)’s division in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia introduced the additional service of warehousing in Ras Tanura to better serve customers and clients. The team also provided fenders and brows for rent to the marine industry and navies, as well as for projects.

 

  • BSS started offering its comprehensive services to clients in the Jeddah Islamic Port, in addition to servicing all ports in the Eastern Province in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

 

  • BSS partnered with HALO Maritime Defense Systemsas their logistics provider to support their operations in the region.

 

  • BSS handled the husbandry of the AIDAprima to ensure that its 1,500 passengers have a safe, secure and pleasant stay and visit to Bahrain. The vessel usually calls on Bahrain every Wednesday from November to April.

 

  • The BMMI team met with the President of the Republic of Djibouti, H.E. Ismail Omar Guelleh, to discuss the Group’s presence in Djibouti over the past fifteen years, as well as BMMI’s ambitions and vision for expanding its business in the country and at the regional level. The meeting was part of a weeklong visit to the country where BMMI’s CEO, COO – Contracting and Logistics, and BMMI Djibouti Country Manager, met with several key players in the country’s economic development, trading, transport and logistics fields.

 

  • BMMI Djibouti breaks its previous record by handling 24,000 metric tons of shipment in one month without a single incident.

 

  • BMMI hosted the Djibouti Virtual Room at the International Stability Operations Association (ISOA)Africa Virtual Match-Making Event. The event included over 90 attendees from across the world, bringing together various key players in the industry and the African market, including several members of BMMI’s team.

Awards

  • BMMI’s FMCG division was recognised for achieving the number one position for laundry care product sales for Vileda, beating 17 other distributors and countries in the period from January to December 2019.

 

  • Two BMMI employees were awarded by the Bahrain Ministry of Labour and Social Development in recognition of their outstanding performance. The awards were presented at the Diligent Employee Award ceremony that was held under the presence of His Excellency, Bahrain’s Labour and Social Development Minister, Jameel Humaidan, who recognised a select number of employees from different companies across the Kingdom