^{YEAR 2001 PRESS RELEASES}

Novel customer contact programme to showcase latest digital document solutions to key regional customers at 7 ports across the Gulf

  April 21^st, 2001 Dammam

    Xerox DocuCruise, the global document company’s biggest and most ambitious customer initiative in the Middle East, was launched today in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Present at the special launch ceremony were Carlos Pascual, Senior Vice President & Corporate Officer of Xerox Corporation and President of Xerox Developing Markets Operations for Latin America, Brazil, Middle East, Russia, Eurasia and India, and Sheikh Khaled S. Olayan, Chairman, Olayan Group. The Olayan Group entered into a commercial corporation for distribution of Xerox products and services with Xerox Limited in 1986 to form Saudi Xerox Agencies Company (SXL).

 The three-decked cruiser, a novel floating showcase of hi-tech Xerox products and solutions customized to specific industry sectors, is traveling in a 30-day journey across the Arabian Peninsula with ports of call at six key destinations in five Gulf countries, besides Saudi Arabia. The DocuCruise project was launched in Dubai on April 7, 2001, and has since traveled to Kuwait (April 14-16) and Bahrain (April 17-19).

 Also present at the special launch ceremony at the Port of Dammam, were representatives from SXL, senior company officials from the US, UK and Middle East, Xerox distributors from across the region, corporate clients and partners. Through DocuCruise, the company plans to demonstrate Xerox’s latest cutting edge solutions to key customers across the region.

 Bespoke Industry Solutions

 Speaking at the launch Carlos Pascual said: "At Xerox, we have watched with great interest as the Middle East’s banking and finance, manufacturing, petrochemical, utilities, public sector and graphic arts sectors have become more specialised and sophisticated with every passing year. How appropriate then that Xerox has re-organised itself worldwide to provide bespoke industry solutions to these very same groups.”  "It’s an approach we are now following across the Gulf - our solutions based organisation is structured to address the business problems of the region individually and uniquely." Xerox has already reorganized its Middle East operations across specific industry lines to align itself more closely to the needs of its clients.

 A long time participant in the Middle East markets, Xerox boosted its revenues from the Middle East region by double-digits in the last three years. Headquartered in Dubai, Xerox Middle East operates through a distributor network in 22 countries in this territory. There are also two joint ventures specific to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

 Specialised Customer Seminars

 In Dammam, DocuCruise will host specialised customer seminars for two days, from April 21-22, on oil & gas and digital office. After Dammam, Xerox DocuCruise will next make a call at Doha in Qatar (April 24-26), before concluding its tour at Muscat in Oman (April 29 to May 1).

 In a radical departure from the traditional marketing and promotional campaigns, Xerox has dipped into the Middle East's rich maritime past to present the very modern face of its technology and products. "DocuCruise is our way of reiterating the important role that the Middle East, which is one of the best performing Xerox regions worldwide, plays in the global operations of Xerox," said Pascual.

 "This initiative is a reflection of our resolve of bringing immediately to our esteemed customers in the Gulf, the latest, leading edge Xerox products and solutions. "On board this boat you will see many of the products, services and applications, which make Xerox, one of the most respected names in the world, a unique and critical participant in the modern digital economy."

 Prominently on display, and demonstration, through the tenure of the cruise are Xerox's brand new DocuColor 2060, which has won rave reviews from the technology press worldwide, and the DocuTech 6135 production publisher capable of printing English and Arabic books for customers on demand.

 The DocuColor 2060 can churn out 60 pages a minute making it the world's fastest sheet-fed digital color press, with added features as just-in-time and personalized printing. In addition, there will be a range of Xerox office solutions, with both color and black-and-white capability.

 Company personnel will be on hand throughout the cruise to brief potential customers about the features of each of the products and services. Invitation on board is available to all existing and potential Xerox customers.

 Sinval Medeiros, General Manager, SXL, said: "The customer issues that we are currently busy addressing include cost containment, the need to produce multiple products and the need to eliminate redundant steps in the production process.”

 To this end, Xerox's mission is to produce devices offering best-in-class singular functionality, such as network printing, combined with exceptional multi-tasking ability.

 R & D Focus

Xerox’s commitment to Research & Development can be gauged from the fact that globally, it invests 5% of its revenues ((US$1.8 billion) towards R&D. Over the next twelve months, Xerox plans to announce a series of innovations that “will send our competitors back to their drawing boards”.

 "We want to work with our customers as partners and the more they can tell us about their companies, the better-tailored our solutions are likely to be. Leading companies are increasingly determined to have a coherent, end-to-end document management strategy. Document management costs typically account for 6 to 15 per cent of a firm's revenues, yet these are often the most unmanaged cost in the office. Today, the Xerox professional service effort is led by opportunities such as outsourcing, systems integration and document consulting. At SXL, we are no longer just looking at the equipment needs of customers, but playing a key role in improving their business processes, " Medeiros added.

Dominant Digital Player

Xerox, with an overall turnover of $18.6 billion, is a dominant player on the digital turf with over 70 per cent of revenues generated from the sale of digital printers and other equipment. While color printers represent 16 per cent of the company's business now, within ten years, every Xerox device is to be color and Internet enabled.

 "Xerox’s knowledge of the digital platform is exceptional. This expertise allows us to position ourselves at the forefront of the multi-function market, offering the most efficient desktop printing, network printing, copying, scanning and faxing to our customers. This is the story of the New Xerox - the Xerox you will find here at DocuCruise, " concluded Medeiros.

 - Ends -

About Xerox®: The Document Company XEROX is a US$18.6 billion global corporation. The company employs highly experienced sales and marketing experts to market customised solutions to vertical industry segments, including oil and gas, banking and finance, graphic arts, manufacturing, education, telecommunications and utilities sector.

 Xerox Corporation employs about 85,000 people worldwide, and is the leader in the development, production and marketing of products and services for document processing and management. Its vast portfolio of products includes publishing systems, printers, integrated office systems, document management software programs, scanners, fax machines and copiers, which cater to diverse market segments. It has an annual R & D budget of $1.8 billion.

 For further information, please contact:

Fakher Daghestani/ Arun Rangachari
ASDA’A Public Relations
Burson-Marsteller Middle East Affiliate Operations
Dubai, UAE     
Tel: +971-4-3344550
Fax: +971-4-3344556
Email: info@asdaa.com

Nauzar Manekshaw
XEROX Corporation
Middle East & Africa Distributor Operations
Dubai, UAE
Tel: +9714-3019321
Fax: +9714-3019100
Email: nauzar.manekshaw@are.xerox.com