Sugar refinery coming up
Saudi Arabia has approved a Canadian-Spanish project to build a sugar refinery with a capacity of 480,000 tonnes per year (tpy) in the kingdom's Eastern Province, officials said.
They said the Saudi Omega Sugar Refining Company's plant would be built in Dammam at a cost of SR225 million ($60 million). It will also produce 15,000 tonnes of molasses annually.
The officials said it was still unclear when the plant would be built, and did not identify the Spanish and Canadian firms involved."We have not yet received a detailed feasibility study," one of them said.
Saudi Arabia, which has a population of about 22 million, has a relatively high annual sugar consumption of about 29 kg per capita.
Safco profit plunges
Saudi Arabian Fertiliser Company (Safco) has reported that net profit plunged 82.7 per cent to SR31.5 million ($8.4 million) in the first half of 2002. A company statement attributed the drop to low prices, weak demand for fertilisers and tough competition worldwide.
Safco, which produces urea and ammonia, is 40 per cent owned by Saudi Arabia's industrial giant Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic).
Cooline gets Eurovent certificate
Cooline, the international brand of Zamil Air Conditioners (ZAC), has been awarded the Eurovent certification.
The honour is for ACs up to 12kW cooling/heating capacity including window types, mini-splits and ducted splits.
The certification is in recognition of the cooling and heating capacity ratings generated by ZAC's own state-of-the-art R&D laboratories and published in Cooline's catalogues, the firm said. Cooline is the first brand from the Middle East to receive the Eurovent certification.
Eurovent follows the Aham (Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers) Certification received in 2000.
ZAC is the largest supplier of ACs in the Middle East. It manufactures and markets a whole range - from room ACs to package units to large commercial ACs, including chillers and specialised air handling units.
Saudi exhibition to reopen in Iraq
The first Saudi products exhibition in Iraq will open on September 15 after a gap of 12 years.
More than 150 Saudi companies will take part in the expo organised by the Saudi Insulators Company and to be staged at the Baghdad Exhibition Centre.
Officials said the event would provide a good opportunity for Saudi firms to enter the Iraqi market and open avenues for Iraqi industrialists and businessmen to get first-hand information about Saudi products.
Gold mine to be explored
Saudi Arabia plans to begin exploration of a new gold mine that is expected to yield up to 23.5 million grammes of gold over 10 years.
The Saudi Arabian Mining Company has been granted a 25-year concession to explore the Balgham mine, the company's chairman Abdullah Al Dabbagh said.
The mine is located in western Saudi Arabia near Madinah. The exploration project's cost will be SR200 million ($53 million). Al Dabbagh said the company planned to develop the project's infrastructure before the end of the year so that production could begin in early 2003.
Saudi Arabia announced in 1999 that it had discovered 800 gold mines across the kingdom.
The kingdom is home to approximately 20 million tonnes of gold ore.
Its gold deposits have helped meet domestic and foreign demand, including that coming from the US, Indian and European markets.
Gamco in venture with Thales
Abu Dhabi-based Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Company (Gamco) has tied up with French defence electronics group Thales to develop an integrated systems solution for the aviation industry.
The system will range from the design and development of hardware and software, integration and after-sales support of electronic equipment and systems through to related activities such as logistics quality control and training.
The venture is aimed at the defence market within the Gulf region.
Taaseel to begin operations
The Arab Animal Resource Development Company (Taaseel) in the UAE has said it will begin operations in the fourth quarter of this year.
The poultry firm's board of directors recently met to award tenders worth more than Dh6 million ($1.6 million) for installing facilities including an internal power tension system, electricity boards, standby electric panels, treatment units and water pumps.
Gulf PolyTex to make fabric
A plant to manufacture non-woven airlaid fabric is being built by Kuwaiti firm Gulf PolyTex in the Shuaiba industrial area.
The $80 million plant will be constructed in phases to eventually have an annual production capacity of 50,000 tonnes and employ 150 professionals.
Work on the plant should be completed by the third quarter of 2003. Gulf PolyTex will operate the plant with a foreign strategic partner.
The composite fabric will be used for nappies, sanitary towels and wipes, among other products.
NHC investing in flower project
The UAE's National Horticultural Company (NHC) is to invest around Dh8.5 million ($2.3 million) in a project to increase flower production to five million.
The company said increased production would help NHC to boost exports and increase its share in the domestic market. About 25 per cent of the production is exported.
The product range includes roses and carnations in computerised glasshouses in Suweihan, near Abu Dhabi.
The unique venture was initiated by the UAE Offsets Group and Al Hamed Enterprises in 1997 with the aim of producing flowers, vegetables and plants.
Eco-friendly paints launched
Oman's Sadolin Paints has launched a number of eco-friendly products in line with the country's drive for a pollution-free environment.
Sadolin Paints general manager M M Khan said a number of lead-free emulsion paints and low-emission lacquers had been developed to abide by the country's stringent laws.
Sadolin, the largest paint manufacturer in Oman, was the first company of its kind in the Middle East to win the ISO 14001 environment management quality award during 1998.
Coinciding with the company's 25th anniversary in Oman this year, Sadolin Paints has plans to set up a new branch in Qatar and explore a new market for its products in Yemen.
