The National Gypsum Company (NGC) reported its net profit of SR56.26 million ($15 million) for the first half of 2007 was down 15 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year.

The trend followed that of the first quarter when at SR26 million the net profit was lower by nearly 17 per cent.
NGC had reported a decline of 1.6 per cent for 2006 when it made SR130.8 million in net profit.
The company has been in operation for nearly 50 years and owns a significant share of 33.3 per cent in Qatari Saudi Gypsum Ltd.
“With every passing year, new developments within our plants, new machinery and new products help us to maintain and strengthen our position as the Middle East leaders in the production of gypsum products of the highest quality,” a company spokesman said.
NGC has five plants in Riyadh and three in Yanbu. The production capacity totals 450,000 tonnes per year of gypsum plaster. The company also has two plants in Riyadh and Yanbu that produce 112 million sq m of plaster board. Its production facilities also make 48,000 tonnes of spray gypsum and fixing plaster. Other facilities include a plant in Riyadh for making decorative products and two plants in Riyadh and Yanbu for making half a million square metres of gypsum ceiling tiles of 9.5 mm thickness and a covering of PVC or aluminium foil. It also owns a factory in Yanbu that produces 30,000 tonnes of gypsum powder and agricultural gypsum.
Some of the gypsum produced by NPC goes to meet the demand of the Qatari subsidiary.
NGC’s gypsum plaster is produced by calcining raw gypsum in a rotary kiln by hot air, then grinding to the required fineness. The stucco plaster is distinguished by its white colour and high degree of fineness.
The company’s plaster board consists of an aerated gypsum core encased in specially prepared durable paper liners. The plaster boards come in various types including regular, fire-resistant, moisture-resistant, fire and moisture-resistant and lead sheet laminated.
Laminated gypsum tiles are made from lightweight gypsum boards which are already reinforced to make them fire-resistant. The tiles are coated with textured or smooth PVC on the face while the back is laminated by red PVC or aluminium for protection from humidity.
“NGC takes special care over quality control by having its products tested in its own well-equipped laboratory,” says the spokesman. The products are manufactured according to German specifications (DIN) which comply with international specifications, American specifications (ASTM) and British specifications (BS).
Early this year it was reported that the Saudi Capital Market Authority had approved National Gypsum’s request to increase its capital from SR237.5 million to SR316.6 million by granting a gratis share for every three held.