Saudi Vitrified Clay Pipe Company (SVCP) recently completed an expansion project that boosted production capacity by 15,000 tonnes to 185,000 tonnes.

The additional capacity will add up to greater size options for consumers, says general manager Mahmood Abu Jabara.

SVCP saw a drop in annual sales in 2009 from SR257 million ($68.5 million) to SR225 million, which Abu Jabara attributed to a drop in projects in the aftermath of the global economic and financial crisis.

He is optimistic of recovery seeing that this year the tide has changed with indications that markets are picking up.

“As for the first half of this year, SVCP achieved its budgeted sales and recorded an increase of 17 per cent over 2009 sales for the same period allowing the company to continue the rest of the year with confidence to score all its goals for 2010,” said Abu Jabara.

The company is concentrating on exports as a strategic marketing tool and plans to have at least 30 per cent of its capacity finding its way into world markets. Currently shipments go to all GCC states plus Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, the Far East and Europe.

The company also plans to offer additional sizes. The clay that it uses is quarried from areas around Riyadh and the pipes finally produced meet with international standards.

Major orders
Meanwhile, SVCP says it has secured around 25 major orders this year some of which are the sewerage networks of Oniza, Samta, Sabia, Hael and Bisha; the Al Khobar lakes project and the Jeddah Gate (all in Saudi Arabia), Qatar University Infrastructure, the sewerage networks of Rayyan and Wakrah and of Duhail and Umm Qarn; Bani Jajer road works, Doha express highway and Sidra medical centre (all in Qatar).

The company was established in 1977 in Riyadh as a joint venture between Saudi, German and Belgian companies. Since 2007 it has become a joint stock company with the main shareholders being Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Abdul Latif Al-Issa Holding Group, Dr Saad Saud Al-Sayari, Abdullah Suliman Al-Dabaan and Josef Wolf.