Industry Golden licences bring $2bn into Bahrain A total of $2.4 billion in investment in nine major projects has flowed into Bahrain after the introduction of its golden licence initiative last year. The projects, which could generate 3,000 jobs, include the setting up of Bahrain Titanium by Interlink Metals & Chemicals of Switzerland and the urban waterfront development Bahrain Marina. “Bahrain has […] March 14, 2024
Industry Egypt and China in talks to set up industrial zone Egyptian and Chinese officials have engaged in further discussions about setting up a Chinese industrial zone along the Mediterranean Sea, according to a local news report. Egypt’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Ahmed Samir, and Zhang Tao, the acting Chinese Ambassador to Cairo, discussed the progress made since last month’s meeting with Samir’s Chinese counterpart, […] March 13, 2024
Industry Ceer starts work on $1.3bn EV manufacturing complex Ceer, Saudi Arabia’s first electric vehicle brand, has awarded a SAR5 billion ($1.3 billion) contract to construct a manufacturing complex in King Abdullah Economic City. Local contractor Modern Building Leaders will build a facility spanning over one million sq m, with 530,000 sq m under its roof. The complex will include dedicated zones for every […] March 10, 2024
Manufacturing Stellantis hails Middle East and Africa sales surge Multinational car maker Stellantis has announced that its 2023 Middle East and Africa revenues grew by 64 percent year on year to more than $11.5 billion. Stellantis is one of the world’s biggest automakers – its brands include Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Peugeot and Vauxhall. It said shipments to the region totalled 616,100, up 43 […] March 6, 2024
Industry Emirates Global Aluminium profit falls with metal prices Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the UAE’s largest non-oil industrial company and one of the world’s largest aluminium producers, reported a decline in net profit last year, despite posting record production volumes of alumina, cast and hot metal for 2023. Net profit fell 54 percent year on year to AED3.4 billion ($937 million), against a backdrop […] March 5, 2024
Analysis Economy Volatility of crude markets masks Saudi non-oil momentum Volatility in global oil markets, which led to Saudi Arabia’s GDP shrinking last year, is masking the strength of the kingdom’s non-oil economy, analysts have said. Its non-oil revenue is forecast to rise by more than 5 percent in each of the next two years, according to Jadwa Investment. The 2023 contraction was driven by […] March 5, 2024
Manufacturing Turkish manufacturers buoyed by rise in PMI Turkish producers are cautiously optimistic after the Turkey Production Managers Index (PMI), which measures the outlook of the country’s manufacturing sector, returned to positive territory in February. According to the latest report issued by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and Standard and Poor’s, this is the first increase after seven straight months of contraction. The […] March 1, 2024
Renewable Energy EGA’s industrial data centres go green Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the UAE’s largest non-oil industrial company and one of the world’s largest aluminium producers, has broken ground on the first industrial data centres in the emirates to be totally powered by renewable energy. The two data centres in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah will be developed in collaboration with Scientechnic, a […] March 1, 2024
Analysis Manufacturing Make it in the Emirates ‘needs more SMEs’ More than AED120 billion ($33 billion) has been invested by UAE-based companies to develop hundreds of new product lines under the country’s “Make it in the Emirates” (MIITE) campaign. As the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology prepares to host its third forum on local manufacturing, latest statistics show that the number of MIITE products […] February 29, 2024
Analysis Construction Localisation shields Saudi builders from Red Sea crisis Houthi attacks in the Red Sea may have been disrupting the construction supply chain into Saudi Arabia but companies, in particular larger ones, are adapting to the challenge. Since November, the Yemeni militia has launched dozens of attacks on commercial vessels on their way to or from the Suez Canal, forcing many global shippers to […] February 28, 2024
Industry Aramco invests $6bn to bolster local supply chain Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer, has signed 40 corporate procurement agreements worth $6 billion to boost its localisation programme. The agreements cover supply of a range of products comprising strategic commodities, such as instrumentation and electrical and drilling equipment. The move will strengthen Aramco’s domestic supply chain ecosystem, providing suppliers with long-term demand […] February 28, 2024
Manufacturing Sabic reports loss of $747m as product prices tumble Petrochemicals major Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) reported a net loss of SAR2.8 billion ($747 million) in 2023, as average product sales fell by a fifth. The losses were also driven by the discontinuation of operations at Hadeed, its steel manufacturing subsidiary, which resulted in a loss of around SAR4 billion. In September 2023, Sabic […] February 28, 2024
Analysis Industry Uranium prices rise with demand for nuclear power Barakah in the UAE, Dabaa in Egypt, Bushehr in Iran and Akkuyu in Turkey. Nuclear energy is now seen by many countries as central to emissions reduction. It is little surprise then that demand for feedstock – mainly uranium – has been spiking. Prices for the mineral, which is critical to the production of nuclear power […] February 26, 2024
Industry ArcelorMittal cuts stake in Turkey’s largest steel maker Global steelmaker ArcelorMittal SA has lowered its stake in Turkey’s largest steel producer, Erdemir, to two percent, Bloomberg reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The Luxembourg-headquartered company executed a sale of about half of the shares held in Eregli Demir ve Celik Fabrikalari TAS, commonly known as Erdemir — through two local brokerages. […] February 25, 2024
Industry UAE’s Edge sets up venture with Italian shipbuilder The UAE’s state-owned defence company Edge Group and the Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri have agreed to launch a new venture to manufacture naval vessels. Edge will hold a 51 percent stake in the venture, which has a commercial pipeline worth nearly €30 billion ($32 billion). Fincantieri will manage the new entity. The Abu Dhabi-based joint venture […] February 22, 2024
Manufacturing PIF’s Alat to build robot factory as part of $100bn plan Alat, a Public Investment Fund-backed technology manufacturing company, intends to invest $100 billion by 2030. The company struck deals this week to create factories to build industrial robots and surveillance products. Alat has partnered with international technology companies such as Japan’s Softbank Group, US-headquartered Carrier Corporation, China’s Dahua Technology and Saudi Technology and Security Comprehensive Control […] February 21, 2024
Industry Egyptian-Kuwaiti venture powers up new investments Investment company Egypt-Kuwait Holding is exploring new investment opportunities in Egypt. The company has finalised investment of $120 million in a new medium-density fibreboard (MDF) manufacturing facility and plans to expand into the power sector. “Our investments in Egypt are ongoing, and we are exploring more opportunities through visiting several ministries and presenting our proposals,” […] February 19, 2024
Industry Advanced unit awards $191m contract for new Saudi petchem plant Advanced Petrochemical Company (Advanced) said its subsidiary has awarded engineering, procurement and construction contracts (EPC) worth $191.3 million for the first isopropanol (IPA) plant in Saudi Arabia. The plant will be built in Jubail Industrial City and has a production capacity of 70,000 tonnes per annum. The contracts were awarded to SGC eTEC Company and SGC Arabia […] February 18, 2024
Manufacturing Saudi’s Shaker and LG to produce AC compressors Saudi-listed Al Hassan Ghazi Ibrahim Shaker Co. (Shaker Group) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with South Korea’s LG Electronics (LG) to manufacture AC compressors in the kingdom. As part of the deal a feasibility study will be carried out to review the viability of establishing a local production facility for AC compressors and […] February 16, 2024
Industry Tenaris opens $60m industrial complex in Abu Dhabi Tenaris, a global supplier of pipes for the oil and gas industries, has opened its AED220 million ($60 million) industrial complex in Abu Dhabi, a boost for the UAE government’s “Make it in the Emirates” initiative. Etihad Tubulars, the newly established 200,000 sq m industrial complex in Abu Dhabi Industrial City, will house a training centre […] February 16, 2024
Manufacturing Abu Dhabi plans lithium plant to support EV growth A $1.4 billion lithium processing plant is being planned in Abu Dhabi by Kezad Group and Titan Lithium, a UAE-based company, to support the region’s fledgling electric vehicle (EV) industry. Kezad (Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi) and Titan have signed a 50-year land lease agreement for the AED5 billion plant. The plant, to be developed […] February 14, 2024
Industry Emirates Steel Arkan profit rises 18% on robust sales Abu Dhabi-headquartered Emirates Steel Arkan said net profit increased by 18 percent year on year to AED602 million in 2023, on robust domestic and global sales. Revenue fell 5.3 percent year on year to nearly AED9 billion amid a challenging and volatile global economic landscape and its impact on commodity prices. The steel division accounted […] February 14, 2024