Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Manufacturing

Manufacturing news from the Middle East. All the important stories, exclusive interviews, plus authoritative opinion and analysis

Manufacturing overview

Manufacturing news

Alpha Dhabi Holding will be 'both active and agile by exploring possibilities, including the adoption of artificial intelligence solutions', said CEO Hamad Al Ameri

Alpha Dhabi explores buyouts despite profit drop

Alpha Dhabi Holding, the fourth most valuable listed company in Abu Dhabi, reported a net profit of AED4.6 billion ($1.3 billion) for the first quarter of 2024, a decrease of 37 percent year on year. Revenue rose 11 percent annually to AED14.2 billion and total assets rose 5 percent year on year at AED147 billion at […]

Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries which will receive the investment from AIDA and US-based KKR

Abu Dhabi’s ADIA invests in Indian warehouses

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and the US-based private equity firm KKR have invested INR 12,000 crore ($1.5 billion) in India’s Reliance Retail Ventures’ warehousing assets.  Both companies have invested equal amounts in Reliance Logistics and Warehouse Holdings (RLWH), The Economic Times, an Indian financial daily, reported, citing informed sources.  RLWH was established in […]

Women working at a textiles factory in Izmir; Turkish manufacturing has been hit by rising costs and interest rates but economic growth is still anticipated

Turkish manufacturers waver on economic prospects

Turkey’s manufacturers are uncertain about the national economy’s prospects, with a report showing a slowing of new orders and an easing of output partly being offset by stronger inventory increases and expectations of a modest release from inflationary pressures.  The latest survey of Turkish manufacturers, conducted by Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and ratings agency Standard […]

Abu Dhabi's Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Mubadala Investment Company and Kelix Bio announce plans to collaborate on R&D into biopharmaceutical technologies

UAE considers R&D tax incentives to help SMEs

The UAE is considering plans for a research and development tax incentive scheme to boost its ambitions to become a regional centre for homegrown innovation. The Ministry of Finance said it has launched an official consultation on the possible implementation of the tax incentive under the UAE corporate tax law.  The consultation will be open […]

An installation in Ottawa, Canada, near the venue where the UN is in a penultimate round of talks for a treaty to curb plastic pollution

Gulf petrochems sidestep curbs from global plastics treaty

Major petrochemical exporters such as Saudi Arabia are unlikely to face mandatory production curbs despite latest efforts to craft a global plastics treaty and clamp down on single usage. At a UN Environment Assembly in early 2022, member countries approved a resolution to end plastic pollution and forge an “international legally binding agreement” by the […]

Executives from the UAE's Edge Group and Brazil's Condor sign the stake acquisition deal

UAE’s Edge Group buys stake in tear gas manufacturer

The UAE’s state-owned defence company Edge Group has acquired 51 percent of a Brazilian company which specialises in the manufacture of non-lethal technologies (NLT) such as tear gas and rubber bullets. Condor Non-Lethal Technologies (Condor) has presence in more than 85 countries and is the world’s largest producer of tear gas and related products for […]

A researcher at a Borouge innovation centre. The petrochemical company plans to maintain its 2024 dividend at $1.3 billion

Borouge profit rises to $273m despite revenue fall

Petrochemicals major Borouge said its net profit for the first quarter of 2024 rose 37 percent to $273 million amid stronger price premium on high-value products. The Abu Dhabi-listed company said revenue fell 6 percent year on year to $1.3 billion on planned feedstock-related operational maintenance. Average sales prices increased quarter on quarter by 4 […]

Pedestrians cross a road in Sharjah. The emirate is the UAE's 'manufacturing base', according to an official

UAE to open manufacturing centre of excellence in Sharjah

A manufacturing centre of excellence is to be set up in Sharjah, its backers announced on Monday. The UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (known as Sheraa), the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Emirates Development Bank (EDB) have signed a memorandum of understanding for the project.  “Hopefully it […]

Rakez CEO Ramy Jallad said the economic zone is committed to nurturing diverse enterprises, from SMEs to large companies

RAK free zone reports 61% surge in new companies

Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (Rakez) reported a 61 percent year on year surge in new company registrations in the first quarter of 2024. Over the three months, 3,000 companies joined the economic zone, marking a solid start to the year. Rakez has attracted global investors, mostly from India, Pakistan, the UK and Egypt. NewsletterGet […]

Over 400 global food brands are taking part in the SaudiFood Manufacturing show in Riyadh this month

Saudi Arabia’s food factory count rises to 1,300

The total number of food factories operated by the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (Modon) has reached 1,300, across 36 cities. The increase signifies the growing capacity of the domestic food industry and its localisation efforts, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. Food industry companies have recorded a growth rate of more […]

The Turkish Airlines deal with Rolls-Royce and Airbus will be announced later this month

Turkish Airlines nears $20bn deal with Airbus and Rolls-Royce

State-backed Turkish Airlines is expected to sign an agreement with UK’s Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc and European planemaker Airbus to manufacture $20 billion worth of aircraft components locally. The deal will be announced in Istanbul later this month, Bloomberg reported, quoting Turkish officials who were aware of the agreement. Last December the Turkish national carrier announced […]

The Emirates Global Aluminium plant at Al Taweelah. New projects in collaboration with Masdar could be powered by renewable energy

Aluminium decarbonisation alliance takes shape in UAE

Emirates Global Aluminium, the UAE’s largest non-oil industrial company, has formed an alliance with state renewable energy company Masdar to work on decarbonisation projects. The two companies will explore the joint development of renewable energy projects such as battery storage and the production and storage of green hydrogen. They will also work together internationally to […]

Turkey textiles

Hit by rising costs, Turkey’s textile producers move overseas

Textile manufacturers in Turkey, struggling with pricing pressures and labour costs, are moving their operations overseas, although at least some in the sector see a turnaround by the year’s end. The Istanbul Chamber of Industry sectoral purchasing managers’ index for March showed sentiment among textile manufacturers was the lowest among the 10 sectors covered by […]

Robots on the production line of an EV factory in Guangzhou, China. Saudi Arabia has yet to open its first EV manufacturing facility

EV imports rise in Saudi Arabia, but only to 779 cars

Saudi imports of electric vehicles rose sharply in 2023 – but to a total of just 779 EVs, despite government hopes that it can become a green economy leader through the manufacture and use of electric cars. The kingdom imported only 210 EVs in 2022, showing the mountain it has to climb to realise ambitions […]

US company Albemarle controls 20% of the world's lithium market but Gulf companies have their sights set on production too

Lithium’s highs and lows – and what they mean for the Gulf

For one of the world’s most critical minerals, the past two years have been the best of times and the worst of times. First, lithium prices shot skywards, hitting around $80,000 per metric tonne in 2022 amid fears that global supply would not meet demand. Then, in just a year, the soft, silvery-white metal lost […]

Turkey auto

Auto industry buoyant despite Turkey’s woes  

Production in Turkey’s auto industry is continuing to rebound after four years of falls, despite soaring interest rates dampening domestic demand and the country’s volatile currency making it tough for automakers to plan their activities. Turkey is the world’s 12th biggest automaker, the country’s government says. It made 242,000 vehicles in the first two months […]

Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi. Imeec aims to integrate railway routes and link ports along a route spanning from India to Europe

UAE and India to discuss first phase of trade corridor

Senior officials from the UAE and India will meet next month to start work on the first phase of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (Imeec), according to a media report. The officials are slated to meet on May 15 after UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi signed […]

The Saudi Contractors Authority put the total value of ongoing projects in the kingdom at $1.5 trillion by the end of October 2023

Mena steel demand to rise over next two years

Steel demand in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region is expected to accelerate in 2024 and 2025 after a significant slowdown in the past two years, the World Steel Association (WSA) said in a report. Demand is forecast to rise by just over 4 percent and 2.6 percent year on year to 57 […]

Lucid Group CEO Peter Rawlinson at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The company announced a 40% year-on-year sales increase

Lucid price cuts result in record EV sales

The Saudi-backed US electric vehicle (EV) maker Lucid set a new quarterly sales record for its luxury models in the first quarter of 2024.  Shares in Lucid, which has funding from the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), rose by 3 percent on Tuesday after it announced the delivery of almost 2,000 Lucid Air models. The […]

Cement companies face price challenges due to decreased demand and heightened inventory levels in 2023

Saudi cement prices under pressure as competition mounts

Strong competition among Saudi Arabia’s cement companies is likely to continue and will exert pressure on prices in the short to medium term, according to a report from investment advisory company Ubhar Capital. There is ongoing optimism regarding the pipeline of mega and giga projects, as well as anticipated investments related to Expo 2030. However, […]

The Modon pavilion at the Industry and Local Content Medina Forum last year. The number of ready-built factories increased to 1,301 in 2023

Saudi industrial cities operator attracts $4bn investment

Total investments in the 36 industrial cities overseen by the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (Modon) reached SAR14.45 billion ($3.9 billion) last year. New investments rose 63 percent year on year from 891 local and foreign companies, state-owned SPA news agency reported, citing Modon’s annual report for 2023. Foreign investments grew by […]