JEDDAH: Yanbu Cement Company (YCC), one of the largest manufacturers of cement in Saudi Arabia, will sign a contract with Sinoma International Engineering Co. Ltd. of China for setting up a new cement plant of three million ton clinker per annum here today.
Signing the contract will be YCC Vice Chairman Sulaiman Al-Rajhi and Sinoma Chairman Liu Zhijiang.
Sinoma International is a reputable Chinese engineering company that has built several larger capacity cement plants in various parts of the world including the Middle East, a few of them in the Kingdom.
The contract is on a turnkey basis and the new plant is expected to be commissioned in 30 months time. Austroplan Austrian Engineering GmbH of Austria is the consultant for the new project.
Once commissioned, the total production capacity of YCC will exceed seven million ton clinker per annum, thus becoming the largest cement producer in Western Province. "The decision to expand its capacity was taken by the company to replace its older kilns, which have exceeded their normal lifetime and to meet any increased cement demand in the Kingdom," YCC board member and CEO Saud Islam told Arab News yesterday. "Our expansion resulting from the new contract will make the YCC the second largest producer of cement in the Kingdom," he added.
YCC will also sign a contract with MAN Diesel of Germany for setting up a new power station to meet the additional requirement of power for the expanded capacity. After the expansion is completed, YCC plans to export any surplus quantities of cement since it enjoys the geographical advantage of its location close to the Red Sea.
YCC, a Saudi joint stock company, is one of the largest ISO 9002 certified cement companies in the Kingdom and also ranked one of the top 50 companies. Its cement plants with a capacity of 3.8 million ton clinker are situated at Ras Baridi on the Red Sea shores, 70 km northwest of the Port of Yanbu Al-Bahr. YCC currently has the second largest cement market share in the Kingdom -- 17 percent as of end December 2007 as per published reports.
YCC was established in 1977 and started its operations in 1979 when it commissioned two of its long dry process kilns of 1,500 tpd clinker each followed by the third long dry process kiln with a capacity of 1,000 tpd clinker in 1982, totaling the plant capacity to 1.2 million ton clinker per year. All the three kilns were supplied, installed and commissioner by KHD Humboldt Wedag Ag, Germany.
© Arab News 2008
