Saudi Arabia Industry

Of all the industries currently being prioritised by the Saudi government, perhaps the most eye-catching is automotive manufacturing. Over the next couple of decades, the government is looking to create – almost from scratch – an industry that encompasses cars, trucks and buses. By as early as 2025, the hope is that 600,000...

With plans in the works to inject significant investment into expanding its output of metals, petrochemicals and plastics over the next several years, Saudi Arabia continues to dominate the region’s industrial activity. This should keep the Kingdom at the forefront of the world’s industrial exporters, at a time when global...

Aluminium has not been smelted in Saudi Arabia previously, but the Kingdom is now entering a market neighbouring countries have been active in for some time. A $10.8bn integrated aluminium complex is under development by a joint venture formed in 2009 between Ma’aden and the US’s Alcoa. The complex’s smelter is due to begin...

Steel producers in the Kingdom have good reason to feel bullish about the sector. According to a September 2012 report by RNCOS, an industry research firm, growth in local steel consumption exceeded 10% in 2011, while between 2012 and 2015 growth is expected to accelerate to a compound annual 19.5%. The potential for growth in...

Petrochemicals and plastics remain at the vanguard of Saudi Arabia’s push to diversify its economy away from reliance on oil. Products in these segments make up the bulk of the Kingdom’s non-oil exports, with petrochemicals accounting for nearly 37% and plastics around 30%, according to figures from the Central Department for...

As growth in pharmaceuticals demand is flagging across much of the developed world, international players are casting about for new lands of opportunity. Saudi Arabia is likely to attract considerable attention. While the Kingdom’s market is not growing at the rates seen in countries such as China, India and Brazil, it has been...