AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, manufacturing and industry briefs

Source: AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesAug.文件倉 28--ELECTROLUX RESUMES PRODUCTION IN EGYPT: The world's second-biggest home appliances maker, Electrolux has said it had restarted full production in Egypt, almost two weeks after it suspended its operations due to violence in the country, Reuters has reported. The Swedish company, which has about 10 production facilities on the outskirts of Cairo, said although the security situation in the capital was now more stable, it would reassess developments continuously.JORDAN'S JPMC SEEKING NEW CUSTOMERS TO INCREASE EXPORTS: Jordan Phosphate Mines Co (JPMC), the second largest exporter of phosphate and fifth-largest producer globally, has announced it has won a $100m contract to export Diammonium phosphate (DAP) to Ethiopia, despite "strong competition from many countries," Jordan Times has reported. The company sold phosphate to Ethiopia at "slightly below cost price" in order to re-enter the Ethiopian market lost in a tender last year due to high competition from neighbouring countries, JPMC chief executive, Emad Madadha said. The company is eyeing new customers to increase its exports and will soon sign memoranda of understanding to open more factories, according to JPMC chairman, Amer Majali. "We eye new markets such as Australia, Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia and others because we do not want to be largely dependent on the Indian market only," Majali said.FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN JUBAIL, YANBU INDUSTRIAL CITIES AT 37 PERCENT: The Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY) has said the value of the implemented and under-construction projects in Jubail and Yanbu industrial cities has reached SR327bn, Arab News has reported. The value of domestic and foreign investments in the cities reached SR766bn, with foreign investment accounting for SR269bn, or 37 percent of overall investment, the report said.TWO PLANTS IN JEDDAH FINED, SHUT DOWN OVER TAINTED CEMENT: Inspectors from the municipality of Jeddah have destroyed around five tonnes of tainted cement and a large quantity of cement blocks and bricks ready for sale during a raid on two sites in Al-Hamdaniyah district in the eastern part of the Jeddah governorate, Saudi Gazette has reported. The plants, which mixed cement with soil to increase quantity, were fined SR300,000, said the civic body.SAUDIS ACCOUNT FOR 22 PERCENTOF WORKERS IN MANUFACTURING SECTOR: According to data by the Saudi Central Department of Statistics and Information, 78 percent of the 3.19 million workers in the secondary manufacturing sector are expatriates, Arab News has reported. Non-Saudis numbered 2.5 million against 696,000 Saudis, representing 22 percent of the sector's manpower and working in agriculture and construction industry, the figures showed. Workers in the country's service and manufacturing sectors numbered 10.6 million at the end of 2012, with Saudis accounting for 44 percent, the report said.IRAN INCREASES IRON EXPORTS TO CHINA, INDIA: Iran is boosting its exports of iron ore and iron products to China and India, in a bid to replace at least a small part of the massive revenue that has been lost due to sanctions on its oil sales, Reuters has reported. Iron ore exports have grown by more than 60 percent during the last few years to an annual rate of about 25 million tonnes, worth about $3bn a year at current prices, the report said. It has overtaken India to become the fourth-largest iron ore supplier to China in the last year. According to Chinese customs figures, Iran's exports to the world's top iron ore consumer rose 35 percent to 13.4 million tonnes in the seven months to July. "We're selling more iron to India and China," said an Iranian industry source on condition of anonymity. "No money is coming directly to Iran because of the issues with currency [trading in dollars], so in some cases there are some barter deals, otherwise cargoes are paid mostly with cash."MODON INCREASES RENTS BY 100 PERCENT: The Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) is set to raise by 100 percent the rent for land at industrial cities from the beginning of next Hijrah year (November 4), Arab News has reported, citing an industrial source. The rents would see an eventual increase of 400 percent after three years, the source said. The move aims to improve the services extended by Modon to industries and meeting the cost of infrastructure projects at industrial cities.INDIA'S SRF SHUTS DOWN DUBAI OPERATIONS DUE TO EUROPEAN DOWNTURN: Indian technical textile maker SRF Ltd has decided to close down its manufacturing operations in Dubai, citing sustained downturn in European market and high fixed costs, Business Standard has reported. "Board of directors of SRF Overseas Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, have decided to close its manufacturing operations in Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai, due to sustained downturn in European market and high fixed costs," SRF said. "The plant and machinery of SRF Overseas Ltd in Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai would be relocated to one of the units of SRF Ltd In India subject to necessary approvals," it added.EGYPT'S ASEC REPORTS WIDER NET LOSSES IN H1 2013: Egyptian miner, Asec, has posted EGP17.8m ($2.5m) in net losses in the first six months of 2013, compared with net losses of EGP15.2m ($2.1m) in the same period last year, Ahram has reported. Pre-tax financial results of the first six months of 2013 recorded losses of EGP13.8m ($1.9m), 12 percent down from losses in the same period in 2012. "We have shouldered high taxes this year, worth around EGP4m (around $572,400)," a company official told the daily. Cairo-based private equity firm Citadel Capital has 39 percent share in Asec, which has expanded its operations in North and East Africa through a number of cement plants and developing mining operat存倉ons to quarry raw materials and precious metals.SABIC AFFILIATE TO BUILD WORLD'S LARGEST CO2 PURIFICATION PLANT: The United Jubail Petrochemical Co (UNITED), an affiliate of the Saudi Basic Industries Corp (Sabic), has awarded Germany's The Linde Group the engineering, procurement and construction contract for its carbon dioxide utilisation project to build the world's largest CO2 purification and liquefaction plant, Arab News has reported. The plant will compress and purify about 1,500 tonnes per day of raw carbon dioxide coming from ethylene glycol plants for enhanced methanol and urea production. The plant will also be capable of producing 200 tonnes per day of liquid food-grade quality CO2 to be supplied by truck to the beverage and food industry.SIEMENS UPGRADES JEDDAH MANUFACTURING FACILITY: Siemens has said it has expanded and upgraded its low and medium voltage panel manufacturing facility in the Saudi city of Jeddah to more than 6,000 sq m, Saudi Gazette has reported. The facility was established more than two decades ago and was licensed by the industry ministry as a local manufacturer for a wide range of switchgears and control panel products.JORDAN TO BUILD INDUSTRIAL CITIES IN ALL GOVERNORATES: The Jordanian government has decided to set up industrial estates in all governorates to accelerate their economic development and create jobs for more Jordanians, Jordan Times has reported. The first of the planned industrial cities will be built in Jerash, 48km north of Amman, where an 800-dunum plot of land has been selected as the location for the project. Similar estates will also be built in Karak, Ajloun, and Mafraq. There are 14 industrial zones in different parts of the kingdom, four of which are in Amman and two in Irbid.SAUDI ARABIA TO DEVELOP THIRD INDUSTRIAL CITY IN DAMMAM: The Saudi commerce and industry ministry has signed a SR550m agreement to develop the third industrial city in Dammam, Arab News has reported. The contract covers the development of the second part of Dammam-3's first phase, which will be completed in 24 months. The new city will have petroleum, mineral, plastic, automobile, food and other industries, in addition to factories of building materials.ORIENTAL WEAVERS POSTS HIGHER H1 PROFITS: Egypt's Oriental Weavers, the world's biggest machine-woven carpet maker, has reported a net profit of EGP219.16m for the first six months of 2013, Arab Finance has reported. The company recorded EGP145.4m in net income during the same period a year ago.OMAN'S OFM REPORTS 19 PERCENT DECLINE IN NET INCOME: Oman Flour Mills Co (OFM) has said its net profit for the year ended June 30, 2013 fell 18.9 percent year-on-year to OR6.07m from OR7.49m in the previous year, Muscat Daily has reported. OFM's group revenue rose nearly 16 percent to OR70.52m, compared with OR60.82m a year earlier.VIOLENT PROTESTS FORCE BASF TO CLOSE EGYPTIAN OPERATIONS: German chemicals group BASF has announced shutting down it closed its operations in Egyptian on Thursday, due to the violent political protests in the country, Reuters has reported. BASF has about 100 employees based in Egypt, with offices in Alexandria and Cairo and a plant producing construction chemicals in Sadat City. "The safety of our employees has top priority. We are observing the situation carefully. All our employees are fine," said BASF.TURKEY'S YILDIZ HOLDING STOPS PRODUCTION IN EGYPT: Turkish manufacturer of food products, Yildiz Holding has suspended production in its Hi Food factory in Egypt to protect its 910 employees against recent curfew in the country, Anadolu has reported. Opened in 2009, Hi Food produces biscuit for Middle East, North and West African countries, the firm said.ELECTROLUX SUSPENDS PRODUCTION IN EGYPT: Swedish multinational household and professional appliances Electrolux has said on Thursday it had halted all production in Egypt, where it has around 7,000 employees, citing the increasing unrest in the country, Reuters has reported. "(Electrolux) chose to discontinue production yesterday afternoon through today," said Daniel Frykholm, spokesman of the Stockholm-based group. "In light of the unrest we have been reducing activities on a day to day basis. We evaluate the security situation and then decide whether people should go to work."JORDAN INTRODUCES NEW REGULATIONS FOR PHOSPHATE MINING REVENUES: The Jordanian cabinet has announced new regulatory measures of phosphate mining revenues, Jordan Times has reported. Under the new regulations, a committee comprising representatives of the Finance Ministry, the Natural Resources Authority, the Jordan Phosphate Mines Co (JPMC) and the Audit Bureau, is to be formed to verify the authenticity of all documents and data concerning the deals and pricing schedules of the JPMC and ensure that mining fees are imposed on the company's sales. Furthermore, the JPMC will be obligated to open a special account in its financial records detailing the government's share of its total sales.OMAN'S NATIONAL MINERAL WATER NARROWS LOSSES : Oman-based National Mineral Water Co (NMWC) has said narrowed its net losses for the first six months of 2013, compared with last year, on a 'correction' in the price of its products and lower expenses, Muscat Daily has reported. Net loss for the first half of 2013 dropped to OR136,161 from OR198,079 in the year-ago period, although sales fell 3.8 percent to OR4m from OR4.16m. "The reduction in loss of the parent company is mainly due to the correction in price of NMWC products by the Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) and reduction in expenses," the company said.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 AME Info (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) Visit AME Info (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) at .ameinfo.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉