The first civil explosives manufacturing company to directly support the fields of construction, mining, infrastructure, cement industry and oil exploration in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Chemical Company Limited is now manufacturing military products to turn into reality the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals. Engineer Abdullah Al-Znaedi, CEO, Explosives Sector, Saudi Chemical Company Limited, explains
Saudi Chemical Company Limited is one of the leading manufacturers of civil and military explosives, with around 50 years of success in the industry. What are the major achievements of the company over these years?
Saudi Chemical Company Limited was established in 1972, and since then it has enjoyed a prominent position pioneering explosives manufacturing in Saudi Arabia. It was the first civil explosives manufacturing company to directly support the fields of construction, mining, infrastructure, cement industry and oil exploration in Saudi Arabia; the company has quickly expanded its services outreach regionally and internationally as a civil explosives provider. In line with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals, we have embarked on a strategy of developing our capabilities in manufacturing military explosives and fuzes, aiming to contribute to developing Saudi Arabia’s military industries sector and localizing its products. Along with our three civil explosives plants and the distribution sites spread across all regions of Saudi Arabia, we announced the building of a ‘Military Industries Complex’ for military energetic materials and solutions in the country’s capital Riyadh which is the region’s first energetics research and development facility.
Could you tell us about the other companies under the aegis of Saudi Chemical Company Holding and their operations?
Saudi Chemical Company Holding owns and operates five subsidiaries, all of which serve the development of the non-oil sector, including the Suze International Nitrate Company (SINCO) in Egypt. SINCO produces various grades of Ammonium Nitrate products, which is being sold globally.
What are the products and services offered by Saudi Chemical Company Limited? What are the highlights of your operations in the defence sector?
Saudi Chemical Company Limited focuses on realizing its strategic objective of being recognized as the leading producer of civil and military explosives locally, regionally and expanding the reach of its services and solutions to global level. The long and distinguished history of the Saudi Chemical Company Limited in the civil explosives sector reflects its capabilities as we have worked on mega projects in Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries in civil, infrastructure, cement, exploration and mining industries over the course of the last 50 years. We have expanded our capabilities and activities into the military sphere with the aim of supplying the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with military products and services by 2030, as well as developing energetic solutions for both the Saudi military and global customers. Saudi Chemical Company Limited’s products include non-electrical detonators, primary explosives, fuzes, blasting agents, seismic explosives and initiation systems also. Implementing the highest standards in safety, quality and certification is a major pillar of the Saudi Chemical Company Limited’s successful strategy as it is fully committed to providing a safe environment for our employees as well as high quality products to our customers that has created a competitive advantage in the market. Consequently, we have attained certifications from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), including ISO 9001:2015/ ISO 45001:2018 / ISO 14001:2015; US Department of Defence military standards and NATO standards for safety and security.
Could you share details of your export business and international operations? Who are the major clients?
The focus of Saudi Chemical Company Limited is on satisfying the local demand within Saudi Arabia especially in the mining, cement and infrastructure sectors in addition to the military sector. However, we do provide direct products sales and solutions for other customers within the region.
The company has large factories and several distribution centres. How strong is the supply network?
Saudi Chemical Company Limited is in the business of explosives for 50 years. We had served local and regional customers with a very well-established supply network. It is well-known that dealing with explosive materials is highly restricted and controlled by many governmental authorities and other stakeholders; and we have proven during the past years the company’s capability to manage all supply chain activities efficiently.
Could you shed some light on your R&D and manufacturing capabilities?
The Research and Development (R&D) Centre belonging to our Military (as well as Civil) Industries Complex is considered the first-ever military energetics centre in the Middle East. The R&D Centre, located in Riyadh, will contribute to transforming our company into a national supplier of military energetic products and solutions. The objectives of the R&D Centre revolve around developing customer solutions and local products of the highest quality, ensuring adherence to the highest standards.
What are the expansion plans of the company? Could you share with us the objectives to be achieved in the coming years?
Saudi Chemical Company Limited is a subsidiary of Saudi Chemical Company Holding which is also active in other industries that support the growth of the non-oil sector in Saudi Arabia and contribute to implementing the principles of sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental dimensions. At Saudi Chemical Company Limited, we aim to enhance our capabilities in the explosives industry and associated services and solutions, adhering to the objectives of the ambitious Vision 2030.
