Saudi Rubber Products Company (Sarpco), which specialises in sports arena, playground, equestrian and stable and construction products, has announced plans to install a new line to produce material for preparing safe sports surfaces.

The company, which plans to initially produce about three million tonnes of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) daily, is expected to start production by the end of September. The procurement of equipment is already in the process.
Sarpco also produces styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) granules by shredding old tyres and using them for making safe sports surfaces. Other products the company expects to introduce include reclaimed rubber made from finely-grounded scrap rubber, thereby reducing its dependency on import of virgin rubber.
The company will start production of rubber sheets in rolls of 10 to 15 m length, 1.2 m width and 2 to 10 mm thickness. Its existing rubber sheets have a maximum size of 185 cm.
Sarpco is currently working on two contracts with the Saudi Ministry of Education for the supply of 2,000 sq m of pour-on-site material, a substance made from a mix of chemicals, rubber and EPDM and poured at construction sites for preparing sports surfaces.
It has a large order with Afrin Es for supplying 5,600 sq m of polyurethane (PU) products. It is also implementing an order with Bano Trading to deliver EPDM interlock yellow rubber tiles for an area of 1,600 sq m. Another Bano order requires it to supply pour-on-site material for a surface of 1,500 sq m.
Sarpco has also been contracted to supply freckled interlock rubber tiles for a 301-sq-m area at King Fahad Hospital.
It is working on pour-on-site orders from Al Yamamah Company in Al Khobar (575 sq m), Nabatat Agriculture (1,142 sq m), Al Manar Al Arabiah (1,360 sq m) and Al Jafr Trading (700 sq m).