SAUDI ARABIA’s Construction Products Holding Company (CPC) has launched its first wholly-owned specialised marble factory in China, built at a total investment of $15 million.

 CPC said its new Global New Material Technology (GNMT) company is based in Ji’an and will help the company expand its production capacity in a major emerging market by “delivering innovative building technologies more quickly to its growing number of customers based in China, Saudi Arabia and the GCC region”.

Built on a sprawling 66,000 sq m of space, the new factory is said to be the largest of its kind in China and will annually produce 400,000 sq m of indoor and outdoor flooring products and wall panels in addition to interior decorative elements for “all types of buildings”.

CPC’s chief operating officer Walid Samaha said: “China is an important market for CPC and we have a long-term commitment and strategic interest in this market.

“It will also enable our industrial marble business to expand and leverage its global reach, and win a greater market share in emerging markets.”

“This move is part of the company’s ongoing programme to consolidate and optimise its global production network and we chose China because of positive investment environments, availability of the raw materials sources and the efficiency of the industry park infrastructure,” Samaha added.

Riad Kiwan, the chief operating officer of CPC International, said the inauguration of the new GNMT factory was an important milestone for both the company and its customers.

“The new factory will enable the company in implementation of its projects domestically and internationally,” he stated.

He pointed out that 50 per cent of the production of the new factory will be allocated for domestic consumption in China, while the rest will be allocated for exports to Saudi Arabia and the rest of the GCC countries.

GNMT is located in Ji’an county’s High-Tech Industrial Zone, which is said to be one of the largest industry parks in the region.