In its pursuit for quality and safety, the Saudi Arabia-based brick manufacturer El Maimani Red Brick Factories has introduced a new packing process for bricks that could effectively minimise onsite accidents and damage and ease work on site.

According to the firm’s marketing and projects manager Kamal Al Gobali, the recently-introduced system of packing bricks using thick plastic sheets would enhance safety during the various routine processes such as transportation, loading, unloading and lifting the bricks along multi-storeyed buildings.
“Studies conducted by the company have proven that falling building materials are a concern for onsite safety and the new system of wrapping bricks should not just address concerns of safety, but also seek to retain the integrity of the brick units and in the process offer considerable savings,” he adds.
Established in 1980, El Maimani Red Brick Factories currently supplies 2,000 tonnes of bricks per day in different sizes and shapes to meet the growing market demand.
The company also claims credit for being the first in the kingdom to have introduced the cost-effective load-bearing construction system for the construction of two-storeyed villas.
“Products from El Maimani, one of the largest brick manufacturing companies in the kingdom, have been approved by several consulting offices in Saudi Arabia because they offer a better solution for masonry works,” Al Gobali says.
The company attributes the superior quality of its products to a host of technical and economical reasons. Al Gobali explains:
“The brick is a natural material as it has no chemical or any additive material added in the manufacturing process;
“The brick is fired at a high temperature of 1,000 deg C to make it more durable and strong. The firing minimises the risk of cracks in the walls even in the hot summer season;
“Red brick is a naturally-insulating material and is three times more effective in thermal insulation than concrete; and
“The lightweight of red clay brick (nearly 50 per cent of concrete block) also plays a key role in saving about 25 per cent of the cost of the concrete skeleton of building system.
“The light weight of the brick also ensures a higher labour productivity and helps save on time and money;
“The red brick is also favoured for several economical reasons:
“Red clay bricks cost almost the same as other types of bricks and blocks; and
“They minimise cracks in walls, thus reducing the operational and maintenance cost of a building and increasing its life cycle.”
“These advantages have created a huge demand for red clay bricks,” says Al Gobali.
The Madinah-headquartered company has been the main supplier for most of the construction works under way in the central area adjoining the two holy mosques of Makkah and Madinah.
Some of the projects that the company has supplied to include:
• Aqar Group developments in Makkah,
   Madinah and Jeddah;
• Mohasnee projects in Makkah;
• Saudi German hospitals around the
     kingdom;
• Al-Mohasin residential and commercial
    building development in Madinah;
• Al-Husain residential and commercial
    building project in Madinah; and
• Dar Al-Arkan projects in Makkah,
    Madinah, Yanbu and Jeddah.
El Maimani was also the main supplier of red bricks for the expansion of the old Madinah mosques at Quba, Qiblatain and Miqath.
“We also supplied the red clay bricks for the construction of many mosques in Jeddah such as King Saud, Jaffali and Corniche mosques.
In addition, we were the main suppliers of brick for the Mina tents projects,” says Al Gobali.
The firm – part of the El Maimani Group of companies for industry, investment and trade –  has offices in Makkah, Jeddah, Taif, Yanbu, Tabuk and Jouf.