Saudi Aerated Concrete Industries Company (Zamil-Acico) is gearing up to commission the first phase of its aerated blocks factory later this year.

The new factory – which covers an area of 59,200 sq m in Jubail Industrial City – will be commissioned in October, says director Dr Abdulrazzak Al Samdan.
Under the first phase of the project, the factory will have an annual production capacity of 170,000 tonnes of aerated blocks and 30,000 tonnes of aerated panels.
Established in 2004, Acico-Saudi is a joint venture of Zamil Industrial Investment Company, Zamil Group Holding and Aerated Concrete Industries Company located in Kuwait.
This joint venture expects to meet the increasing demand for autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) products in Saudi Arabia and the neighbouring countries. Once in full swing, the factory will be equipped to produce both reinforced and non-reinforced AAC materials.
“Construction will boom across the Gulf through the next decade and concrete blocks and aerated lightweight concrete materials will continue to serve the needs for building projects of all kinds,” says Dr Al Samdan.
Zamil-Acico will specialise in the manufacture of a variety of aerated lightweight concrete materials including non-reinforced building material (blocks) in different sizes; reinforced building materials (wall panels, slabs, lintels and stairs), and supplementary products (thin-bed mortar, plaster and repair mortar).
AAC blocks are produced using modern technology that has been fine-tuned by German technology. They are manufactured in the most advanced autoclaves using basic raw materials such as quartz sand, cement, and lime.
“Our concrete materials are preferred because they provide the best thermal insulation of all solid building materials,” he explains. “Our products also provide high acoustical insulation, are non-combustible, light weight, can be economically finished (tiles, plaster and electrical work) and easy handled
Highlighting other advantages of the products, Al Samdan says: “AAC is four times lighter than traditional concrete requiring simple lifting tools and resulting in lower transportation costs. The blocks are easy to handle and simple to install. They are ready to use so their placement is faster, thus requiring less labour time. In addition, they lower the cost of foundations.”
Zamil-Acico anticipates good demand for its products and has already initiated plans to launch a second phase, which will double its capacity of both blocks and panels.