Saudi Advanced Industries Company (SAIC) has said that its glass manufacturing subsidiary has began the operation of its glass furnace. Obeikan Glass Company, in which SAIC owns a 40 % stake, will require 4-5 weeks until the furnace reaches maximum heat. At that stage, the compay will then start producing float glass within 2-3 weeks as fine tuning of the process takes place. The glass plant has been erected at Yanbu el Bahr, industrial and port city in Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea coast in Medina Province, about 350 km north of Jeddah. Yanbu harbour, close to the Suez Canal and on the major East-West shipping route provides easy access to the European and far-east markets for its products.
When fully operational, the plant will produce 800 tonnes per day of clear and tinted glass feature which will let it be the largest in the region. With provisions for on-line coatings, it will be the most modern of its kind in the Gulf countries thanks to Fives Stein technology.
