Group to set up Dh250m cement factory in Al Ain

A new cement factory with an investment of Dh250 million will be set up in Al Ain to meet the growing demand for cement. This private sector factory will initially have a production capacity of 2000 tonnes per day, which will be doubled at a later stage, said V. Oommen Varghese, managing director of the planned Nael Cement Factory.

Owned by Nael and Bin Harmal Group, the factory will be located in the New Industrial City of Al Ain. The group has been operating a Dh200-million Nael Cement Products Factory for 18 months. Nael Rashid Al Shamsi, chairman of the group, said the accelerated pace of construction in the country could lead to a shortfall in basic raw materials.

"We aim to be a national player, competing on regional and eventually international market," he said.The factory will be completed in two phases. "We hope the state-of-the-art
factory will come into production by December 2006 after the Dh120 million first phase," he added.