The recently opened, first fibreglass rebar facility in Saudi Arabia, IKK Mateenbar, will manufacture and supply corrosion-free fibreglass rebar for infrastructure projects in the Kingdom, as well as the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

The facility, opened by Aramco’s Senior Vice President of Technical Services Ahmad Al-Sa’adi, was established under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2019 by New Zealand’s Pultron Composites, and its partner, Isam Khairy Kabbani Group (IKK), with Aramco.

The launch was in the presence of the New Zealand Embassy’s Chargée D’affaires Louise Searle and the Chairman of the National Industrial Committee of the Council of Saudi Chambers, Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Sheikh.

The launch of this facility comes as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to attract and localise the rebar industry. This is also in line with efforts to achieve the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030, in terms of diversifying the national economy, promoting innovation in the Kingdom, and strengthening Saudi Arabia’s international relations, said a statement.

Al-Sa’adi explained: “Aramco has been developing and deploying non-metallic solutions within its own operations for more than 20 years. The use of non-metallic, advanced polymer materials has significant potential in multiple sectors. Moreover, technologies such as GFRP rebar, which mitigate corrosion and minimise life cycle cost, have potential to be the real game-changers for the building and construction sector in particular.”

Isam Khairy Kabbani Group Chairman Hassan Al-Kabbani stated: “We are introducing a revolutionary new technology that will start to replace the iconic construction material that has been around for over a century now.”