National Gypsum Company (NGC) announced a net profit of SR60.9 million ($16.23 million) for the first half of 2008, an increase of 8.4 per cent over the corresponding period of last year.
For full-year 2007, the company had made SR94.8 million, which was a slide of 25.9 per cent over the previous year.
NGC owns five plants in Riyadh and three in Yanbu that produce annually 450,000 tonnes of gypsum plaster.
Two other plants in Riyadh and Yanbu produce 12 million sq m of plaster board annually. They also produce 48,000 tonnes of spray gypsum and fixing plaster.
NGC has a plant in Riyadh for making gypsum decoratives.
In two other plants in Riyadh and Yanbu, NGC makes gypsum ceiling tiles of 9.5 mm thickness. Total capacity is half a million sq m.
A plant in Yanbu produces 30,000 tonnes of gypsum powder and agricultural gypsum.
Additionally the company has a 30 per cent share in Qatar Saudi Gypsum Company, whose production capacity is 60,000 tonnes per year.
A company spokesman said: “NGC takes special care for quality control of products by testing in its well-equipped laboratory. Products are manufactured according to German specifications and other major international specifications.
“The company’s export activities have made NGC products known to neighbouring GCC states.”

Gypsum plaster
Stucco plaster or Plaster of Paris is produced by calcining raw gypsum in a rotary kiln by hot air, then grinding to the required finenesss.
The Stucco plaster units produce more than 1,500 tonnes of powder daily for consumption in gypsum board units.
“Our product is distinguished by its white colour and high degree of fineness,” the spokesman says. The Stucco plaster if treated with additives is marketed as machine gypsum powder, agricultural gypsum, gypsum fixing plaster or decorative gypsum.

Plaster boards
They consist of an aerated gypsum core encased in specifically prepared durable paper liners. The plaster boards come as regular, fire resistant, moisture resistant, fire and moisture resistant and as boards laminated with lead sheet.

Laminated gypsum tiles
These are made from lightweight gypsum boards which are already reinforced to make them fire resistant. The tiles are coated with textured or smooth PVC on the face with the back laminated by red PVC or aluminium as protection against humidity.