Saudi Red Bricks Company (Al Amoudi) has launched new block products with improved insulation which will help cut energy consumption in buildings.

The new blocks are known as Azil Mutawar, Hordi Mutawar and Rockshell.

The new products, which conform to international standards, will hit the market in the second quarter of this year, according to a top official of the company.

“The new products are characterised by high rigidity and durability compared to the existing products, despite having the same weight,” said Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Amoudi, the CEO of Saudi Red Bricks, at a ceremony in Jeddah announcing the launch.

Shaikh Khalid ... durable products.

Describing the features of the new products, Shaikh Khalid said they meet future requirements of the construction industry and are compatible with the specifications of both the Saudi Building Code and Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organisation (Saso).

The design for the new products is based on vertical openings instead of horizontal, which enhances their strength and durability in addition to providing improved insulation in extreme climatic conditions, he added.

Al Amoudi also announced the commerce minister’s decision to transform the Saudi Red Bricks Company from a partnership to a closed joint stock company.

Saudi Red Bricks Company has three large plants spread across an area of 363,521 sq m located in Bahrah in western Saudi Arabia. This makes it the largest brick-making facility of its kind on a single site in the world, according to the firm.

Since its inception in 1956, the company says it has been using high-quality clays to ensure that bricks and blocks produced in its plants meet the most stringent international standards.

Saudi Red Bricks’ plant ... adopts advanced production processes.

Saudi Red Bricks has a capacity to manufacture 10,000 tonnes per day of bricks and blocks. The company utilises world-renowned Swindell Dressler furnaces, which fire the blocks evenly from the sides. Its advanced production process facilitates an operation that can run round the clock 365 days a year with minimum breakdowns.

Its product line includes rock shell, insulated blocks, CT blocks, hollow blocks, solid bricks and acid-resistant bricks.

The company, which expanded and modernised its plants in 1975, said its manufacturing process, which utilises automated machinery and controlled by state-of-the-art computer systems, is complemented by an efficient distribution system that enables transportation of its products to domestic and international markets. It maintains a large fleet of trucks and truck-mounted cranes to deliver its products.

Headquartered in Jeddah, the company has 80 sales distribution centres and stockyards across the country and the region.