Manar Al Omran unveils SAR 1.2 bn industrial complex to localize construction supply chain

Construction support company Manar Al Omran (MAO) is building a SAR 1.2 bn industrial complex spanning 1 mn sqm in the Eastern Province, according to a press release. The development will include five factories, a corporate headquarters, and a residential community for 7k employees. The project will shift MAO’s operations from scaffolding rental and services into a vertically integrated manufacturer, serving the construction and energy sectors.

The core facility will be a scaffolding and steel factory, spanning 750k sqm and housing eight production facilities covering ringlock scaffolding, tubes, cuplock, engineered formwork, structural steel, shot blasting and powder coating, hot-dip galvanizing and maintenance. The complex will have a daily production capacity of 1.2k tons, making it the world’s largest single-site scaffolding factory.

Why this matters: The complex capitalizes on the Kingdom’s construction and gigaproject pipeline by manufacturing the supply chain elements of this industry. This localization effort can help Saudi projects reduce reliance on imported formwork and shield the construction sector from global material shortages, especially with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the Houthi disruptions in the Red Sea.