SCCO sees ‘endless opportunities’ to make end products

Saudi Chemical Company (SCCO), a Saudi joint stock company, can trace its beginnings back to 1972 when it became the first civil explosive manufacturing company in Saudi Arabia, offering a wide range of civil explosives, detonators and accessories. It has been instrumental in the country’s development by manufacturing explosives for military and civil uses such as rock blasting for road construction, foundations, trench blasting for oil and water pipelines, and tunneling for roads and mining. 
 

SCCO’s line of production includes the latest, safest and most commonly used civil explosives and non-electrical detonators in the world – namely Kemulex, Prillex, Enviroseis and Sanel. 
 

Kemulex is an emulsion-type explosive characterized by its high detonation velocity and good waterproof properties, and is packaged in special plastic cartridges with different sizes that meet the clients' needs. The company’s other explosive product, Prillex, is a dry blasting agent composed of ammonium nitrates and fuel oil.
 

Enviroseis is produced locally by SCCO under license from Austin Powder, USA. It is a sensitive, high viscosity explosive packed in rigid plastic tubes. 

SCCO’s Sanel detonators provide highly accurate control and precision that minimizes vibrations and improves fragmentation for all kind of blasting. They are produced in a wide range of delay times, lengths, and models for different types of use.  

Just over 40 years on since it was founded, General Manager and proud company stalwart Dr. Mohammed Saud Al-Badr lists some of the company’s milestones over the years.
 

“SCCO started in 1972, and moved to new industrial zones some 20 years ago,” says Dr. Al-Badr. “Each factory is 5km by 5km, so it provides more space for production, in three regions. Another important milestone was when the company became public around 12 years ago. Then SCCO expanded into the pharmaceutical business with the acquisition of SITCO Pharma.” 
 

Regarded as the largest national distributor of cooled vaccines and medicines, such as insulin and enrichment hormones, SITCO Pharma’s distribution network covers the whole kingdom.
 

SCCO is also the owner of the Suez International Nitrates Company, SINCO, in Egypt that provides the vital porous aluminum nitrate for the company’s explosives. 
 

Dr. Al-Badr adds: “In 2010 we inaugurated the Egyptian arm to supply our factories in the region. We established the new business distributing both pharmaceutical and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and last year we started building a pharmaceutical factory.” 
 

From the outset, SCCO has endeavored to maintain a strong commitment to quality, market globalization and efficient customer support, all of which have lead to the success of the company. SCCO has been growing 13% since 2006 – quite a phenomenal feat, and one that Dr. Al-Badr is happy to talk about. 
 

“We are expanding both in the pharmaceutical and the explosives business,” he said. “We are able to gain more business thanks to our reputation of maintaining security, safety, and quality, and we have a great project portfolio constructing roads and so on. In pharmaceuticals we have a very transparent operation where we enjoy a good relationship with our partners.”

 

It doesn’t just stop with explosives and pharmaceuticals. Looking ahead Dr. Al-Badr sees a very bright future for his company and the people of Saudi Arabia. “There are endless opportunities in the fields of secondary manufacturing and petrochemicals,” he says. 
 

“Petrochemicals produce the material, which is not the final material for customers. In order to produce the end product, there are endless opportunities. 
 

“There is also potential in timber and lumber in the northern region, as well as in industries associated with minerals such as phosphate.”