RIYADH: Saudi Cement took the lead among five firms from the Kingdom that collectively exported 90,000 tons of cement in December 2023, according to the latest industry data. Based in the Eastern Province, the manufacturer exported about 56,000 tons during the last month of 2023, according to an analysis released by Yamama Cement Co. On the domestic sales front, eight companies saw an increase in their transactions, with Arabian Cement leading the way with a 55.9 percent rise, closely followed by Umm Al-Qura Cement with a 51.2 percent increase compared to the same month in 2022. Meanwhile, nine companies witnessed a decrease in their sales, with Northern Region Cement leading with a 50.6 percent fall and United Cement Industrial Co. with a drop of 46.9 percent. The total sales of Saudi cement firms, comprising 17 companies, decreased by 5 percent during December 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. According to the data, sales in December 2023 reached 4.39 million tons, down from 4.62 million tons achieved in the same month of 2022. For clinker manufacturing, the analysis showed a 0.9 percent decrease in the companies’ production in December 2023, reaching 5.07 million tons compared to 5.12 million for the corresponding month in 2022. Meanwhile, clinker inventories reached 39.9 million tons at the end of December 2023, marking a 13.9 percent increase compared to the same month in 2022, when it was 35.1 million tons. Six companies exported clinker in December 2023, with Saudi Cement leading by exporting around 135,000 tons, followed by Yanbu Cement exporting 119,000 tons. Construction on Saudi Arabia’s first clinker-free cement plant is set to begin this year as part of the sector’s push toward more sustainable practices. In September, Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies, a French company, and Riyadh-based Shurfah Group entered into an exclusive licensing agreement spanning 22 years as a component of the deal, according to a press statement. The release noted that the engineering and production process will be carried out by IBAU Hamburg, a German general contractor, while the operations will be carried out at Hoffmann Green Cement units in the Kingdom.