Mr. Saad bin Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, Director of the Department of Industrial Licensing and Monitoring and General Supervisor of Industrial Service Centers, revealed that the number ofin the Kingdom has reached 7,571 factories, employing one million workers, with total investments exceeding 187 billion riyals. Engineer Al-Ghamdi noted that all factories receive logistical and technical support, as well as electronic and industrial services, free of charge, as part of a policy to encourage domestic investment.

In remarks made on the occasion of the Saudi Construction Exhibition, which concluded on October 20 at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center, Al-Ghamdi that 5,148 factories fall into the small-investment category—with investments not exceeding 10 million riyals—and that these 5,148 factories are small facilities with investments not exceeding 10 million riyals, and account for 68% of all factories, while the number of large factories stands at 670, representing 9% of all factories, with investments exceeding 100 million riyals.

It is worth noting that the Ministry has provided a number of incentives through the implementation of the Unified Industrial Regulation for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including financing through the Industrial Fund and industrial land through industrial cities—whether the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, the Industrial Cities Authority, or the Economic Cities Authority, as well as municipal industrial zones, which house a number of light industries. Other incentives include customs exemptions for industrial inputs such as raw materials, machinery, equipment, and spare parts.