Alian Industry Company (AIC) has received initial approval from the Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF) to finance the construction of a 3D-printed concrete slab-making factory in Sudair City. The factory will be developed as a result of a transfer of construction technology agreement Alian Industry signed with Emmedue (M2) earlier in the year.

The move is said to be in line with the Ministry of Housing (Motivating Building Technology) and the National Industrial Development and Logistics Programme. The programme aims to provide the best housing solutions for home ownership and reduce the cost of construction, in addition to boosting the speed of implementation with high quality, in order to create suitable jobs for Saudi citizens in the construction sector.

According to a statement, the first step of the process saw Alian Industrial Company receive initial approval (letter of commitment) from SIDF to finance the establishment of the factory, which will produce polystyrene sheets reinforced with iron and concrete.

Emmedue (M2) is said to have developed and commercialised the Emmedue advanced building system globally over the past 35 years. The technology is said to save money and the time spent in construction, while offering flexibility in applying modern architectural designs, and achieving the highest standards of acoustic and thermal insulation, the statement said.