Riyadh – Mubasher: About 634 foreign facilities have been operating in Saudi Arabia by the end of the fourth quarter of 2017 at a combined capital of SAR 7.5 billion, according to the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources’ data.
The number of factories producing fabricated metals, except machinery and equipment, hit 135, followed by 73 factories investing in non-metallic metals. While the factories producing polymer and rubber amounted to 67.
The workforce at the foreign plants reached 51,200 by the end of Q4-17, the ministry's data highlighted.
There are 667 joint venture factories in the oil-rich kingdom with a capital of SAR 440.36 billion, employing more than 171,220 workers, according to the official data.
With 829,250 workers, the local facilities exceeded 6,450 by the end of 2017 at a combined capital of SAR 651.73 billion.
On the other hand, total factories operating in the OPEC powerhouse reached 7,760, with SAR 1.1 trillion in capital and 1.05 million workforce by the end of Q4-17.
