Najran Cement Co has announced that it is shutting down its No.1 production line for 23 days from 9 Febroary in order to carry out maintenance work.

The company said it was "premature to determine the financial impact" of the shutdown, but added that it would not harm current delivery schedules. The line has a prodiction capacity of 6,000 tons per day and a cement grinding capacity of 6,400 tons.

Earlier this month, the company revealed that its net profit for 2012 increased by 14% to $53.9m. Fourth quarter profits of $15.7m were substantially higher than the previous year when it incurred charges over maintenance works and discounted sales.

However, it added that revenues had also improved on the previous quarter as it had achieved higher sales.