The A-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper  quoted a notice published in early October 2005 announcing the building of a cement-making factory. The contract for this was signed between the Gulf Mortgage and Investments Company and the Bahrain Motor Manufacturing Company. The new company will be called “Saqir Cement Manufacturing Company”. The paper estimated that the first stage of work on this project will begin during the first quarter of 2006 at an investment of $45 million.