Some of the Kingdom's steel factories have begun selling directly to the buyer to make up for losses by avoiding dealing with distributors. Sameh Abdul Qadir, the Chief Executive of Taiba Steel, said his factory and others had begun selling to individual and company buyers, although sales continue to distributors in whom the factories own shares. “The quantities set aside for sale directly to consumers is only 20 percent of the production,” Abdul Qadir said. “It's designed to make up for losses.” At least one major distributing company, meanwhile, has attempted to cripple the market by reducing supply. Official documents from one of the largest steel distributors in the country reveal that the company's plan began in January this year and that its effects were noticeable by the end of the first quarter. The documents, seen by Okaz, showed that the company's chief executive ordered a reduction in the quantity of steel made available for sale, as well as a halt to credit and wholesale trading and discounts. The orders also included a limit on sales at each company outlet to 25 tons, a figure usually exceeded by most single orders and representing half the figure which the company habitually purchases each day. The documents further showed that in March of this year the chief executive ordered a price rise of SR50 on Saudi, Qatari and Chinese steel, followed by another rise later the same month. They also revealed that the company charged consumers for the transportation of material if they were unable to provide transportation themselves. A source from inside the company who wished not to be named said the company's moves were designed to reduce supply against an increasing demand, and added that the company was receiving each day double the quantity that it made available for sale. Attempts to contact the Ministry of Trade and Industry failed.