In 1955, Olayan Kimberly-Clark started as a joint Venture Company with two manufacturing facilities in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The company is specialized in producing Tissue Products, Feminine Care and Child Care. Olayan is an important and longstanding strategic partner for Kimberly-Clark in the Arabian Gulf region. The Olayan organization was founded on the principles of hard work, determination, a desire to learn and thoughtful business practices. These values made the organization a natural partner when Kimberly-Clark began expansion into the Gulf region.

The General Trading Company began importing the famous Kleenex® brand facial tissues to Saudi Arabia. Later, individual manufacturing agreements were made to produce Kleenex® tissues, then Kotex® feminine care, and in 1989, the baby care line, Huggies® was introduced.

The Olayan/Kimberly-Clark relationship advanced to a new level in 1994, when the joint venture partners opened a paper mill in Bahrain. The ultra-modern plant not only supplies feedstock to the tissue-converting operation in Saudi Arabia, but also exports tissue hard rolls elsewhere in the Gulf and beyond.