The Alba management team with the Calciner & Marine Department staff
ALUMINIUM Bahrain (Alba) said at a meeting of its board of directors it expected to meet its half-year targets amidst London Metals Exchange (LME) price fluctuations.
In other significant developments of recent weeks, the company completed a major upgrade at its calcining plant and announced the introduction of a new post in the executive management team – chief support functions officer – in a management restructuring. Bahraini national Basem Al Sharqi will head that position.
About Alba’s performance since January, board chairman Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji said: “Alba’s fundamentals continue to be strong and will provide a catalyst for the sound performance the company expects to achieve for the remainder of the year thanks to the inspiring leadership of the management team and the efforts of its skillful workforce.”
The Alba board of directors comprises six directors appointed by Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, which in addition to Al Kooheji, include Fawzi Ahmed Kanoo, Yusuf Abdulla Taqi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Osama Mohammed Al Arrayedh, and David Meen. The two directors appointed by Sabic Industrial Investments Company are Mutlaq H Al Murished and Dr Talhat Alqahtani. The independent director is Abdul Aziz Al Humaid.
A ceremony was held at the Alba Petroleum Coke Calciner at the end of May to mark the replacement and upgrade of the indirect coke cooler.
Alba said the replacement was expected to generate greater efficiency and increased productivity, as well as enabling the company to meet its operational plans.
The event was attended by Alba’s chief executive Laurent Schmitt, chief operations officer Isa Al Ansari, chief finance and supply officer Tim Murray, and calcining & marine manager Prakash Kumar Jha among other officials.
 |
|
The new executive management team: |
The indirect coke cooler had exceeded its design service life by three years, and hence a replacement was necessary. The new equipment – weighing 180 tonnes – was shipped from Germany in a single piece, installed and commissioned in 30 days against the original plan of 45 days.
Commenting on the upgrade, Schmitt said: “Alba’s petroleum coke calciner plant is one of only two calciners in the world having a state-of-the-art indirect coke cooler, which helps in producing coke without any micro or macro cracks. The upgrade was carried-out during a month-long plant outage as against a contractual requirement of 45 days. With the new equipment in place, there will be emphasis on increased efficiency and productivity to support Alba’s goal of being at the forefront of aluminium production.”
Alba is one of two aluminium smelters in the world to have a dedicated petroleum coke calciner plant. The plant was built over 140,000 sq m of reclaimed land at the Alba marine terminal in May 2001.
In 2011, the Calciner plant produced 425,000 tonnes of calcined petroleum coke and 24,500 cu m per day of potable water.
RESTRUCTURING
With regards to the restructuring of posts, Alba said it was done to strengthen organisational performance.
Structural changes at the executive management include the appointment of former chief supply chain officer Isa Al Ansari as the new chief operations officer (COO) – a position he held in acting capacity since January 2011. Former chief financial officer Tim Murray has also been given additional responsibilities and has been appointed as the new chief finance and supply officer (CFSO). Bahraini national Basem Al Sharqi has been newly inducted into the executive management team and will be the new chief support functions officer. They will be reporting directly to chief executive Schmitt.
As the new CSFO, Al Sharqi will be responsible for human resources and training, medical, expansion projects and engineering, power operations and power maintenance departments.
In his comments, Schmitt said the changes would bring in better streamlining of processes, enhance efficiency across the organisation, strengthen performance, and obtain the best results from the employees. “We are also pleased to announce the formation of a new position in the executive management team, and we are proud that a Bahraini national is the new chief support functions officer. The appointment highlights our continuous support for Bahrainisation at the senior decision-making level, and we are confident that Basem Al Sharqi will play a key role in Alba’s success story in the years to come.”
Al Sharqi has more than 23 years’ experience in industrial process automation and operational management, business development, sales and marketing and project management. He has worked in both the industrial and real estate sectors and has experience as an independent entrepreneur. He has received an MBA with distinction from the University of Glamorgan, Cardiff, UK, and a BSE in computer engineering from the University of Petroleum & Minerals, Saudi Arabia.
Alba, consistently ranked as one of the world’s largest aluminium smelters, produces more than 860,000 tonnes per annum of the metal which meet or exceed the industry standard for purity. Products include standard and T-ingots, extrusion billets, rolling slab, properzi ingots, and molten aluminium. It has also maintained a strong track record of operational safety and environmental compliance.
