One of Asia’s leading sugar refineries will be able to have all its raw sugar placed in one massive enclosure with the opening recently of its state-of-the-art domed storage area, which is said to be unique in the world (see page 49).

The new space, which will accommodate more than one million tonnes of raw sugar, is the latest achievement in Al Khaleej Sugar Company’s development as an important contributor to UAE industry. For a sugar refinery established in a non-agricultural country, Al Khaleej Sugar (AKS) Company LLC has made astonishing progress and is seen as a model of quality and progress for similar establishments.
When AKS, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region’s first sugar refinery, was founded in Dubai in 1992, the sugar industry was going through interesting times, both in terms of the pattern of sugar production and market demand. The emerging opportunities in the Gulf sugar market coupled with entrepreneurial acumen among the promoters helped lay the foundation for AKS.
From the very beginning, quality was a top priority. “Technical knowhow was assimilated through transparent communication with the world’s leading sugar refineries,” recalls a company spokesman.  Extensive technical studies were carried out in consultation with sugar technocrats around the world to avoid any design or structural flaws while various sugar technology institutes also provided technical inputs in the design stage.
And when the first commercial bags of sugar rolled out of the plant at the Jebel Ali Free Zone in July 1995, the market got the best the industry could offer.  The installed capacity at the time was 750,000 metric tones per year (tpy) of refined white crystal sugar. “Today, with a capacity of 1.2 million tpy, only a few refineries around the world can match the capacity and degree of automation achieved by the state-of-the-art AKS refinery,” the spokesman enthused. The production process uses German technology. Trained technical manpower has helped maintain consistency at every stage of manufacture, the company says. In January 1998 it received the ISO 9002 accreditation.
Following research and development, AKS introduced new products, one of  which was golden brown sugar; another was liquid sugar molasses, which is a sweet tasting viscous liquid emerging as byproduct of the refining process and used in confectioneries, baker’s yeast and animal feed production. In the area of animal feed development, AKS has succeeded in developing superior quality molasses that serve as an important energy source in the feed.
Raw sugar from around the world is received at the AKS Refinery Quay, which can handle Panamax-size ships, and stored and conveyed to the affination and melting section for processing.
Raw sugar is mixed with raw syrup to soften the adhering film syrup in a mingler. The mixture called magma is spun in centrifugal machines to separate as much syrup away from the sugar as possible. Sugar from affination is dissolved in melters using dilute liquors/sweet water and mixed with returned liquors from the recovery process. When very high quality raw sugar, meaning Very High Pol (VHP), is processed, affination is not required. VHP raw sugar is directly melted in a melter. Currently AKS is only processing high quality VHP raw sugar.
The sugar solution is treated with milk of lime. Carbon dioxide gas is then bubbled through, producing a precipitate of chalk, which carries down with it various impurities such as gum, wax and colouring matter. Carbonated liquor is filtered and clear brown liquor sent to the next step. This liquor is passed through columns packed with carbon to remove 85 to 90 per cent of colouring matter within the liquor. It is then passed through polishing filters for trapping any carryover of carbon fines, producing fine liquor.
 Prior to crystallisation, part of the water is evaporated in evaporators. The concentrated affined liquor is boiled under reduced pressure in carefully controlled conditions to remove water and form pure sugar crystals of the required size in continuous vacuum pans. Massecuite, a mixture of sugar crystal and liquor, is spun in the centrifugal machines to separate as much liquor from the sugar as possible.
 The next stage is drying, cooling and conditioning. Exhausted syrup is then boiled in vacuum pans and the resultant massecuites are spun in centrifugal machines to recover as much sugar as possible. The speciality sugar known as golden sugar is used in bakeries and the final exhausted leftover syrup, called final molasses, is sold to milk dairies and animal feed plants.
Round-the-clock laboratory services are provided to the refinery. Technical control, finished product assurance and microbiological and environmental testing are all carried out along with testing of all incoming materials.
Two boilers, one of which is standby, are available to generate steam required for processing. Electric power is available through a dedicated power supply line from Dubai. Desalinated water for boilers and process is available from a nearby plant through a dedicated water supply line.
A complete preventive maintenance and anticipated maintenance schedule is adopted in addition to the regular daily ordinary maintenance. Inventories of critical spare parts are maintained in stores.
AKS’ surge has run parallel to Dubai’s own progress and its rise as a leading Middle East hub for industrial and trading activities. One of the factors responsible for Dubai’s great advance is the Jebel Ali Port and the Jebel Ali Free Trade Zone, which Al Khaleej Sugar has capitalised on for importing raw material and exporting the final product.
AKS produces a variety of high quality refined white crystal cane sugar in accordance with internationally benchmarked EEC-2 specifications and UAE Standard No 147/2000. Various ‘grain sizes’ (coarse, medium and fine) have been introduced to suit individual markets and consumer needs while flexible packing options have been indigenously developed to provide better value to customers. The options include polypropylene jumbo bags for 2,000 kg, 1,250 kg, and 1,000 kg packs and standard bags for 50 kg, 30 kg, 25 kg and 10 kg portions.
 “Since the beginning of our operations, marketing has been the key functional area at Al Khaleej Sugar,” the company spokesman says. The marketing team operates in geographical and market segments and the major market segments include specialised beverages, the industrial sector, international state tenders and trade houses.  A secret of the company’s marketing success is the utmost care and diligence exercised in the execution of long-term contracts with manufacturers. There is a particular focus on the follow-up of delivery schedules enabling customers to maintain ‘just in time’ inventories. The company analyses emerging opportunities through interaction with a cross-section of buyers in various market segments.
As part of the company’s long-term marketing strategy, it set up overseas offices in strategic locations. The first overseas liaison office was opened in Colombo (Sri Lanka) in early 1998, followed by a marketing office in Jakarta (Indonesia) in 1999. Since then resident representatives have also been appointed in the Philippines, Jordan, Iraq and Singapore. Additionally, strategic alliances with reputed partners have been formed to maintain market share in major markets.