Major aluminium producer Dubai Aluminium Company (Dubal) announced recently it had completed the energisation of its Dh881.4-million ($204 million) Potline 7 expansion well ahead of schedule and also well below the approved budget.

The energisation, which will increase production by 74,000 tonnes to a total output of 761,000 tonnes per year (tpy), was executed in a record time of 14 months. It had been scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2005.
“We are also exceptionally proud that the project was conducted under the expert supervision of Dubal’s in-house trained UAE nationals, which was in accordance with the management’s directions,” said CEO Abdullah Kalban
“We are sure the Potline-7 expansion will garner Dubal even greater international recognition and serve to further elevate the standing of the UAE as a whole,” he added.
The company stressed that a prominent factor of the project was the use of Dubal’s in-house cell reduction technology.
“The use of this special technology has made the process of expansion more efficient. The technology, which is compatible with the rest of Dubal’s sprawling site, has also ensured the continuing reduction of operational costs. It has further helped in several environmental improvements,” a company spokesman said.
Having achieved such an amazing success with its in-house technology, Dubal is currently working on developing additional similar advanced technologies for its future expansion plans, he said.
Profits rose a record 40 per cent in 2004. Still a relatively young smelter (production began in 1980), Dubal is one of the largest non-oil foreign exchange earners in the UAE and accounts for almost 7 per cent of Dubai’s GDP.
It is a major supplier of foundry alloy to the automotive industry in the Far East, a significant supplier of extrusion billets for construction markets and a preferred supplier of high-purity primary aluminium for use in the electronics industry.
About 7 per cent of Dubal’s production is supplied to the domestic market, while the company’s biggest single market is Japan, which takes 23 per cent of the company’s production. Europe combined accounts for 20 per cent; the US imports 7 per cent of Dubal’s production and the Middle East 10 per cent. Other key markets are Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia.
“The future promises to be very positive and we are looking forward to beating 2004 profits and sales,” said Kalban in a recent interview. “Higher aluminium prices and aggressive marketing will help us do this.”