ALUMINIUM 2014 Blog

Dubai Aluminium Company Limited (“DUBAL”) owns and operates one of the world’s largest single-site aluminium smelters. Built on a 480-hectare site in Jebel Ali, Dubai, the complex has a smelter capacity of approximately 980,000 metric tonnes per year complemented by a casting capacity of more than one million metric tonnes per annum of cast aluminium products. An array of value-added products is manufactured for the automotive industry, for construction, industrial and transportation applications; high purity aluminium for the electronics and aerospace industries; and standard purity aluminium for a variety of uses. More than 250 customers are served in at least 44 countries around the world, DUBAL’s key markets being Asia, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Europe and North America.

DUBAL holds ISO 9001, ISO/TS 16949, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 20000, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification at its Jebel Ali site; and has twice won the Dubai Quality Award in the Production and Manufacturing sector (1996 and 2000). Approximately 4,000 skilled operators, tradesmen, members of the administrative staff, technicians, professionals and managers are employed by DUBAL, representing about 40 nationalities. Approximately 22 per cent of the DUBAL work force comprises UAE Nationals, with approximately 70 per cent of positions at senior management level being held by UAE Nationals.

DUBAL and Mubadala Development Company each hold a 50 per cent share in Emirates Aluminium Company Limited (“EMAL”), a green-field smelter development at Al Taweelah, Abu Dhabi. Commissioning of EMAL Phase I began in December 2009.

DUBAL is also engaged in partnerships to develop strategic upstream bauxite/alumina projects, namely:

• Companhia Alumina do Pará (“CAP”), Brazil – This is a joint venture with VALE of Brazil and Norsk Hydro of Norway to build an alumina refinery in Brazil close to VALE’s existing refinery. The CAP refinery will have an initial capacity of 1.86 metric tonnes per annum, but will reach 7.4 metric tonnes after expansions. DUBAL holds 19 per cent equity in the joint venture and additionally will obtain 200,000 metric tonnes commercial alumina off-take.
• Guinea Alumina Corporation (“GAC”), Republic of Guinea – This project entails the development of a 3.3 million metric tonne per year alumina refinery with associated bauxite mine in the Republic of Guinea. DUBAL has a 25 per cent equity stake in the project as well as an off-take of 40 per cent of the production. This project is a joint venture with BHP Billiton, Mubadala and the original promoters, Global Alumina.
• Cameroon Alumina Limited (“CAL”), Cameroon – DUBAL (45 per cent), Hindalco of India (45 per cent) and Hydromine of USA (10 per cent) have formed this joint venture company to exploit the 500 million metric tonnes bauxite ore in Cameroon. A mining license is expected in 2010.
• Raykal, India – A joint venture with Larsen & Toubro in India, Raykal plans to develop a 3.0 million metric tonne per year alumina refinery with associated bauxite mine in Orissa. DUBAL currently holds 74 per cent equity.

Driven by a quest for continuous improvement and ongoing innovation, DUBAL has over the past 25 years developed advanced reduction cell technologies that not only increase productivity but also reduce its operations’ impact on the environment through improved energy efficiency and reduced emission levels. This has culminated most recently in DUBAL’s proprietary DX Technology – a state-of-the-art technology performing among the most efficient reduction cell technologies currently available. Developed in 2006, DX Technology has been implemented in a dedicated 40-cell potline at DUBAL’s Jebel Ali smelter complex; and licensed to EMAL where it has been installed in EMAL Phase I (756 cells).

Entirely state-owned, DUBAL is one of the largest non-oil contributors to the economy of Dubai and is widely regarded as the industrial flagship of Dubai. Having begun to tap metal at the Jebel Ali site in November 1979, DUBAL celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2009.
Dubai Aluminium Company Limited
Stand: 3B25

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