15 January 2005
DUBAI - Aluminium Industries in the UAE are growing rapidly in order to fulfill the various requirements of the region as well as the huge demands arising from the construction sector.
One of the largest aluminium smelter in the UAE and leading producer of aluminium is run by Dubai Aluminium, Dubal.
Last year, Dubal produced seven million tonnes of cast aluminium and is planning expansion worth Dh110 million as part of a comprehensive initiative to add additional capacity to its existing facilities at a cost of Dh 380 million. The second phase of the expansion is expected to be completed by August this year which will allow Dubal to further its already considerable finished production capacity from a current 750,000 tonnes per year to 850,000 tonnes per year. According to Mohammed Al Ghurair, managing director, Dubal: "Dubal serves 229 customers in 42 countries worldwide. Its key markets are Far East, Europe, the Asean region, the Middle East and the US.''
Last year, the company commenced the expansion of its project, Potline-7 which will produce 75,000 metric tonnes of primary aluminium per year, once completed. It will contribute to the national economy to a great extent.
According to sources, many local companies buy aluminium from Dubal and process it into a wide range of products. One such venture is the rolling mill for production of sheet aluminium that is being developed by Emiroll, a company jointly owned by Pechiney (a French company), Dubai Investments and the local company, Ghurair Private company. This plant with a capacity of 33,000 tonnes per year is located close to Dubal in the Dubai Investments Park.
UAE based company, Gulf Extrusion with an existing capacity of 30,000 mega tonnes of aluminium profiles, also announced expansion plans last September in order to target the construction sector in Qatar with custom built aluminium profiles.
The company has identified three main target segments for its range of more than 7,000 different profiles. The company exports its products to AGCC countries as well as Germany and the United Kingdom.
Gulf Extrusion's exports to the European markets are more than 200,000 tons. The demand is especially from traders supplying to various segments of the European markets, particularly the construction sector and to meet this demand, the company launched a series of strategies to enhance its production capacity which included streamlining production processes to increase actual produce, invested in research and development procedures that will develop latest profiles with improved strengths to ensure leading edge profiles to the construction as well as other segments of the global market. Apart from these companies, Cosmoplast, has set up a fully automated plant for aluminium composite panels.
BY MOUSHUMI DAS CHAUDHURY
© Khaleej Times 2005
