Dubai Aluminium (Dubal) has highlighted its significant contribution to the global aluminium market both individually and in tandem with its joint venture partner Emirates Aluminium (Emal).

Established in 1979 to add value to the energy resources of the Emirate, Dubal is today the largest primary aluminium producer in the Middle East and the largest single-site smelter in the world using pre-bake anode technology. A record 1,025,266 tonnes of hot metal was produced in 2012, leading to higher-than-ever production records of cast products (1,053,811 tonnes) and sales volumes (1,052,419 tonnes) in the same year. Furthermore, as a joint venture partner with Mubadala Development Corporation in Emal – the UAE’s second smelter development, where Emal Phase I has operated at full capacity since the end of 2010 – the total volume of metal actually marketed by Dubal in 2012 exceeded 1,839,000 tonnes. This combined volume represented almost 4 per cent of the estimated 47.1 million tonnes of annual global production; and 50 per cent of the 3.7 million tonnes produced in the greater Gulf region (itself equivalent to 7.8 per cent of global production in 2012).

Moreover, having been a substantial contributor to the national and regional economy over the last 33 years, Dubal is widely acknowledged as the industrial flagship of the UAE. The corporation is also acclaimed internationally as a leading player in the global aluminium industry, renowned particularly for its premium quality, highest purity products and benchmark-setting operating parameters, as well as its corporate commitment to exceptional customer service, quest for continuous improvement through technological innovation, and strategic location in terms of reaching markets across the world.

A proudly UAE company, Dubal traditionally exports more than 88 per cent of its annual production volumes – the corporation’s main markets (with 2012 proportional figures in brackets) being greater Asia (39 per cent), followed by the Middle East/North Africa (Mena) region (26 per cent), Europe (20 per cent) and the Americas (15 per cent). The relative volume sold into Europe has dropped in recent years in favour of the Americas following higher sales into the USA, and measurable success in penetrating the South American market since 2011.

Following years of in-house research and development targeting technological advancements that deliver higher productivity with lower environmental impact (through improved energy efficiency and minimised emission levels), Dubal is now widely recognised as a developer of superior reduction cell technologies. Dubal DX Technology, developed in 2005, is operational in a dedicated 40-cell potline at Dubal’s Jebel Ali site and in the 756-cells of Emal Phase I. The new generation Dubal DX+ Technology, tested extensively in the five-cell pilot line at Jebel Ali, has been licensed for the 444-cell Emal Phase II (currently under commissioning); and has been selected by Aluminium Bahrain for its Line 6 Bankable Feasibility Study.

As a good corporate citizen, Dubal strives continually to be a role model for care and responsibility within the community by actively supporting initiatives that promote the social and economic growth of Dubai, to the benefit of everyone living in the emirate. For example, conscious investment is made in the education and talent development of UAE nationals. Dubal’s passion for the emirate and its residents is further evidenced by continual efforts to protect the health and safety of all Dubal employees, and that of the surrounding community – including stringent adherence to world-class practices so as to minimise Dubal’s operational impact on the environment.

Going forward, Dubal’s prospects continue to be positive. Construction of Emal Phase II, which will increase Emal’s total production capacity to 1.3 million tonnes per year, began mid-2011 and commissioning was initiated mid-September 2013. Full capacity will be reached by the end of 2014, lifting the total volume of UAE-produced aluminium marketed by Dubal worldwide to approximately 2.4 million tonnes per year. As per the existing corporate strategy, the majority of the cast metal production will be sold to end-user customers.

Also on the horizon is the creation of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), announced by Investment Corporation of Dubai and Mubadala Development Company of Abu Dhabi on June 3, 2013, through which the intention is to form a new industrial giant in the UAE by integrating the businesses Dubal and Emal – with plans for significant local growth and international expansion. Pending the required approvals, the formal commencement of joint operations is expected to be completed within the first half of 2014, at which stage further announcements will be made.