ALUMINIUM Bahrain (Alba)’s laboratory was placed among the top five from a list of 41 laboratories cutting across different smelters from around the world.
Alba’s spot was confirmed in the final report of the Baked Anode Round Robin 2012-13 conducted by R&D Carbon, Switzerland, and finalised after analysis of a test sample of baked anode sent from R&D Carbon to over 41 laboratories around the world. Some of the parameters used for the test were: apparent density, electrical resistance, thermal conductivity, crystalline size and others.
The analysis accuracy in comparison to R&D Carbon laboratory was 99 per cent. R&D Carbon concluded that the results from the round robin demonstrate that the precision figures of the methods used in the routing quality control of carbon anodes are good for the needs of the aluminium industry.
CELEBRATION
A celebration was held at the Alba Laboratory to mark this achievement. Present were the chief operations officer Isa Al Ansari, chief marketing officer Jean Baptiste Lucas, manager for metallurgy, laboratory and customer technical support, Abdulla Habib Ahmed Ali; senior manager process control and development, Avinash Mittal, manager for metallurgy and customer technical assistance Garry Martin, acting manager process control and development Hugo Levesque and members of the laboratory staff.
COMMITTED
Commenting on this global accolade for the Alba Laboratory, Ali said: “Alba remains firmly committed to producing high-grade aluminium products that demonstrate the highest levels of purity. The results of this international exercise conducted by R&D Carbon prove that we are certainly moving in the right track as far as ensuring that our production process adheres to the highest quality standards possible.”
PRODUCTS AND SUCCESS
Alba has a dedicated carbon plant that supports the five pot lines that together enable Alba to produce over 890,000 tonnes of high-grade aluminium products. Alba’s portfolio of products include standard and T-ingots, extrusion billets, rolling slab, properzi ingots, and molten aluminium.
The entire plant operates to the environmental management system standard ISO 9001:2000 and the casthouses and marketing are also operating to the ISO 9002 Quality Management System.
Alba’s early success established a blueprint for other non-oil industries to follow, which led to a thriving downstream aluminium industry. Today, Alba is a major contributor to the social, industrial and economic development of Bahrain, employing over 3,000 people, of whom around 87 per cent are Bahrainis. The shareholders of Alba are Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (69.38 per cent), Sabic Investment Company (20.62 per cent) and the general public (10 per cent).
