Alba’s participation in key international conferences, including two of North America’s leading trade fairs for the metals industry, highlighted its commitment to raising its profile globally, the company said.

It also provided opportunities to establish firmer links with industry peers, share its experiences and learn of new trends, developments and innovations, it added.

Alba also participated in two domestic events – the Euromoney Bahrain Conference and the First Bahrain International Corporate Social Responsibility Conference and Exhibition.

In other activities, the company held a Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Zero Accidents Week for its employees.

Participating in the two North American events, held in San Antonio, Texas, US, was a high-level team led by the chief operations officer Isa Al Ansari. 

The first meeting was the 12th Annual Petcoke Conference that was organised under the theme “Stepping out of the Shadows”.  It was followed by The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) 2013 Annual Meeting and Exhibition during which Al Ansari, senior manager for process control and development Avinash C Mittal and the manager for Reduction Lines 1-3 Abdulla Habi made a presentation on “Production Growth and Future Challenges in Alba” .

The paper highlighted some of the milestone expansion projects in Alba’s 40 year history, discussed production growth and capacity increase, focused on some of the major modifications and performance enhancement initiatives taken at the plant, and lastly, looked at some of the challenges facing the company in the immediate future.

The company is proud of the quality of its production

Commenting on Alba’s participation in the two conferences, Al Ansari said: “Alba is poised for further growth and measures have already been put into place to exponentially increase its capacity and set the company on the road towards increased profitability. The paper presentation provided an insight into Alba’s experiences in meeting this goal and also highlighted the challenges the company will face in the future. Participation in such international events provides Alba with the opportunity to share and learn from others and also contribute to the knowledge curve.”

Each year the TMS Conference brings together materials and engineering professionals from more than 100 countries to network, presents research papers, shares industrial applications and introduce innovation.

The 12th Annual Petcoke Conference was organised by Jacobs Consultancy’s Carbon Group. With a 30-year legacy behind it, the Carbon Group focuses primarily on studies and research involving petcoke, coal tar pitch, and other carbon products that address key issues that are important to clients in the cement, power, paper, aluminium, chemical, calcining, refining, lime, steel, trading, banking, and terminaling industries.

Meanwhile, Alba has gained membership of the Aluminium Extruders Council – the premier association for extrusion companies and suppliers in the US. The company said membership was aimed at consolidating its commitment to the growing US aluminium market.

The council comprises 100 major North American extrusion companies. As member, Alba will be able to participate in the vibrant exchange of technical and commercial information as well as contribute its longstanding knowledge and expertise in the production of high-quality value added aluminium.

It will have the additional benefit of taking part in training sessions, online programmes, seminars and conferences to learn of emerging technologies and industry trends and strengthen networking opportunities. 

“Production Growth and Future Challenges in Alba” was the theme of a presentation by senior executives of the company at TMS 2013 in the US

Alba’s sales and marketing manager (Europe/Americas), Boris Santosi, and metallurgy and customer technical assistance manager, Garry Martin, attended the 2013 annual meeting and leadership conference of the Aluminum Extruders Council that took place at Orlando, Florida, US, recently.

Commenting on Alba’s membership in the Aluminum Extruders Council, the company’s chief marketing executive, Jean Baptiste Lucas said it would “serve to enhance our growth strategy in the important North American market, and also, contribute towards expanding our understanding of new and emerging technologies in further improving our products.”

DOMESTIC CONFERENCES
Alba’s participation in the two-day Euromoney Bahrain Conference is a clear endorsement of the company’s confidence in Bahrain as an industrial powerhouse and an investor-friendly destination for both the financial and manufacturing sectors, the company said.

The conference was organised by Euromoney in partnership with the Economic Development Board Bahrain.

It brought together some of the key discussion makers from both the private and public sectors and examined issues related to wealth management and private banking, Bahrain’s macroeconomic strategy and public finances, the development of the financial sector, the financing of the country’s infrastructure needs and the progress of the capital markets.

Alba’s chief executive Tim Murray was part of a panel discussion on ‘financing infrastructure in Bahrain’ during which he and the other members of the panel talked about Bahrain’s infrastructure needs and financing of new projects.

Murray remarked: “Alba’s spectacular growth from a regional pioneer to one of the world’s leading aluminium producers in the space of just 40 years has really been a success story for Bahrain. The visionary outlook that has provided the backbone to some of the forward-thinking economic policies of the government has allowed the mushrooming of many industries. Alba has certainly benefited from these policies that have given us greater incentive for structural growth, expansion programmes and the broadening of the reach of our products and services across diverse territories.”

Alba also had a stand at the exhibition held on the sidelines of the conference. It showcased Alba’s product portfolio and also offered information on Alba’s environmental commitment, safety policies, adherence to quality, corporate social responsibility initiatives and contribution to Bahrain’s economy.

Alba provided sponsorship support for the other local event – the inaugural Bahrain International Corporate Social Responsibility Conference and Exhibition 2013. The company said the move was in line with its consistent track record of contributing positively to society. 

It was organised under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance and Minister in charge of Oil and Gas Affairs.  

Alba’s stand at the exhibition showcased various CSR projects that the company is involved with as well as highlighting key motivations undergirding the company’s CSR initiatives.

Commenting on Alba’s sponsorship support, Alba’s chief support functions officer Basem Al Sharqi said:

“We at Alba recognise that success is not only about improving the bottom line but also about the impact the company leaves on the larger community. Our corporate social responsibility initiatives thus stem from a sense of duty to the country we belong to and a desire to contribute positively to society towards strengthening our 40-year legacy as a company that cares.

“It is highly encouraging to see issues related to CSR being discussed at such a large forum, and we are proud to give our support to it.”

Alba’s CSR activities are mostly spearheaded by the Alba Community Service Committee and include sponsorships and donations. The Alba Community Service Committee plays a key role in encouraging the spirit of philanthropy amongst Alba employees while enhancing kingdom-wide appreciation of Alba’s corporate social responsibility initiatives. It has nearly 200 volunteers involved in various activities such as beach cleaning, road safety awareness, hospital visits, first aid and blood donation campaigns, beach cleaning, etc.

SAFETY WEEK
Alba employees renewed their pledge to continually maintain a zero-accident work environment across the organisation during a ceremony held to mark the conclusion of the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Zero Accidents Week that took place from February 25 to March 4.

Chief executive Murray and the Alba Labour Union Chairman, Ali bin Ali, were at the closing ceremony along with other senior officials from the company, members of the Alba Labour Union and employees.

The week-long HSE Zero Accidents Week included lectures on how to work safely, presentations on safe behaviour, anti-smoking, road safety and oral and dental care, an evacuation drill, competitions and a film session to highlight how safety is critical to Alba’s operations.

A tent was set up where safety equipment was displayed, medical personnel checked blood sugar level and blood pressure, and a daily tent quiz competition was held.

Commenting on the conclusion of the HSE Zero Accidents Week, Murray said the company is actively considering making this event twice a year so that safety awareness gains greater momentum.

“At Alba, the importance of safety is paramount, and we expect all employees to take personal ownership of safety.”

During the HSE Zero Accidents Week, prominence was given to the three principles, namely, ownership of safety is everyone’s responsibility; working safely is a condition of employment; and all work-related injuries and illnesses are preventable.