Dubai Cables Co Ltd (Ducab) has inaugurated its first copper rod plant and a new cable factory at the Mussafah industrial area, which was recently acquired from Electrocab Emarat.

The $45 million rod plant, which is the first of its kind in the UAE, has capacity of 110, 000 tonnes per annum.
The two facilities were unveiled by Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court and chairman of the Higher Corporation for Specialised Economic Zones - ZonesCorp.
Ducab chairman Ahmad bin Hassan Al-Sheikh said the new cable plant would increase capacity by 40 per cent while the copper rod plant, which occupied an area of about 3,000 sq m, had an annual production capacity of 110,000 tonnes, expandable to 160,000 tonnes in the future.
“The state-of-art copper rod factory will apply the highest international quality standards and provide all of Ducab’s rod requirements. In addition, there will be product available to serve the regional market,” Al-Sheikh added.
Highlighting the copper rod plant, Ducab managing director Andrew Shaw said it would convert raw copper cathode into high-quality 8 mm dia copper rods - the key raw material for cable manufacture.
Shaw said production from the copper rod factory would replace imports, thereby strengthening the UAE’s industrial base.
He pointed out that Ducab bought the Abu Dhabi facility to ensure the company had enough capacity to satisfy demand. He said the acquisition would allow Ducab to grow its regional market share.
“The new factory in Abu Dhabi is a welcome addition to Ducab’s capacity in the UAE. As market leader we are committed to continual improvement in all aspects of our business and with this new facility we will be able to further improve product offer, service and delivery to our customers,” he added.
By launching the two new plants, Ducab, which is jointly owned by the Dubai and Abu Dhabi governments, is on course to achieving its strategic plan of meeting the growing demand of the local and regional markets for copper rod and power cables of various voltages.
During the inauguration ceremony, Abdullah Mohammed Saleh, Ducab founder board member and ex-chairman, was honoured by Sheikh Hamed and Ducab board members.
“Saleh was the first to float the idea of manufacturing cables in the UAE and was present at the inauguration ceremony of Ducab by the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum in 1979. Since then he continued to serve the company as a director with utmost dedication and loyalty. He has contributed immensely to the company’s achievements with nearly 30 years of service on the board,” a Ducab release said.
Ducab’s manufacturing units occupying an area of 590,000 sq m of land in Jebel Ali, Dubai, and nearly 200,000 sq m in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi. Ducab’s product range covers high voltage cables up to 132 kV, Ducab Powerplus medium voltage cables up to 33 kV, low voltage power cables, control and auxiliary cables, wiring and lead-sheathed cables, Ducab-Smokemaster, low smoke and fume cables, and Ducab-FR (fire resistance) cables.
Ducab is an ISO 9001:2000 certified company. The Abu Dhabi factory was recently awarded an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certificate and an OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety certificate by Basec (British Approval Services for Cables). The cables comply with and are approved to the full British Standard of the Loss Prevention Certificate Board (LPCB) and Lloyd’s Register, UK. These certifications are the latest in a string of recognitions achieved by the company including being a two-time winner of Gulf Excellence Award and a two-time winner of Dubai Quality Award, Gold category.
Ducab was recently honored with the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Economic Value Creation in the Industrial Sector.