Mitsui and Company, a diversified global enterprise, has purchased a 25 per cent interest in Garmco Singapore, an aluminium service centre owned by Gulf Aluminium and Rolling Mill Company (Garmco) and Perse Metals.

Following the stake acquisition by Mitsui, Bahrain-based Garmco will continue to be a majority shareholder and the main supplier of aluminium products to the joint venture.

Headquartered in Singapore and with subsidiaries in Thailand and China, Garmco Singapore, reprocesses and distributes aluminium coils and sheets, thick plates, bars, extrusions and a wide range of metals products. Garmco Singapore is one of the largest non-ferrous service centres in Southeast Asia.

The shareholders will endeavour to expand Garmco Singapore’s position as one of the market leaders in Southeast Asia’s non-ferrous products servicing and distributing business.

This will be done combining both Garmco’s competitiveness as a manufacturer of aluminium flat rolled products (FRPs) and Mitsui’s extensive experience as a global trading, investment and service enterprise.

Aluminium FRPs are used in a variety of applications including electronics, transport, food packaging and the construction industry.

The world annual demand for FRPs exceeds 20 million tonnes with further growth expected in the future.

Mahmood Al Soufi and Graham Bruce are Garmco representatives on the board of Garmco Singapore, whereas Yoshinori Takase represents Mitsui and Company and Alvin Tan represents Perse Metals.

Garmco is the first downstream aluminium facility in the Middle East and one of the largest among such facilities there. With an annual production capacity of 165,000 tonnes, it specialises in producing high-quality flat rolled aluminium products in various sizes and alloys, including circles, sheets and coils.