Dubai Aluminium Company Limited ("DUBAL") — the entirely state-owned enterprise that owns and operates one of the world's largest single-site aluminium smelters — and Emirates Aluminium ("EMAL") — a high-tech greenfield aluminium smelter in ramp-up stage — have raised customer awareness of the UAE's growing primary aluminium sector in Europe by participating in the biennial 8th Metef International Aluminium Exhibition (“Metef 2010”), which took place at the Garda Exhibition Centre, Brescia, Italy from 14 to 7 April this year. DUBAL and EMAL participated jointly at the exhibition with a view to promoting the two companies' individual facilities and joint product portfolio to delegates, participants and other visitors to the exhibition.
DUBAL also took advantage of the opportunity to promote its advanced, proprietary DX Reduction Technology that DUBAL has licensed to EMAL. Operating stably at higher amperages (approximately 370 kA), DX Reduction Technology cells offer increased productivity, improved energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact compared to lower amperage technologies. In addition, visitor attention was focused on the new information technology-based services that DUBAL plans to launch soon — specifically a web-based customer portal that will not only bring a wide range of services within easy reach of customers but also enhance DUBAL's communications with these vital stakeholders.
Sultan Al Sabri (General Manager Marketing & Sales: Europe & North America) reports that the event was successful. “Many of our existing customers visited our stand, giving us the opportunity to continue building on our long-standing relationships and to discuss business-related matters,” he says. “The substantial size of the stand, complemented by eye-catching design and graphics, reinforced the fact that the UAE aluminium sector already has a strong presence in Europe, and will continue to be a major player in the market for years to come. These factors attracted the interest of potential new customers, who took advantage of the opportunity to meet the officials who manned the stand and obtain information first-hand.”
As Al Sabri points out, Europe is a strategically important market for DUBAL. “In terms of geographic, economic and freight perspectives, the Middle East is ideally located to serve Europe,” he says. “DUBAL has been active in the region since 1996 and maintains a comprehensive infrastructure of discharge port facilities and warehouses that, together, enable timely deliveries to end-users across Europe.”
In terms of a contractual agreement, DUBAL will be responsible for marketing EMAL products. This will allow EMAL to benefit from the long-standing relationships built by DUBAL across the world as well as the existing systems, structures and services established by DUBAL over the years.
The joint participation of DUBAL and EMAL at Metef 2010 is part of a strategy to position both companies to pursue opportunities in the European market. Having experienced a reduction in the production shipped to Europe in 2009, as a result of the global economic recession, DUBAL expects that the levels of metal it has historically sold into the region to be restored.
Al Sabri is excited at the opportunities in Europe for marketing the additional volume of primary aluminium products offered to the market by DUBAL, produced by EMAL. “The EMAL product mix — comprising remelt aluminium and standard commodity ingot and sow, as well as sheet ingot and billets — will complement DUBAL's products,” he says.
2010 Al Bawaba （www.albawaba.com）
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