UAE-made billets take centre stage at US extrusion expo

　　United Arab Emirates: Aiming to promote their world-class products and secure a larger share of the market, the UAE's two primary aluminium producers - Dubai Aluminium ("DUBAL") and Emirates Aluminium ("EMAL") - will have a joint stand at the 10th International Aluminium Extrusion Technology Seminar and Exposition ("ET '12"), which takes place in Miami, Florida, USA, from 15 to 18 May 2012. The ET events, held once every four years, are widely accepted as the definitive seminar series for the aluminium extrusion industry; and more than 1,300 industry professionals from at least 50 countries across the world are expected to attend ET '12.

　　"This makes ET '12 a very strong platform for focusing the industry's attention on the combined DUBAL-EMAL product portfolio - specifically billets," says Walid Al Attar (Executive Vice President: Marketing & Sales at DUBAL, and Vice President: Marketing & Sales at EMAL). "Together, the two companies produced and sold 975,000 metric tonnes of billets in 2011 - almost 55 per cent of their combined total production of 1.87 million metric tonnes - ranking the pair among the world's leaders in the production of primary aluminium billet."

　　Produced in various alloys, in lengths ranging from 420 mm to 7,500 mm and diameters of 152 mm to 406 mm (cut-lengths up to 7,000 mm), DUBAL and EMAL billets are supplied to customers worldwide. They are used extensively for architectural purposes in construction projects (such as window and door frames), industrial and transportation purposes; as well as for forging purposes in automotive industries, and many other applications. Al Attar maintains that the solid demand for DUBAL and EMAL billets is attributable to several factors, most notably their superior quality and intrinsic purity; and the wide range of billet options on offer.

　　"Produced primarily using Airslip technology, all our billets are homogenized and 100 per cent ultrasound inspected before delivery," he explains. "Moreover, we manufacture all our logs according to customer specifications in the common 1000, 3000 and 6000 AA alloy series. This, together with the large diversity in diameter and cut-length options we offer, means that DUBAL and EMAL can cater for virtually every billet need in the market. What's more, our products are complemented by an in-depth understanding of industry trends, acquired through close partnership-type relationships with our customers, which allows us to provide valuable support to this important segment of our business.  We also invest substantial sums of money in the provision of technical consultancy services that enable our customers to maximize operating efficiencies, optimize profits and increase productivity."

　　In addition to billets, DUBAL also produces high-purity aluminium ingots for use in the electronics and aerospace industries; and foundry alloy ingots, which are absorbed primarily by the automotive sector. EMAL's product portfolio also includes foundry ingots, used in the automotive sector; and sheet ingots, which are primarily destined for the packaging industry, lithographic sheets and the automotive industry.

　　Approximately 123,900 metric tonnes (about 12 per cent) of DUBAL's 2011 production was shipped to North America, as was some 119,160 metric tonnes of that produced by EMAL. "This is a significant volume of metal, and is indicative of how important the American market is to us," comments Al Attar. "We anticipate further growth in this market going forward, and are therefore in the process of strengthening our existing offices in the USA."