Dubai Aluminium (Dubal), the industrial flagship of Dubai which produces and exports high-quality, value-added primary aluminium products to more than 44 countries worldwide, will further boost its exports into key markets across the globe following the inauguration of Potlines 7B and 9B last November.

The aluminium giant’s capacity has grown from a modest 135,000 tonnes per year (tpy) in 1979 to 861,000 tpy last year with the successful completion of the more than Dh1 billion ($272.5 million) expansion programme.
The latest expansion – which was undertaken in record time and below what was budgeted – has boosted the company’s production capacity by 100,000 tpy.
 “With the completion of the Potline 7B and 9B expansion phase, Dubal is entering its next growth trajectory. With our in-house technology and local talent, we at Dubal are optimistic that the company will reach greater heights,” says Abdullah Kalban, Dubal’s CEO.
“The Dubal board of directors approved the expansion plan on June 6, 2005 and the first concrete was laid on December 31, 2005 for Potline 7B and November 15, 2005 for Potline 9B. The first metal was produced from 7B on September 24, 2006 and from 9B on June 15, 2006. In other words, Potline 7B expansion was completed in nine months, whereas Potline 9B was finished in six months’ time from the date of the first concrete” says Kalban.
 “Potline 7B expansion covered creating 128 cells in addition to installation of a $30 million environmental protection plant. The environmental protection system, one of the most advanced in the world, not only purifies but recycles the impact of effluents in the atmosphere,” Kalban points out. Potline 9B expansion involved creating 36 additional cells, maximising the use of assets to support existing cells through providing anodes and electricity and upgrading of the existing fume treatment plant system.
More than 92 per cent of Dubal’s total production is exported to global markets – from China to North America. The company’s excellent infrastructure in terms of transportation, port facilities and prompt document processing and clearance, all contribute to the company’s growing international presence.
With more than 280 customers in 44 countries, its key markets include the Far East, Europe, the Asean region, the Middle East, the Mediterranean region and North America. Dubal already contributes more than seven per cent to Dubai’s GDP and plays a key role in the manufacturing sector.
Dubal – one of the world’s largest producers of premium-quality aluminium – is also set to double its present exports to Europe with the signing of an European Union-GCC free trade deal. According to Kalban, the EU-GCC agreement will see the elimination of the six per cent tax on primary aluminium imports. Dubal currently exports 240,000 tpy to European countries where the demand has been growing substantially.
Dubal is also a major supplier of foundry alloy to the Far East’s automotive industry, a significant supplier of extrusion billet for constructions markets and a preferred supplier of high purity primary aluminium for use in the electronics and aerospace industries. It produces more than 110 individual products, 70 which are made to customer specifications for discerning clients in three broad categories: billets, foundry alloys and high purity ingots.
Extrusion ingot, which represents roughly 55 per cent of Dubal’s total production, is sold in global markets. The extrusion ingot is in demand in the construction sector for use in window and door frames. The aluminium giant’s foundry alloy products, which is the primary input for automotive manufacturers and represent nearly 40 per cent of the company’s total annual production, is also popular and much in demand.