“Alba kicked-off 2021 with the launch of its new Mission, Vision and Values, which describe who we are as a Company today and where we aspire to be”, Ali Al Baqali, CEO of Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C (Alba)

COVID-19 outbreak has been an unexpected global crisis that has resulted in health and social distress across the world in 2020. Like every other industry, this pandemic took its toll on the global aluminium business and Alba was not an exception.

The Pandemic reiterated that nothing is more important than our Health and Safety. Alba was swift to deal with this crisis by activating its Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity Plans, along with proactive COVID-19 initiatives for both employees and contractors’ personnel. Alba’s COVID-19 response was initiated as early as January 2020 and numerous measures were put in place to educate and protect our people -- personal video awareness messages; work-from-home and reduced working-hours; plant-wide temperature checks for all working shifts; social distancing protocols; frequent sanitization of all operational and non-operational areas; distribution of protective kits; installation of hand sanitizer dispenser units and multilingual posters across our facilities.  We also held numerous Safety campaigns across the plant that focused on COVID-19 awareness as well as vaccination.

On the business front, our purpose didn’t change. We stayed focused on our goals and I am proud to say that despite the challenges we have faced, Alba has performed exceptionally well in 2020 -- production was up by 13% YoY to clock 1,548,500 MT, Sales’ volume up by 14% YoY to 1,540,983 metric tonnes (MT), Project Titan – Phase IV achieved savings of US$145 million, higher by US$45 million versus a target of US$100 million and we opened the Singapore sales office, thus increasing our presence in Asia.

Throughout this crisis, Alba has remained responsive and focused on adapting to the new life norm. I am proud to say that Alba demonstrated exceptional resilience through this tough time, maintained a steady performance on all other fronts and delivered on its commitments to its customers, shareholders, and stakeholders. All our efforts combined with the dedication of our employees have helped preserve the wellbeing of our workforce and continuity of operations.

Alba kicked-off 2021 with the launch of its new Mission, Vision and Values, which describe who we are as a Company today and where we aspire to be.

Vision – To be the number one aluminium supplier for the generations to come; Mission - Being a responsible corporate citizen, we want to create value for all our stakeholders and society; and Values - Safe & Green, Together, Ethics, Excellence and Resilience will set Alba in motion where Safety, People Development, Governance and Sustainability will be its linchpins. These are further supported by Alba’s Objectives for 2021 which are Safety Excellence, Al Hassalah (new savings’ initiative), Forward Focus and Emerge Stronger.

We are also pleased to set the benchmark with the first Spent Pot Lining (SPL) Treatment Plant in GCC and Bahrain – the plant construction will be complete by end of Q2 2021. Our aim is to transform the SPL into value-added products for the local industries while ensuring zero-waste.  We also have set-up of a Fish Farm in our Calciner & Marine operations, and the proceeds from this Project will be injected into CSR initiatives for the local community.

Looking ahead, we will continue to navigate through these unprecedented times. Every day, we are learning and adapting in the face of this Pandemic. We aim to go beyond aluminium production and par excellence. We remain optimistic that with the agility of our people, and by focusing on Safety, Efficient Operations and Lean Cost Structure, we will be stronger than before.

In closing, I would like to offer our thoughts and prayers with all those who have endured insufferable losses due to COVID-19. I also express my profound gratitude for the Government of Bahrain and the healthcare front-liners who have been working tirelessly to ensure that people are safe.