Bahrain’s aluminium wire export to Egypt grows 24% and Saudi Arabia 12% in 2018

The building and construction sector is seeing a rapid growth across the world driving the use and applications of aluminium products like rod, wire, cable, and conductor. The global aluminium wire market continues to grow at a fast pace, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of almost 2% through 2021. Bahrain has emerged as the world’s largest aluminium wire producer and the top aluminium wire exporter over the recent decades. Since the leading aluminum producers in Bahrain are focusing on value-added products and developing profitable downstream sectors, Bahrain’s production and exports of aluminum wires are expected to grow further over the next few years, and so do the business opportunities in Bahrain’s aluminum wire market.

Our third party data shows that in tandem with Bahrain’s growing aluminium wire export, the country’s shipments to two of its major purchasing countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia are increasing year-on-year. In 2016, Bahrain had exported 47,277 tonnes to Egypt, which in the next year 2017 grew 52 per cent to 71,989 tonnes. Even in the successive year 2018, the volume raised further to 89,613 tonnes, up 90 per cent from 2016 and 24 per cent from 2017.

Bahrain’s aluminium wire export to Saudi Arabia in 2016 had pegged at 50,161 tonnes at the value of US$102 million. In 2017, both the volume and value increased to 70,430 tonnes and US$146 million. This indicates that Bahrain’s aluminium wire export to Saudi in 2017 saw a rise in volume by 40 per cent and value by 43 per cent. 2018 stood as no exception as the year again witnessed a year-on-year rise of 12 per cent to 79,466 tonnes in country’s export volume and 10 per cent growth to US$ 161 million in export revenue.

Midal Cables Ltd. and Universal Wire are the two major aluminium wire producing companies in Bahrain. Midal Cables has a current capacity of about 500,000 MTPA in its facilities in Bahrain, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, to cast rod and manufacture wires and cables with high conductivity.