Emal and Kizad in French link-up talks

The French industrial engineer Fives Group is in talks with Emal, the UAE-based aluminium smelter, and Kizad, the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi, about a multimillion euro partnership that could create as many as 100 high-tech jobs for nationals.

Frédéric Sanchez, the chief executive of Fives Group, held talks with Khaled Salmeen, the chief executive of Kizad, and representatives from Emal at the Abu Dhabi investment forum in Paris on Wednesday.

Mr Sanchez has proposed setting up a new operation within Kizad to provide Emal with state-of-the-art technology to manufacture anodes crucial to the production of aluminium. The group also proposed providing technology for treating the polluting emissions that are a by-product of the aluminium smelting process.

"All of the big aluminium smelters in the Gulf are using equipment from Fives except Emal. They are still working with former suppliers, with whom they have worked since the beginning," Mr Sanchez said.

"But our technology is much more efficient than the technology they currently have as their competitors can show them. So we are talking about becoming a part of their operations."

Importantly, Fives Group has proposed training Emirati nationals in the high-tech engineering processes used to manufacture the specialised anodes for smelting aluminium.

"It is not highly capital-intensive," Mr Sanchez said, "but it is creating a knowledge base that is sustainable."

The programme requires some €4 million (Dh18.9m) of investment to set up but would result in as many as 100 jobs for nationals, Mr Sanchez said.