Gulf Industry Fair to showcase aluminium sector's potential

The importance of the aluminium sector and ‘value added’ products will be showcased at the upcoming Gulf Industry Fair 2016, which will take place in February 2016, in Bahrain. The event will take place from February 9 to 11, at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Led by Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), one of the world’s leading aluminium smelters, and supported by the Gulf Aluminium Council (GAC), the Aluminium Zone at Gulf Industry Fair 2016 promises to reflect the trends of the global aluminium industry, which continues to drive opportunity for downstream suppliers such as Bahraini companies Balexco, Midal Cables, Ameeri Industries and Turk Mechanical.

Alba’s Line 6 Expansion Project, will add approximately 514,000 tonnes to the company’s current annual capacity of 931,000 tonnes (year-end 2014), which will make the company the largest single site smelter in the world upon completion with around 1.450 million metric tonnes.

Mahmood Daylami, secretary general of GAC, said: “GAC considers Gulf Industry Fair to be a key part of our ongoing strategy to highlight the GCC as an aluminium hub. The GCC’s importance to the aluminium sector grows year on year with the expansion of smelters in the region and the resulting expansion of the downstream products and services sector,” he said.

The growth of regional smelters such as Alba, Maaden and Qatalum will create business opportunities in the downstream aluminium sector which will be showcased at the upcoming event.

Khalid Abdullatif, chief marketing officer at Alba, said: “The London Metal Exchange (LME) prices are imposing many challenges on the aluminium industry globally.

“Hence, Alba has to reinvent itself to remain cost competitive through the cost-reduction initiatives. This has already started with ‘Project Titan’, which aims to reduce the company’s cash cost by $150/mt by January 2016,” he added.

Bahrain-based companies are flexing their muscles on the global aluminium market. Jubran Abdulrahman, managing director of Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE), the organisers of Gulf Industry Fair, said: “The aluminium sector is the key industrial growth driver in the region. The sector does and will continue to be an important creator of jobs and business opportunities as the region’s economies look to diversify themselves.

“We consider the aluminium showcase during the fair as a key promoter of the opportunities for aluminium-based industrial development. The strategic support of Alba and the participation of Balexco and Midal Cables, among many other companies, show the value that the Aluminium Village at the event is given by the sector,” he added.