“The vision of RODABELL is to be a leader in manufacturing and maintaining casting equipment for the aluminium industry in the Middle East,” Alejandro Rellan, Managing Partner of RODABELL

Alejandro Rellan is the second generation in the family business. He joined Rodabell in 2011 to focus on foreign sales and business relations. Alex holds a University degree in electrical engineering along with an MBA in Business Administration. He started his professional career working in several engineering positions in the renewable energy sector both in Spain and the USA. After several years of boosting the organization’s international sales strategy, he is currently acting as CEO.

AL Circle: Can you briefly overview RODABELL's history, mission, and core values?

Alejandro Rellan: Rodabell was established in 1980 on the northwest coast of Spain when primary aluminium production was at a high level. Spain used to be one of the leading primary producers in the EU, with over 550,000 tonnes of installed capacity. Rodabell was created, and at the same time, the operations of San Ciprian smelter (currently owned by Alcoa) started in 1980. Two entrepreneurs who were supporting the construction of the plants (smelter+refinery) realised the need to provide mechanical services to both plants, and that's when they decided to set up Rodabell in 1980. 
Rodabell is now an international company with over 140 employees distributed between our Spain and Bahrain locations. Our organisation specialises in manufacturing and supplying systems, consumables and tools for aluminium casting operations whose added value is based on its design capacity, flexibility, global vision of projects and comprehensive service offering.
Our core values are our team and our close relationship with customers.

AL Circle: What sets RODABELL apart in the aluminium industry, especially in the Middle East?

Alejandro Rellan: Rodabell sees its customers in the Middle East as production partners. We care for their quality and productivity without forgetting about safety and sustainability. Our aim is to provide the needed technical services and products to enhance quality in production and maintenance tasks at an affordable price. We also contribute to their quality and sustainability goals in the value chain by producing according to the highest standards. 
Rodabell organisation holds ISO9001, ISO14001, and ISO 45001.  

AL Circle: Could you elaborate on RODABELL's specialisation in manufacturing and supplying systems, consumables, and tools for the aluminium industry?

Alejandro Rellan: Rodabell was conceived as a mechanical services provider. Our engineers and technicians have been involved in servicing mechanical elements for heavy industries since the inception of the company. Over time, we applied this mechanical knowledge to aluminium casthouses, being able to create in-house technologies. 
Rodabell has engineered its own aluminum slab casting technology, which has been successfully offering services to several customers for the last seven years. In 2023, Rodabell developed its billet casting technology, which would hit the market in the following months. The technology will be installed in an upcoming aluminium recycling centre located in Spain.     

AL Circle: How do RODABELL's consumables, such as DC billet casting consumables products, contribute to the efficiency and quality of aluminium production?

Alejandro Rellan : Rodabell knowledge of the casting process comes from the operation and maintenance support. As a mechanical contractor, Rodabell has been involved in servicing traditional DC casting equipment for the last 30 years. During this time, our engineers and machining technicians have contributed to reshaping different design aspects of several spare parts and consumables involved in the casting process. These changes provided potential advantages from several aspects; the most important include the following:

• Ergonomics: designs that make life easier in terms of carrying out maintenance tasks
• Safety: Modern designs are transitioning from traditional systems to more automated equipment that leads to less human interaction and eventually fewer risks of accidents.
• Simplicity: reducing the cost of expensive and complex materials or mechanisms that eventually can cause production disruptions in a 24/7 working environment
• Life Cycle: introducing changes to the production process of spare parts and consumables to achieve a longer lifetime, eventually leading to an improved overall running cost. 

AL Circle: Can you highlight any recent innovations or technological advancements made by RODABELL in the aluminium industry?

Alejandro Rellan: Rodabell’s most recent technological achievement is Rodabell billet casting technology AIRe. In 2023, we have qualified the technology in a billet size of 5” to 11” in diameter, and in 2024, our objective is to qualify bigger dimensions of 16”. The metallurgical lab tests of the first billets produced were much better than expected. We are proud to say that we are achieving very similar results when compared to other EOMs with several years of experience in the field.

AL Circle: How does RODABELL adapt its products and services to meet different regions’ specific needs and standards, particularly in the Middle East?

Alejandro Rellan: Most of our products are customised specifically for each customer. Quality standards in the Middle East are very similar to those we have in Europe. 
One key factor to keep in mind is the extreme climate conditions, especially during the summer season. It is important to adapt some products accordingly, especially refractories and coatings. 

AL Circle: From your perspective, what are the current trends shaping the aluminium industry in the Middle East and how is RODABELL positioned to address these trends?

Alejandro Rellan: The Middle East has been one of the leading territories of primary aluminium production for several years. I believe the new trend in this segment will be to focus on reducing the carbon footprint. There are already several initiatives to incorporate massive renewable energy resources to power regional smelters. 
The downstream aluminium production will also represent an important role in shaping the future of the regional aluminium industry. There is room to increase the aluminium recycling operations, and there are currently several projects in the pipeline to increase this segment in the Middle East. 
Rodabell is well-positioned in this segment by adding value to casting operations by implementing our casting technologies and maintenance support services. 

AL Circle: How does RODABELL approach environmental sustainability in its manufacturing processes and product offerings? Are there any specific initiatives or practices in place to reduce the environmental impact of RODABELL's operations in the Middle East?

Alejandro Rellan; Rodabell companies comply with ISO 14001 for the last 20 years. Our production is annually audited from an environmental point of view, and there is a special focus from management to increase standards and set ambitious objectives. Rodabell has defined several KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) in this regard. We usually set ambitious objectives every year to reduce the environmental impact of our production.  

Below are several environmental policies and actions implemented in our organization:

• The power consumed by Rodabell comes 100% from renewable sources
• Rodabell has installed 150kW of solar power on its roofs
• Every waste generated is managed by EU-certified waste management companies

AL Circle: What does the future hold for RODABELL in terms of expansion, new products, or initiatives, especially in the Middle East region?

Alejandro Rellan: Our Middle East branch was established in Bahrain in 2018. During these years, we have studied market needs and listened carefully to our customers’ recommendations for a better service supply. 
We would like to grow in the region by having more local facilities in different countries, helping us to stock and supply materials to major customers. Apart from that, Rodabell is also known for maintenance service contracts. We would like to start supplying this kind of services in the region. Some of the services we supply to other smelters include: 

• Casting tooling maintenance
• Smelting pot mechanical repair
• Rod shop mechanical maintenance
• Manufacturing and assembly of bus bars and related aluminium conductors

AL Circle: How does RODABELL envision contributing to the growth and development of the aluminium industry in the Middle East in the coming years?

Alejandro Rellan: The vision of RODABELL is to be a leader in manufacturing and maintaining casting equipment for the aluminium industry in the Middle East. We aim to grow our family in several Middle Eastern locations to provide high-quality services and products. 
In addition, we will continue our strategy of embracing a management team that focuses on creating high-level partnerships with our customers to strengthen our position as a reliable and transparent partner.