“There is more to come in the Gulf as far as aluminium growth is concerned,” Mohammed Al Naki, the chairman of Arab International Aluminium Conference (ARABAL)

<p>Al Naki's relationship with aluminium dates back to 1968, when he was an officer in the Kuwaiti army. He was second in command of the Kuwaiti engineers and a member of the staff of the military college, but then he left the army and started his aluminium business. At that time it was a fabrication business manufacturing doors and windows.</p> <p><span id=":bl.co" class="tL8wMe EMoHub" style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr">Here&rsquo;s an extract from the conversation with the man behind ARABAL, the main trade show and conference for the Middle East aluminium industry which is going to open its door to the domestic and the international aluminium fraternity from November 22 to 24, 2016. </span></p> <p><strong>AlCircle: How did your aluminium journey begin?</strong></p> <p><strong>Al Naki</strong>: At that time, in 1968, my aluminium business was fabrication, only producing doors and windows and we bought our machinery from the Techna Company, located in Milan, Italy. As to the extrusions, we started with Montedison -SAVA in Milan, they were a really great company involved in the chemicals and in the non ferrous metals production and transformation. The cooperation worked very well with for both the companies. I started my business with Italians and I learned from them.</p> <p>In this respect I would like to recall a highly significant episode that has relevance towards my relationships with aluminium and Italy and has a strong tie with ARABAL. I remember that in those years, before things started here, Dubai was just a big village. I, along with Mr. Forlanini, a manager of the Alluminio Montedison who visited Kuwait that time decided to visit Dubai. While walking on the street of Dubai looking for a coffee shop we happened to enter a place which was supposed to be the Emir&rsquo;s office. We introduced ourselves and expressed our wish to meet the Emir. But the Emir, Sheikh Rashid was out of the country and we met his son. &nbsp;We proposed developing an aluminium industry in Dubai and he showed immediate interest. He suggested a site and it marked the beginning of a very large project which later developed to a greater extent than anyone could have foreseen.</p> <p><strong>{googleAdsense}</strong></p> <p><strong>AlCircle: How did you start your aluminium activities?</strong></p> <p><strong>Al Naki</strong>: My business then started to develop in association with the Italians. I learned a lot from attending their exhibitions, in particular the SAIE Due, in Bologna, specifically devoted to the aluminium windows fabrication. In Italy the METEF exhibition was launched about 1997, much more focused in the entire aluminium value chain. Italy, I believe to my knowledge, was the first country&ndash; in fabrication, manufacturing, extrusion and in developing ideas about the type of colors and different types of finishes for aluminium profiles in the building applications.</p> <p><strong>AlCircle: From extruded products to the wide world of aluminium that is connected to ARABAL, it seems to be a long way, how did the idea develop? </strong></p> <p><strong>Al Naki</strong>: What sparked off everything was the construction of the Alba smelter in Bahrain. The Saudis and the Kuwaitis helped them to start the smelter because there was a cordial relationship between the countries of the Gulf, even if at that time there was no GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council. Kuwaitis helped the Bahraini get started because they had plenty of laborers, unemployed people and an aluminium project would have facilitated the young Bahrainis.</p> <p>ARABAL conference started 1983 in Kuwait. We had over 123 participants from 28 countries. The conference initiated our relationships and co-operation with Bahrain. &nbsp;We visited the smelter in Bahrain and it started a very successful journey for the future.</p> <p><strong>AlCircle: Did the state of Kuwait co-organize the ARABAL conference?</strong></p> <p><strong>Al Naki</strong>: Not directly, but they provided us with the facilities here.&nbsp; Financial efforts and the responsibility of the initiative were entirely handled by our own company.&nbsp; The idea was to connect local people with the Europeans, with the technology, with the investment and so on. And it worked well. More investors came to the region, Europeans, Americans, and there was more technology import.</p> <p>Coming back to ARABAL, our people were happy with the event, and they wanted participation of Europe and Americas and Korea and Japan from Asia. The events started biennially and it became an annual event eventually. I remember that at the beginning there were five or six main aluminium companies in the world investing in Gulf:&nbsp; Alcoa Aluminium Company of America, Alcan from Canada, Kaiser, Alusuisse &amp; Norsk-Hydro from Norway, Vaw from Germany, Pechiney from France and Alluminio Italia from Italy. So this was how the aluminium business started in the region and the smelters started to be built in different Gulf countries.</p> <p><strong>AlCircle: What about your engagement in the aluminium fabrication business?</strong></p> <p><strong>Al Naki</strong>: Business was booming with the growth of housing business which was predominantly handled by private sector. Simultaneously commercial and the manufacturing sector were also growing because of the demand from the building and construction sector. My father was in the real estate business and this helped my industrial activity.</p> <p>The building sector is very important for aluminium demand. We started with very simple aluminium fabrication and it was later followed by curtain walls and cladding with aluminium started. Now the building fabrication systems have become more sophisticated in all spheres including the design of extruded profiles, the complexity of extruded elements, the welding methods and the surface treatment techniques, not to mention accessories for doors and windows. Italian imagination and good taste had a significant role to play in this growth and innovation.</p> <p><strong>AlCircle: What is your outlook for aluminium in the Gulf and also for ARABAL?</strong></p> <p><strong>Al Naki</strong>: The most important aspect is that the interest for aluminium in the Gulf grew exponentially over the years.&nbsp; Now the GCC numbers speak for themselves and also for primary metal production sector in general, not just in Bahrain but also in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman. With the widespread development of downstream fabrication processes, such as extrusion, rolling and casting, more and more manufacturing plants are coming up like that of electric cables.</p> <p>There is more to come in the Gulf as far as aluminium growth is concerned, because, aluminium is not just an excellent construction material but also in transport, packaging and structural applications. I am convinced that an event like ARABAL, which has already had a very positive role in showcasing the importance of the local aluminium industry, will be able to play an even more important role in the future as a reference point for the global aluminium industry and as a think-tank for the development of its applications.</p> <p><span id=":80.co" class="tL8wMe EMoHub" style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr"><strong>(Interview covered in association with Art Valley, a strategic advisory firm based in Milano and Dubai.)</strong></span></p> <p><strong><em><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> </em></strong><em>&ldquo;The information presented herein is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The views and opinions shared in the interview section of www.alcircle.com are unique to the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of www.alcircle.com.&rdquo;</em></p>