The Aluminium Association of Canada and the Gulf Aluminium Council Sign a co-operation agreement

The Aluminium Association of Canada and the Gulf Aluminium Council which represents the industry in the Persian Gulf states, signed an agreement on 3rd June that seeks to deepen the co-operation and exchanges between the two major aluminium producing regions. This agreement is part of the business relationship developed by Quebec and the Middle East in the aluminium industry for more than a decade and could contribute to promoting Quebec expertise, notably in research and industrial maintenance services.

“Over the past 10 years, Quebec has developed some very important connections with the industry in the Gulf, notably through the expertise of Quebec engineering consulting firms as well as manufacturers of machinery and products created here. We already have benefits from economic benefits in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The agreement signed today seeks to reinforce that work and expand our exchanges and co-operation,” said Jean Simard, President of the Aluminium Association of Canada.

The Secretary-General of the Gulf Aluminium Council, Mahmood Daylami, underlined that this agreement marks a new stage in the fruitful relationship between Quebec industry and that of the Persian Gulf, one of the most important of its kind in the world. “The expertise and know-how of Quebec in this area is renowned around the world. This will help to further develop our industry in full growth mode and particularly expand the abilities of researchers, including at the post-doctoral level,” he said.

The co-operative agreement deals primarily with development and research, notably in university exchanges and internships, as well as the development of business partnerships and co-enterprises. The agreement was signed within the framework of the Canadian International Aluminium Conference (CIAC) which is being held in Montreal today and tomorrow, an initiative of the AAC with the collaboration of its partners Alcoa, Aluminerie Alouette and Rio Tinto Alcan. Some of the world’s greatest experts in the industry have gathered here (June 2-4) to discuss many subjects inked to aluminium including best practices, sustainable development and strategic matters that will interest decision-makers of the aluminium industry, those awarding contracts, operators and suppliers as well as industrial users.