Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), one of the largest and modern aluminium smelters in the world, has registered a 3.2 per cent increase in its sales for the second quarter which surged to 239,739 metric tonnes (mt) versus 232,193 mt for the same period last year.

Despite the lower trend in aluminium prices, Alba managed to boost its metal sales. Production figures for the same period touched 239,126 mt versus 238,904 mt in Q2 2015.

In addition, Alba value-added sales averaged 55 per cent of total shipments in Q2 versus 66 per cent for the same period last year. This was up from 52 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 and exceeded 60 per cent for the month of June.

Commenting on record sales and production, CEO Tim Murray said: "Despite tough underlying market conditions, we have started to see improvement in our value-added sales portfolio which we expect to continue into the second half of the year."

Alba is set to release its second quarter 2016 Financial Results to the public on July 25 as well as upload the IR presentation on its Investor Relations section at www.albasmelter.com.

Renowned for its premium grade aluminium products, technological strength and innovative policies, Alba boasts strict environmental guidelines and high track record for safety.

Established in 1971 as a 120,000 tonnes per annum smelter, Alba today produces more than 960,000 metric tonnes per annum of the highest grade aluminium, with products including standard and T-ingots, extrusion billets, rolling slab, properzi ingots, and molten aluminium.-TradeArabia News Service