Five suggestions submitted by Dubai Aluminium Company Limited (Dubal) fetched top honours for the company at the annual Ideas.Arabia Idea of the Year competition, held recently.

The remarkable achievement highlights the proven capacity of the Dubal Employee Suggestion Scheme to leverage employee talent to achieve continuous improvement; and re-affirms the company’s status as the regional leader in the employee involvement movement, said a top company official.

Abdulla J M Kalban Dubal president and CEO, said, “This is truly a wonderful achievement. It reflects both the level of creativity within our organization and the inherent potential of inviting employees to engage with the company.'

'It also proves that Dubal has immense potential for the future and confirms that which we have always believed, namely that our employees are our greatest asset,” he commented.

The winning suggestions, which were recognised during a dedicated award ceremony at Al Bustan Rotana Hotel, Dubai, as part of the 4th Ideas Arabia International Conference, and their respective award categories, are:

1.Idea of the Year Award – “Optimisation of RAM Units”, submitted by S M Ali of Casthouse Services.
2.Health & Safety Award – “Special rig for oregate replacement”, submitted by ME Martonito, JG Rocaberte and RN Sotaso of Potroom Maintenance
3.Technology Award – “Provide threaded inserts to moulds fixing plate”, submitted by BC Rao and M Asi of Casthouse Services.
4.Technology Award – “Dirt elimination at emulsion tank”, submitted by  CM Hugos and JC Ybanez of Casthouse Maintenance 2.
5.Productivity Award – “ Arrest heat reject section tube leak”, submitted by Altaf Hussain of Desalination Operations.

In addition, Dubal was awarded a “Special Recognition Trophy” to acknowledge the support extended by the company to Ideas.Arabia since its inception in 2006.

'Not only did Dubal take a lead role in Ideas.Arabia by initiating its formation with the aim of spreading knowledge and experience about successful employee involvement schemes in the Gulf region; but the company was also the main sponsor of Ideas.Arabia for the first three years of the event.'

The Dubal's overall employee participation rate also reached the 100 per cent mark for the third consecutive year (i.e. each employee had at least one suggestion implemented and awarded suggestion during 2008) and the number of awarded suggestions per employee rose to 4.27.

'The success of the Dubal Employee Suggestion Scheme, which was established in May 1981, is further testament to this: in 2008 alone, a commendable 18,883 suggestions were submitted to the scheme, of which a record 10,725 were implemented and awarded,' Kalban added.-TradeArabia News Service