Dubai Aluminium (Dubal), the state-owned enterprise with one of the world’s largest aluminium smelters, will take part in an upcoming aluminium trade fair and conference in Germany.

The eighth World Trade Fair and Conference (Aluminium 2010) will take place in Messe Essen, Germany from September 14 to 16.

Dubal will participate jointly at the exhibition with Emirates Aluminium (Emal), the high-tech green-field aluminium smelter in Abu Dhabi, in which Dubal holds a 50 per cent share.

The two companies will promote both their individual facilities and their joint product portfolio to delegates, participants and other visitors to the exhibition as a means to demonstrate the capacity of their combined production volumes to meet demand for the metal in Europe.

With five smelters in the region — two in the UAE plus one each in Bahrain, Oman and Qatar — the total primary aluminium production of the Gulf region is expected to approximate 3.7 million metric tonnes per annum (9 per cent of world production).

The volume is expected to reach 10 million metric tonnes per annum by 2015 (estimated at 18 per cent of world production).

“In terms of geographic, economic and freight perspectives, the Middle East is ideally located to serve Europe,” said Sultan Al Sabri (general manager marketing & sales: Europe & North America).

“Dubal has been active in the region since 1996 and maintains a comprehensive infrastructure of discharge port facilities and warehouses that, together, enable timely deliveries to end-users of across Europe. Our Zurich office, which opened two years ago, will also be represented at our stand, to facilitate marketing and customer liaison during the exhibition.

“We will be promoting two of Emal’s product lines specifically — slabs and sheet ingot — to the European market during Aluminium 2010,” continued Al Sabri.

“Two large contracts with major players have already been secured for these products and delivery into Europe began in the third quarter of this year. It’s very exciting as we’ve been able to enter the rolling industry, which includes end-users such in the packaging, aerospace, medical and can manufacturing industries; and is an entirely new market segment for us.”

“The joint participation of Dubal and Emal at Aluminium 2010 forms part of a strategy to position both companies to pursue the anticipated opportunities in the European market,” Al Sabri added.

“From Dubal’s perspective, the plan is to liaise with our existing customers in Europe as well as to network with other exhibitors and potential customers,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service