Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) is making considerable headway in generating wider customer interest across regional and global markets in the company's calcined petroleum coke product, said a senior official.

This was evident by the recent visit to the Alba plant by a delegation from the Indonesian Embassy in Bahrain and Kuwait, remarked Alba's chief supply chain officer, Isa Al Ansari.

The delegation comprised Minister Counsellor and Head of the Economic Section at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait, Darmawan Suparno, the Charge d'Affaires at the Indonesian Embassy in Bahrain, Agus Salim, and the Counsular Officer at the Indonesian Embassy in Bahrain, Yahya Samira.

Ansari briefed the delegation on Alba's history, production process and its portfolio of high grade aluminium products.

Alba, he pointed out, had the unique distinction of being only one of two aluminium smelters in the world having a dedicated petroleum coke calciner plant.

"The calcined petroleum coke is the major raw material used in the production of carbon anodes used in the aluminium smelting process," Ansari explained.

The plant produces 550,000 metric tonnes per annum of calcined petroleum coke from green petroleum coke imported from all over the world to cater to Alba’s requirement while surplus quantity is exported.

Commenting on the visit, Alba chief executive Laurent Schmitt said: "We are encouraged by the strong economic ties between Bahrain and Indonesia, and are confident of its potential to yield results for industrial organisations in both countries."

"Alba is keen on exploring opportunities for its products in the Indonesian market, and satisfy the stringent demands expected by a quality conscious customer base," he added.-TradeArabia News Service