Alba will again be a Strategic Aluminium Partner for the fourth Gulf Industry Fair (GIF) being staged in Bahrain early next year following the renewal of a sponsorship agreement with show organisers Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE).

The sponsorship agreement with HCE, a subsidiary of Bahrain-based Al Hilal Group, is the third successive year that Alba will provide top-level strategic support for the aluminium segment of the show.

GIF 2012 will be held at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre from February 7 to 9, the fourth such event staged of this comprehensive industry-related exhibition in the Middle East.

It provides a highly targeted opportunity for any company or organisation from large-scale manufacturers to specialist equipment suppliers, distributors and agencies to market products or services aimed at the growing industrial sector of the region.

In addition to aluminium, the exhibition covers the key industrial segments of energy, steel and alloys, industrial processes and manufacturing, ports, logistics and free zones, training for industry and industrial security and safety.

Alba is one of the world's largest aluminium smelters and a major contributor to Bahrain's economy as a key industrial driver and major supporter for a cluster of downstream industries.

Alba is maximising its competitiveness by optimising operational and organisational efficiencies, as well as expanding its production capacities to meet future global demand in Europe and the Far East.

Alba chairman Mahmood Al Kooheji underlined the importance of promoting the company and its strategic vision in providing competitive value-added products on a global basis.

'We are delighted to support the Gulf Industry Fair and showcase our production capabilities and at the same time support Bahrain as a location for international investors. Alba has recently opened offices in Zurich and is set to expand further into the Far East,' Al Kooheji said.

'Alba continues to stimulate the growth of the downstream aluminium sector in Bahrain and was able to achieve 8.4 per cent growth in its sales for the third quarter of 2011 as compared to the same period of 2010,' Alba chief executive Laurent Schmitt said.

'Alba's strategic support for the exhibition affirms our commitment to Bahrain, the aluminium sector and the capabilities of the local and regional aluminium community,' Schmitt added.

'We are delighted that Alba has renewed its sponsorship support for the Gulf Industry Fair 2012,' remarked Al Hilal Group managing director Ronnie Middleton.

'This is a clear endorsement of the show's growing status in the region and Alba's ongoing support for showpiece international events in Bahrain,' Middleton added.

'HCE is excited by Alba's vision of encouraging an 'Aluminium Village' cluster concept at the exhibition. This reflects Alba's key status in the global aluminium industry,' HCE managing director Jubran Abdulrahman said.

'HCE is proud to welcome companies of the status of Alba not only as a global player but also reflecting Bahrain's status as an industrial hub with our exhibition highly relevant to the regions industrial aspirations,' he added.

GIF 2012 will be complemented by the 'Future is Industry' Forum, to be held at BIEC on February 8.-TradeArabia News Service