Dubai Aluminium makes grand debut at specialist extrusion technology event in USA

The company is, in fact, the platinum sponsor of the event, and will participate by way of a large exhibition stand, a luncheon sponsorship, presentation of the welcome note and a technical paper.

"The series of Extrusion Technology Exhibition and Conference events, held every four years, is widely acknowledged as the world's most important and respected technical seminar for the aluminium extrusion sector," explains Sultan Al Sabri, Marketing & Sales Manager: Europe & North America, who will deliver a short welcome address during the opening ceremony at ET '08.

"DUBAL's market position as one of the world's leaders in the production of extrusion billet provides natural synergy, such that we consider ET '08 to be a powerful platform for raising awareness of our company, products and services among the key players who are expected to attend."

Al Sabri goes on to say that extrusion billet, at 535,421 tonnes in 2007, accounts for almost 60% of DUBAL's annual sales volumes. Produced in various alloys, in lengths ranging from 420 mm to 7,500 mm and diameters of 152 mm to 355 mm, DUBAL extrusion billets are used extensively for architectural purposes (such as window and door frames). Several famous landmarks incorporate DUBAL aluminium, notably The Opera House in Singapore; Malaysia's Petronas Towers; and Dubai's Burj Al Arab and Grand Hyatt hotels (also the Burj Dubai, currently under construction, which will be the tallest building in the world on completion). DUBAL extrusion billets are also used in industrial applications, wheel forging in the transportation sector, as well as other automotive applications.

"The superior quality performance attributes of our extrusion billets are ensured through the use of 'Airslip' hot top casting technology, homogenization and ultrasonic inspection," says Al Sabri. "This is complemented by an in-depth understanding of industry trends, acquired through close partnership-type relationships with our customers, which allows us to provide valuable support to this important segment of our business."

DUBAL also produces high-purity aluminium ingots for use in the electronics and aerospace industries; and foundry alloy ingots, which are absorbed primarily by the automotive sector.

Approximately 12% of DUBAL's annual sales volumes, which totaled 916,000 tonnes in 2007, are shipped to North America. The same region accounts for some 11.4% (about 61,000 tonnes) of the company's annual extrusion billet exports, with the bulk of this metal being destined for California.

"At present, demand for DUBAL's aluminium products in North America exceeds our capacity to supply," says Al Sabri. "However, the new EMAL Aluminium Smelter project currently under construction in Al Taweelah, Abu Dhabi, will feature - among other state-of-the-art equipment - two new vertical DC casting machines, which will increase our capacity by 50% once the plant is commissioned in 2010. This will bring significant additional volumes of high quality extrusion billet to the market."

Al Sabri advises that DUBAL's capacity for growth does not hinge solely on additional product volumes. To the contrary, the company's commitment to helping its customers improve their respective businesses constitutes an important differentiator in the market place.

"We invest in substantial sums of money in the provision of technical consultancy services that enable our customers to maximize operating efficiencies, optimize profits and increase productivity,"

says Al Sabri.

DUBAL's Extrusion Specialist, Srimay Basu, will present a technical paper at ET '08, entitled "Process of achieving extrusion excellence" and co-authored by Al Sabri. Basu, who has more than 25 years' experience in aluminium extrusion to his credit, is no stranger to the Extrusion Technology Exhibition and Conference events: ET '08 will mark his third participation as a speaker at this professional platform. At ET '04, for example, he presented the findings of a research project which confirmed that the right parameters for a specific alloy can increase production by up to 40% - without investing in additional equipment.