Dubai Aluminium showcases key alloys and capabilities in Japan

The show, to be held from 21 to 23 May 2008 in Yokohama, Japan, provides a platform for manufacturers of automobiles, parts and material, testing and measurement equipment, software, car-electronics and related companies to exhibit their latest products and technology.

Mohammad Al Mutawa, Marketing & Sales Manager, Asia: DUBAL said:

"This end-user market is an exact fit with our customer base in Japan, where we are a major supplier of premium quality to the automotive industry. Accordingly, the Automotive Engineering Exposition 2008 will give DUBAL further opportunities to network with various original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs") of parts, as well as designers of OEM parts; and to demonstrate our capabilities, especially DUBAL's capacity to tailor-make alloys to suit customers' requirements."

For example, DUBAL manufactures Silafont 36 - a special alloy for crash-sensitive motor vehicle parts for both cars and motor cycles - under licence from Reinfelden Aluminium of Germany.

"Various motor vehicle parts manufactured using DUBAL alloys will be on display - including engine cradles, motorcycle chassis, safety belt rollers, and so on. Consultants will also be on hand at the DUBAL exhibition to demonstrate the mechanical properties and capabilities of our alloys," Al Mutawa adds.

The show in Japan will also give DUBAL special insight into new opportunities, technologies and developments in the automotive industry.

This will help create awareness of DUBAL's position at the top end of the aluminium sector, both in the Far East and globally.

"The current trends in the aluminium industry - characterized by consolidation of the major players and simultaneous disintegration of integrated aluminium companies - are prompting a move in the world market away from the conversion of equity metal into products towards the formation of alliance partnerships with independent metal suppliers," continues Al Mutawa. "Being an independent player with large additional volumes of metal coming on stream within the next three to five years, DUBAL is in a strong position to benefit from this trend."

At present, DUBAL has the capacity to produce more than 950,000 metric tonnes of high quality finished aluminium products a year, comprising foundry alloy for automotive applications, extrusion billet for construction, industrial and transportation purposes and high purity aluminium for the electronics and aerospace industries.

A strategic plan is unfolding, the ultimate goal of which is the realization of DUBAL's vision to become the fifth largest producer of primary aluminium in the world by 2015, by producing 2.5 million tonnes per year.

Currently, DUBAL expects to ship 100,000 tonnes of aluminium to Japan in 2008, the majority of which will be billet (52%), followed by high purity aluminium (25%), foundry alloy (11%) and standard purity (9%).