Dubai Aluminium Company Limited (DUBAL) is one of the largest single site aluminium smelters in the world. It is located in Dubai, one of seven emirates that together form the United Arab Emirates.

The construction of the smelter started in 1997, under the patronage of H.H. the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. The first metal was tapped and poured in 1979, followed by initial metal sales in 1980. DUBAL now contributes around 45% of Dubai’s non-oil revenue. It is also well recognised as the industrial flagship of the region.

DUBAL’s multi-billion dollar, state-of-the-art smelter complex consists of seven potlines, a 1,645 megawatt power station, a large carbon plant, two cast houses, a 30-million-gallon-per-day desalination plant, laboratories and research facilities, port and storage facilities, maintenance areas and associated administration buildings.

DUBAL produces 686,000 tonnes of primary aluminium per annum, which it uses to manufacture value-added products in three main lines:

foundry alloy for automotive wheels

extrusion billet for construction, castings and industrial application purposes

high-purity aluminium for the electronics industry

Within these three main lines, the smelter manufactures 112 individual products of which more than 70 were made to customer specifications. DUBAL is the world’s top producer of both automotive foundry (alloy A356.2) and high-purity ingot; and is amongst the world’s leaders in the production of extrusion billet.

DUBAL serves 240 valued customers in 44 countries worldwide. Its key markets are the Far East, Europe, the ASEAN region, the Middle East and Mediterranean regions; and North America.

Quality has been at the core of DUBAL’s success for as long as the smelter has been in operation and the Company has been repeatedly recognised, both locally and internationally, for its achievements in the area of continuous improvement.

Quality

DUBAL has won numerous quality awards, including the Dubai Quality Awards’ Company of the Year, Production and Manufacturing in both 1996 and 2000 (Gold Category). It is a founding member of the Dubai Quality Group and has played a leadership role in the quality movement in Dubai for many years.

DUBAL is certified to the Quality Management Systems Standard ISO 9001:2000. The certification covers the entire smelter operation, desalination plant, power plant and engineering. DUBAL is also certified to the ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems standard.

In 2001, DUBAL’s casting operations were certified to the stringent QS 9000 standard required by the US automotive industry. The smelter successfully completed the transition to ISO/TS 16949:2002 certification in July 2003 and the Company also achieved certification to the Occupational Health and Safety Management System assessment standard – OHSAS 18001 in September 2003.

Dubal's People

The Company’s workforce expanded by 199 in 2003, mostly to accommodate the needs of the expansion Project that got underway the previous year.

DUBAL currently employs over 3,000 skilled operators, tradesmen, administrative staff, technicians, professionals and managers of 15 different nationalities. Of those, over 20 per cent are UAE Nationals who work in many different areas throughout the smelter; Over 60 per cent of Senior Management positions are occupied by UAE Nationals.

The Company’s long-term goal is to increase these levels through training, succession planning and professional development. DUBAL’s specifically designed pre-employment courses, for example, are exclusively for UAE Nationals. They include both classroom and on-the-job training in three areas of specialisation: craft, smelter operations and the combined discipline of power and desalination.

Environment, Health & Safety

As the city of Dubai grows, so does the importance of protecting the environment around DUBAL. An international expert who studied DUBAL in 2001 said it is “among the best large smelters in the world” with respect to the negligible impact it has on nearby vegetation.

In 2001 , DUBAL further strengthened its commitment to environmental protection and health and safety by integrating the three functions under a single Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) department reporting to a UAE National manager. Significant achievements were realised in each of the three areas during this period.

As part of the recent expansion Project, DUBAL commissioned an Environmental Impact Assessment by a consultant in 2003. Many projects were initiated to implement the recommendations specified in the subsequent report and the Company also continued to demonstrate continuous improvement in its environmental performance year on year, retaining its ISO 14001 certification in 2003.