ABU DHABI: Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) on Wednesday welcomed the official inauguration of Ducab Aluminium Company (DAC) as the latest company to join the country’s aluminium sector and the aluminium cluster in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD).

DAC, a factory that manufactures aluminium rods and overhead conductors, was officially inaugurated by Sheikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, in a ceremony held in KIZAD.

Although EGA’s aluminium is the second biggest ‘made-in-the-UAE’ export, an increasing proportion of EGA’s production is sold locally. There are 26 downstream companies in the UAE making products using EGA’s metal, including DAC.

The UAE aluminium sector as a whole employs some 30,000 people, making it the largest employer among the UAE’s energy intensive industries.

DAC’s facility has been built close to EGA’s Al Taweelah aluminium smelter, one of the largest in the world. EGA supplies DAC with molten aluminium along a dedicated ‘hot metal road’, the first in the UAE to link separate industrial sites.

Abdulla Kalban, EGA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, said, “The aluminium industry with EGA at its heart has long played an important role in the economic diversification of the UAE, creating jobs and economic opportunity. We welcome the official inauguration of DAC, and look forward to reliably supplying them with the metal they need to make their products in the years to come.”

Jamal Salem Al Dhaheri, Chairman of DAC and Ducab and Chief Executive Officer of Senaat, said, “Through Ducab Aluminium Company we will emphasise the competitive edge for ‘Made-in-UAE’ products, with 100% UAE-made aluminium rods and overhead lines replacing imports. We have signed a multi-year contract with EGA for the supply of aluminium to our facility, and we are well-positioned to optimise local resources that are customised to various industries’ requirements, in line with the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.”

WAM