DUBAL, the largest single site smelter in the western world and a leading producer of aluminium is investing in excess of Dh 110 million in the second phase of its casthouse expansions, as part of a comprehensive initiative to add additional capacity to its existing facilities, at a cost of Dh 380 million.
The second phase of the expansion is expected to complete no later than August, 2005, which will allow DUBAL to further its already considerable finished production capacity from a current 750,000 tones per year, to 850,000 tones per year.
"Most of the second phase’s investments will go to acquiring and installing new equipment associated with DUBAL's already proficient casting operations. The new machinery will allow DUBAL to further its finished production capacity by 80,000 tones per year. This new investment is set to streamline DUBAL's entire casting operations, from the initial process of receiving molten metal to its final intended shape, prior to final packaged form," said Mr. Ibrahim Galadari, Manager, Casting Operations, DUBAL.
The investments will provide DUBAL with yet another state-of-the-art machinery and equipment for their casthouse 3 operations. They also include the construction of buildings and other civil structures, a water installation facility, a new power control room and a high-tech casting machine that will accelerate the rate of stacking and packaging of manufactured aluminium. Also, an environmentally secure monitoring system have been installed with the existing building part of phase 1 expansion, specifically designed for measuring the rate of gaseous/ particulate emissions into the atmosphere.
More recent investments involved the extending of DUBAL's casthouse 2. The installation of new equipment there lead to a substantial increase of a massive 130,000 tones per year, in DUBAL's overall production capacity. This was achieved at a cost of an immense Dh 270 million. The completion of phase 1 and the projected investment in phase 2, together will ensure that DUBAL's cast houses will become the largest operation of its kind in the world.
"Because of the widely renowned purity of its potlines, DUBAL already manufactures a substantially superior quality of aluminium. The uniqueness of the phase 1 is that DUBAL have installed and acquired the largest heat treatment furnaces in the world to enable it to process the cast metal from its already commissioned casting facility through this," added Mr. Ibrahim Galadari.
