Dubal lines up international aluminium forum

Dubai Aluminium Company Limited (Dubal) will host and sponsor the 22nd International Aluminium Conference 2007 next week. The event, at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Dubai from next Sunday to September 12, is being organised by Metal Bulletin International (MBI) and being held in the Middle East for the first time. "The annual MBI conference is attended by major industry players. The decision to hold the 2007 event in Dubai reflects its leading position as a major international centre for the aluminium industry," said Dubal official spokesman Khalid Essa Abdullah Buhumaid. "It is expected that more than 350 high profile personalities in the aluminium industry will attend the event. This will be a good time for participants to be updated on the latest developments of aluminium production, smelting technology and environmental protection and safety." Mr Buhumaid also said the event would see the launch of a number of papers related to emerging markets as well as discussions on the future of the aluminium industry. "It is known that the Arabian Gulf is considered one of the most promising areas for this industry and is expected that it will, in the near future, lead the industry globally," he said. Dubal's chief executive Abdulla Jassim Kalban will be the keynote speaker at the four-day event. The conference agenda will include a tour of Dubal's industrial plants and will provide the participants a unique opportunity to witness what Dubal has achieved in the field of aluminium production. The firm is ranked as the seventh largest producer of primary aluminium in the world, and currently ranks as the single largest non-oil contributor to the economy of Dubai.