A new aluminum rolling plant, Emirates Aluminium Rolling (Emiroll), will be built in the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), Abu Dhabi, UAE, in order to meet surging demand for flat-rolled aluminum products designed for applications in downstream industries across the UAE and GCC countries. The AED 440 million investment is a joint venture between DUBAL Holding (35% stake) and Dubai Investments PJSC (30%), both in the UAE, and MARS (35%), based in Singapore.
Emiroll will be located on a 900,000 sq ft plot at KIZAD. Once operational, it will manufacture 65,000 tonnes of aluminum coils per year, including 45,000 tonnes of cold-rolled and 20,000 tonnes of hot-rolled aluminum for applications in downstream industries, such as automotive body parts, roller-shutters, garage castings, container trays, cans and aerosols.
As part of the joint venture, MARS has also committed 30% product off-take from Emiroll for application and use across its Middle East operations. The remaining products from Emiroll are expected to be supplied locally for domestic consumption, as well as in other Middle Eastern countries and Europe.
“Dubai Investments’ foray into the aluminum rolling is part of its strategy to support the development of non-hydrocarbon sector in the UAE and boost the manufacturing sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP,” said Khalid Bin Kalban, managing director and CEO of Dubai Investments. “Emiroll aims to capitalize on the unmatched market demand for aluminum in downstream industries across the Middle East and is expected to play a major role in this direction. Dubai Investments already has a strong portfolio in the manufacturing sector, and the launch of Emiroll will further diversify its product base — particularly in the construction materials and related industries.”
The new aluminum rolling plant is expected to go on-stream by the third quarter of 2017.
(Pictured: Executives from Dubai Investments, Dubal Holding, and MARS at the signing of the joint venture agreement.)