Emirates Aluminium (EMAL), which is aluminium smelting joint venture of Dubai Aluminium (DUBAL) and Emirate of Abu Dhabi’s investment arm, Mubadala Investment, tries to aluminium slab sales in Japan. EMAL already started sample shipment for Japanese rolled aluminium makers. The firm tries to establish long term supply relationship with Japanese users.
The firm prepares for Japanese slab market development through the agent of Itochu Corporation. EMAL expects the firm can start full scale slab supply to Japanese market after the final evaluation by Japanese users. EMAL already supplies the slab to Novelis Korea and Norsk Hydro. EMAL is confident the quality and the competitiveness enough to enter into Japanese market. EMAL started second phase of expansion in September. The firm builds new smelter with annual 520,000 tonnes of capacity for US$ 5.4 billion. The firm also improves productivity at existing smelter with 756 furnaces by end of 2014. The firm establishes total 1.3 million tonnes of output capacity through the investment. The firm expects the plants could make maximum 1.5 million tonnes of products. The firm eyes third phase of expansion after the second phase.