Today's Edition
KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI)
Abu Dhabi could become the next major hub for aluminium manufacturing, according to Satish Pai, managing director of Hindalco Industries, one of the world’s largest aluminium and copper manufacturing companies.
Speaking at the “Make it in the Emirates” forum, Pai highlighted the emirate’s connectivity, political neutrality, and infrastructure as key factors that make it an attractive prospect for companies like Hindalco. He believes these elements have the potential to establish Abu Dhabi as a future hub for the industry.
“I think Emirates Global Aluminium in the UAE is going to be one of the largest producers of aluminium in the world,” Pai stated on Monday.
“If you really look at it, large-scale manufacturing of value-added aluminium outside of China, in this part of the world, does not exist. And I think that the UAE, because of its infrastructure and strategic geopolitical neutrality, has a fantastic opportunity to become that.”
Pai mentioned that Hindalco Industries is currently exploring opportunities to bring manufacturing facilities to the emirate. With its strategic access to the MENA and African markets and excellent infrastructure, the UAE is being considered as a major distribution and manufacturing location.
“I think that the step that is required here in the UAE is just like you did in oil and gas, to go from upstream to value-added downstream manufacturing,” he said.
“The whole industrial ecosystem works once you start what I call the first manufacturing product, and you put the plant and the whole ecosystem around it, because you go from upstream aluminium to making finished products out of aluminium like foil, building ACP, advanced manufacturing of phones, so that whole ecosystem can then build.”
Speaking on the same panel, Badr Al-Olama, Director General of ADIO, praised Emirates Global Aluminium’s initiative in using green energy to reduce the cost and footprint of its operations. He reiterated the need to expand the ecosystem for aluminium manufacturing but expressed confidence in the country’s ability to quickly and competitively implement policies.
“Manufacturing is a key component of our economy, and we take it very seriously as we try to diversify the economy and move away from an oil-based economy. And it’s not to say that an oil-based economy is not important. They work hand in hand, and obviously we want to see that diversification translate into jobs, into GDP, and into our exports,” he said on Monday.
“The UAE has an unmatched track record of not just delivering products, but creating an ecosystem and a network that connects to over 250 cities and manages 95 ports. You can’t find that anywhere else in the world.”
