A proposal made by one of the employees of Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), a leading aluminium smelter, has not only reduced costs, but also yielded a net saving of nearly BD 300,000 annually for the company.

Acting manager engineer, Abdul Hussain Ghareeb presented his proposal to Alba’s “Good Suggestion Committee” who studied and approved his recommendation to eliminate the use of cylinders in the supply of Argon gas to the casthouse.

Ghareeb pointed out that the earlier system of supplying Argon gas in cylinders was uneconomical as well as unsafe and instead suggested the setting up of a dedicated cryogenic storage vessel with an atmospheric vapouriser for storing and supplying gas to the casthouse.

“Abdul Hussain’s suggestion proved valuable in reducing costs, strengthening operational efficiency and, most importantly, ensuring all-round safety at the smelter,” said Ahmed Saleh Al Noaimi, Alba’s chief executive officer.

“The proposal should really be seen as a case study in plant maintenance because of the way this solution was designed and developed in house and enabled the company to enjoy tremendous savings,” he added.

“It is also encouraging for us to see our Bahraini staff taking such initiatives that add value to the company and prove themselves to be assets within the organisation. Alba has a long tradition of awarding employees for their ‘Good Suggestions’ and this is one way of getting our employees involved and participate in the success of our company,” Al Noaimi concluded. – TradeArabia News Service