Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), one of the largest aluminium smelters in the world, has achieved a major milestone with its Pot Line 5 getting upgraded to AP37 technology following the increase in line current to 370 kA.

Alba is currently focused on enhancing performance levels at the plant and remains on track in achieving these goals through the joint efforts of members from the Power, Carbon Operations & Maintenance, Process Control & Development, Reduction Operation & maintenance departments, said a company statement.  

With this upgrade, the production at Alba will soar by approximately 1,000 metric tonnes on an annual basis, it added.

Lauding the entire team, Chief operations officer Isa Al Ansari said: "Pot Line 5’s upgrade to AP37 is another milestone for the company. In early 2011 the team outlined a roadmap on how to achieve 370 kA which was done with Alba internal resources and without significant capital expenditure."

"I am confident that this level of success will be reflected in future upgrades and bring pride to everyone in Alba," he added.

For two consecutive years, Alba has achieved record output through deployment of lean management techniques and operational efficiency initiatives.

In January, the company announced that the 2012 production was 890,217 metric tonnes registering an increase of 8,907 MT from the 881,310 MT produced in 2011.-TradeArabia News Service