Alba's outstanding financial and production results and safety records during the past year were praised by chairman Dr Essam Fakhro.

The company achieved a new world safety record of 5,000,000 hours without lost time for injuries last year for the second time in the company's history.

Dr Fakhro was speaking after chairing the 109th meeting of the Alba board of directors at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa.

The board approved last year's closing accounts of Alba and Alma, and reviewed the achievements on the five key performance indicators: safety, people, environment, cost and productivity, which supports the future strategic plan of the company to ensure sustainable and secure growth to the kingdom's economy.

The board also reviewed the budget for this year and business plan that was recommended by the executive management in the previous meeting.

The board reviewed the merging process of operations and marketing, and converting Alma accounts into Alba's, which was successfully completed in January, and operate as one company with unified accounts.

They also hailed the quick and professional merging process, reviewed the marketing systems, and proposed new systems in the upcoming phase, to match Alba's position as one of the largest modern aluminium smelter in the world and comply with the advanced international regulations regarding governing companies.

The meeting was attended by Bahrain Government representatives, board members Dr Fakhro, Fawzi Ahmed Kanoo, Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji, Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Osama Mohammed Al Arrayed, and David Meen.

Sabic representatives Mohammed Al Madi, Mutlaq Al Muraishad, and Ebrahim Al Saad Shuweir; and German shareholder Breton Investments representative Urs Bergmann as well as Alba chief executive Ahmed Al Noaimi, Alba deputy chief executive Mahmood Al Daylami and finance and legal general manager Tim Murray took part.-TradeArabia News Service