United Arab Emirates: Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced that a team from UAE University has won the fourth edition of Al Robot, EGA’s annual competition that challenges students from UAE universities and higher education institutions to design and build industrial robots for use at EGA’s aluminium smelters.

The winning team members from UAE University were Nasmah Baalfaqih, Aamna Ali Alshehhi, Rashfa Baalfaqih, Huda Al Khawaja, Lobna Shaikhoun and Muthanna Aziz, supervised by Dr. Waleed Ahmed. Their prototype, powered by solar energy, will be further developed for long-term use within EGA’s operations.

The Al Robot competition enables young engineers to practice applying their academic learning in the real world, including Industry 4.0 skills that are set to be vital to the UAE’s industrial future and for the country to achieve the goals of Operation 300bn.

EGA’s Chief Executive Officer, Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, said: “I congratulate the team from UAE University on winning this year’s edition of our Al Robot competition. At EGA, our aim is to be the technology pathfinder for our global industry over the decades ahead. We are just one industrial company amongst many in the UAE that must use innovation and technology to drive global competitiveness. We need the best young science, technology, engineering and mathematics minds to pursue careers in industry if we are to grow our national industrial sector for the benefit of everyone. I hope this competition has helped inspire these young people to consider what they can contribute.”

In this year’s competition, student teams were challenged to develop a robotic machine capable of cleaning silt and mud from the aeration basin at EGA’s Al Taweelah site. Aeration increases the amount of oxygen in the water, safeguarding the marine environment.

The judging panel consisted of EGA engineers and technologists.

Three finalist teams – the first-place winners from UAE University, as well as teams from Abu Dhabi University who came second and third - developed prototypes for trial on-site at EGA. The finalist teams won cash prizes worth AED 100,000 in total.

EGA’s technology development team works extensively with universities in both the UAE and internationally, to combine the latest academic thinking with the company’s industrial expertise. EGA’s academic partnerships include Khalifa University, the American University of Sharjah, Rochester Institute of Technology and Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE, and the University of Auckland, University of New South Wales, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

EGA also engages with students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through its Ambassador Programme, which sees young UAE National engineers discussing with students the practical application of their studies in industry. The objective of the programme is to encourage young people to continue their interest after graduating and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, all critical fields for the development of the UAE’s industrial economy.

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Contacts at EGA:
Simon Buerk
sbuerk@ega.ae

About EGA 

Since 1975, when it was founded as Dubai Aluminium by His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Global Aluminium has been innovating aluminium to make modern life possible.

Today EGA is the world’s biggest ‘premium aluminium’ producer and the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside the oil and gas industry.

EGA is equally-owned by Mubadala Investment Company of Abu Dhabi and the Investment Corporation of Dubai. It is the largest company jointly owned by the two Emirates.

EGA is an integrated aluminium producer, with operations from bauxite mining to the production of cast primary aluminium. EGA operates aluminium smelters in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah, an alumina refinery in Al Taweelah and a bauxite mine and associated export facilities in the Republic of Guinea.

EGA’s aluminium is the second largest made-in-the UAE export after oil and gas. In 2021, EGA sold 2.54 million tonnes of cast metal. EGA is the only UAE producer and makes the UAE the fifth largest aluminium producing nation in the world.

EGA has more than 400 customers in over 50 countries. In 2021, value-added products accounted for 84 per cent of EGA’s cast metal sales.

EGA’s aluminium is primarily used in the construction, automotive, packaging, aerospace and electronics industries.

Around 10 per cent of EGA’s aluminium production is sold in the UAE to around 26 downstream aluminium companies that make products with EGA’s aluminium. The growing broader aluminium sector in the UAE supports 60,950 jobs. EGA itself employs over 7,000 of these people including almost 1,200 UAE Nationals.

EGA has focused on technology development for over 25 years. EGA has used its own technology for every smelter expansion since the 1990s and has retrofitted all its older production lines. In 2016 EGA became the first UAE industrial company to licence its core industrial process technology internationally.

As a corporate citizen of the UAE, EGA aspires in all its operations to be measured amongst the world’s leading metals and mining companies in meeting its environmental and social responsibilities. In 2017, EGA became the first Middle East headquartered company to join the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative, a global programme to foster greater sustainability and transparency in the aluminium industry. In 2019, EGA’s Al Taweelah site became the first in the Middle East to receive certification from ASI for its sustainability practices and performance. EGA’s Jebel Ali site was certified in 2021. ASI certification is the aluminium industry’s internationally recognised standard for environmental and social performance and governance.

In 2021, EGA began production of CelestiAL solar aluminium, produced with solar power from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park on the outskirts of Dubai. EGA is the first company in the world to make aluminium commercially using the power of the sun.

EGA was formed in 2014 through the merger of Dubai Aluminium and Emirates Aluminium.

EGA’s Jebel Ali aluminium smelter began production as DUBAL in 1979. At almost five square kilometres, this site is five times bigger than Dubai Mall.

EMAL started production in 2009 and its Al Taweelah aluminium smelter was the largest single-site aluminium smelter in the world when completed. EGA’s Al Taweelah site is five times bigger than Al Maryah Island at six square kilometres.

EGA has its own power stations at both sites, producing electricity to meet its needs. EGA’s electricity generation capacity is 6,474 megawatts, making EGA the third largest electricity generator in the UAE after the Dubai and Abu Dhabi utilities. EGA also produces water through desalination units at its power plants.

EGA began production at Al Taweelah alumina refinery in April 2019. EGA’s alumina refinery is the first in the UAE and only the second in the Middle East. The project reduces the UAE’s dependence on imported alumina and supplies over 40 per cent of EGA’s needs.

Bauxite exports from Guinea Alumina Corporation, EGA’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Guinea, began in August 2019. The GAC project was one of the largest greenfield investments in Guinea in over 40 years. 

For more information on EGA please visit www.ega.ae.