Programme

15.00 – 16.30 Impact of ESG clauses on Aluminium industry

• What is Environmental, Social, and Governance
• How to embrace ESG and remain competitive?
• Drivers for ESG clauses:
  • Rising purchaser and consumer demands
  • Hefty regulatory fines and government monitoring
  • Boardroom and C-suite executives are under pressure
  • Changes in the labour force
• ESG initiatives for Aluminium
• Technology’s role in the implementation of ESG initiatives for manufacturers
• Low carbon aluminium: pricing transparency, integration with low carbon certification, and verification chain of custody
• Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
• ESG challenges on project financing
• ESG standards – what’s the progress on measurement methodology, emissions benchmark, data and reporting framework?
• Assessing pricing impact of LME trading platform for sustainably sourced aluminium

Diana France, Partner, HFW
Soliman Soliman, Partner and Director of Hydrocarbon Division, Fishawy & Shazly

16.30 – 17.00 Coffee Break

17.00 – 18.30 Meeting disruption in Aluminium sector with Industry 4.0

• How is digital technology challenging traditional business models?
• Improving efficiency and productivity through intelligent use of the data and information available within the smelter
  • Impact on cost, quality and customer satisfaction 
  • Better protection against external factors
• Digital technologies and other elements of Industry 4.0
  • Impact on productivity 
  • Better control over the production process 
  • Access to customers.
  • Better safety and environmental sustainability
• How can producers leverage digital technology to maintain their competitive edge?
• Industry 4.0 in the Aluminium industry:
  • Digital production process and control with digitisation
  • Automation and robotics
  • Big data
  • Machine learning and artificial intelligence

Abdul Majid Shaikh, Partner – Industrial Sector Leader – Middle East & Africa, IBM Services
Tamer Abulazm, Managing Partner, IBM Consulting, Egypt

19:00 Arabal Welcome Cocktail reception

08.30 – 09.30 Registration and Welcome Coffee

09.30 – 10.10 Welcome & Keynote Opening from Hosts and Arabal Chairman

10.10 – 10.30 Official Exhibition Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

10.30 – 11.30 Session 1
Arab Smelter Panel – Current challenges future opportunities

• Uncertainty over China’s production levels
• War in Ukraine and the impact on prices with loss of alumina supply 
• Economic, political and market factors impacting production
• Gearing up to deliver a more sustainable future
• Integrating ESG standards 
• Advancing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) – are we being fast enough?

Moderator
Julian Kettle, Vice Chairman of Metals and Mining, Wood Mackenzie

Keynote Panellists
Abdullah Alghamdi, MRC President, Ma’aden
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban,Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA)
Ali Al-Baqali, Chief Executive Officer, Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba)
Dr Eng Mahmoud ِِAgour, Chief Executive Officer, Egyptalum
Said Al-Masoudi, Chief Executive Officer, Sohar Aluminium

11.30 – 12.00 Coffee Break

12.00 – 12.45 Session 2
How is the industry meeting the booming demand with the resurgence post-Covid with tightness resulting from the war in Ukraine?

• What are the plans to avoid inventory depletion?
• Can we assess the consequences of the forced shut down by the power disruptions in China?
• What is the impact of the premium of backwardation and of the elimination of tariffs on key commodities?
• Can we forecast the expected demand from the solar power sector?

Moderator
Christoph Eibl, CEO,Tiberius

Presentation 
Edgardo Gelsomino, Research Director, Wood Mackenzie

Panellists
Ross Strachan, Head of Primary Aluminium and Recycled Metal Analysis, CR

12.45  – 13.45 Session 3
Aluminium key enabler of the path towards a more sustainable economy and a ‘green’ recovery

• How to support the role of aluminium as a beacon for the circular economy?
• What are the steps being taken towards greener aluminium namely the platform for low-carbon aluminium and supply-chain decarbonisation collaboration?
• Capturing the opportunities in new mobility and smart and environmentally friendly cities of the future
• What examples do we have of legislative/regulatory support for infrastructure, recycling and low-emissions production?

Moderator
Zaid Aljanabi​​, Principal Consultant, CRU

Panellists
Dr. Abdulla Habib, Chief Operation Officer, Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba)
Hugo Brodie, Vice President – Group CEO Office (Sustainability and Commodities Strategy), London Metal Exchange
Yasin Kasirga, Business Development Leader, Decarbonization Strategy & Partnerships, GE Gas Power Europe, Middle East & Africa

13:45 – 14.45 Lunch

14:45 – 15.45 Session 4
Aluminium dashboard – costs, logistics, input materials

• How has the industry weathered rising power and input materials costs? Are there regional differences in the approach?
• Overcoming the logistical challenges regarding metal supplies and the sanctions on Russia
• What’s the direct and long-term forecasted impact on transportation and supply-chain challenges?
• What are the plans to overcome the demand stress for scrap caused by the market drive to reduce carbon content on metal and the impact of slow logistics?

Moderator
Edgardo Gelsomino, Research Director, Wood Mackenzie

Panellists
Dhafer AbuHetlahi, Vice President, Technical Services, Ma’aden
Simon Storesund, Chief Supply Chain & Bus. Dev. Officer, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) 

15:45 – 16.00 Spotlight on new developments

One further step towards sustainable aluminium production: New cathode design achieving 0.5 to 1 kWh/kg energy saving even on modern 600 kA cells while increasing cell life, improving safety, and decreasing specific aluminium production cost

Rene von Kaenel, President & CEO, KAN-NAK

16.00 – 16.15 Spotlight on new developments

Digitalisation as sustainability catalyser: Efficiency of the production plant: structuring how best to produce, the ideal time to produce, the optimised yield and reduced material movements resulting in savings in cost across all levels – production costs, energy costs, material costs, handling costs and increased OEE.

Gunther Schober, Sales Manager, PSI Metals Non Ferrous GmbH

16.15 – 17.00 Session 5
Aluminium market SWOT – Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat analysis and forecast

• Assessing the sources of disruption for the aluminium industry – can they be turned into opportunities?

• What are the current industry drivers for growth and expansion?

• Besides logistics and political landscape, what are the industry-specific challenges and risks?
• How quickly do we anticipate a two-tier pricing system deriving from carbon taxes in the EU, USA and Japan?

Moderator
Christoph Eibl, CEO, Tiberius

Presentation
Christian Hermetschweiler, Head of Trading, Tiberius

Panellists
Ghannam Al Ghannam, Vice President, Aluminium Sales & Marketing, Ma’aden
Miles Prosser, Secretary General, International Aluminium Institute

17.00 End of Day One

08.30 – 09.30 Welcome Coffee

09.30 – 09.45 Welcome

09.45 – 11.00 Session 6
Understanding the market demand for aluminium sector by sector 

Moderator
Miles Prosser, Secretary General, International Aluminium Institute

Quick- fire presentations

10.00 – 10.15 Automotive industry – versatility, improved safety, lower environmental impact and increased demand for EVs

Christian Bahoo, Head of Government Affairs and Market Communications, Importer Regions, BMW Group

10.15 – 10.30 Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) – how can European emission reductions contribute to a global emissions decline, instead of pushing carbon-intensive production outside Europe.an opportunity
Diana France, Partner, HFW

10:30 – 10:45 Spotlight on new developments

GCC’s first plant for premium quality Aluminium grain refiners and master alloys, critical products for the casthouses: Reducing lead times and strengthening supply chains for the Aluminium industry in the region and neighbouring markets, to meet global economies’ reboot and capacity expansions

Enrique Sela, Bahrain Country Manager, Aleastur

10:45 – 11:00 Spotlight on new developments
Collaboration between Power sector and Aluminium Industry – together supporting energy transition and shift to renewables
Mohamed Abdelsattar Madkour, Business Development Direct, Huawei Digital Power

11.00 – 11.30 Coffee Break

11.30 – 12.15 Session 7

Are VAPs – Value Added Products the route to better margins?

• What is the growth share of VAPs?
• Can we evaluate the incremental cost and potential earnings in both domestic and foreign markets across VAPs?
• Understanding producers’ competitive position
• What will be the drivers of future demand?

Moderator
Edgardo Gelsomino, Research Director, Wood Mackenzie

Presentation:
Zaid Aljanabi, Principal Consultant, CRU

Panellists

Agnello Borim, Chief Operating Officer, Sohar Aluminium
Ehab El Alwany, Head-Marketing Sector, Egyptalum
Khalid A Latif, Chief Marketing Officer, Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba)

12.15 – 12.30 Spotlight on new developments
Industrial sustainability and the future of automation and Net Zero

Hassan ElArdy, Vice President for Power systems for Northeast Africa and Levant, Schneider Electric

12.30 – 13.15 Session 8

The Future is now – Technology Game-Changers in the Aluminium industry such as Internet of Things (IoT) and deployment of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

• Impact of the IoT as an ecosystem of connected machines, equipment, devices and physical objects and of the deployment of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions to improve process control?
• Potential cost savings by forecasting equipment failures and process deviations through data analytics
• How can we safely maximise production, reduce raw material costs, and optimise energy consumption?
• What is the digital twin concept in control and monitoring allows real-time simulation of the process, advanced control and remote expertise

Moderator
Mark Ashwin, General Manager – Mining and Metals EAM, Bechtel Corporation

Panellists

Dr Eng Mahmoud Agour, Chief Executive Officer, Egyptalum
Tamer Abulazm, Managing Partner, IBM Consulting, Egypt
Qamer Javed, Director, Strategy and Performance, Ma’aden

13.15 – 14.00 Closing Session

14.00 – 15.00 Lunch