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Ma'aden and Alcoa JV awardS key equipment contracts for Middle East’s first can sheet rolling mill

 

Sep 01, 2010

Riyadh September 1, 2010 – The Maaden and Alcoa Joint Venture has awarded contracts for the supply of several additional key packages for the Middle East's first can sheet rolling mill which is currently under construction by the JV at Raz as Zawr in Saudi Arabia.

Supply packages awarded this week include equipment for hot and cold mills, the coil coating line, and preheat furnaces. Hot and cold mills packages were awarded to SMS Seimag, Germany; coating line package was awarded to BWG Bergwerk, Germany; and preheat furnaces package was awarded to Ebner, Austria, all preeminent and highly specialized suppliers to the aluminium rolling mill industry.

The current supply contracts follow an agreement announced last week under which Wagstaff, Inc will supply the joint venture with leading edge ingot and billet casting systems, as well as integrated automated controls, which have been shown to deliver improved recovery rates, and higher levels of workplace convenience and safety.

The casting facility will also feature Alcoa’s advanced proprietary ingot casting technology which yields highly improved surface finish to rolling ingots with consequential gains in rolling efficiency and product quality

Total value of the contracts awarded above amounts to approximately $US277m.

The greenfield rolling mill and associated aluminium smelter comprise the first of two phases in a super-project which will leverage Saudi Arabia’s bauxite and energy resources with Alcoa know how, management expertise and support to create the world’s largest and lowest cost fully integrated aluminium manufacturing complex. The rolling mill will be one of the most technologically advanced in the world. Production is scheduled to begin in 2013.