BTM December 2011 73 general purpose products which constitute about 2 per cent of the world’s total supplies of FRP (Flat Rolled Products). GARMCO sells its products of coils, sheets and circles to 2,200 customers over 45 countries.” The company has 23 subsidiaries from sales offices, services centres and manufacturing plants worldwide. It employs 1,000 employees, out of which 720 employees are in Bahrain. It has achieved an 85 per cent Bahrainisation rate, and has its own training centre. Aluwheel, a vehicle aluminium wheel manufacturing company, commenced production in Bahrain, in 1993. And, today, the company’s capacity has grown to over 750,000 wheels and 12,000 wheel alloys. Products are distributed to vehicle manufacturing plants in Europe, such as BMW and VW, and to Far Eastern markets. In 1996, Bahrain Alloy Manufacturing Company (BAMCO) was established to produce aluminium alloys of different proportions of silicon for the use in vehicle spare parts and cast products. Products of this company are now marketed in Europe, Asia and in the Far East. With GARMCO, Midal Cables, BWP, and Balexco, BAMCO is among the top five downstream companies in the Kingdom. Industry thoughts Jassim Al Seyadi, CEO, Balexco feels, “The aluminium industry is one of the strategic sectors that had helped to diversify the country’s income base and it has generated employment opportunities for the local Bahraini workforce.” Very interestingly, he continues, “It is estimated that for every employment in the upstream aluminium industry, four additional employment opportunities are created in the downstream sector. And it is estimated that 65 per cent of the work force are Bahraini nationals in the aluminium sector as a whole. So, we see a bright future for aluminium because the GCC region has a cost advantage in terms of cheaper energy sources. The growth of the downstream industry is a fact, but for sustained growth, some industry experts indicated there is much still that needs to be done. Jacynthe Côté, the CEO of the world’s biggest aluminium company, Rio Tinto Alcan, reiterated the region’s at ARABAL 2011, the annual gathering of the aluminium smelters of the Arab World, held at Muscat. In her keynote address she said, “The Middle East clearly possesses an enviable platform upon which to build a world-class aluminium industry. But going forward we must demonstrate that we also have the vision and the will to capitalise on these strengths by creating the conditions necessary to sustain growth.” xxxxx The principal raw materials for us are the billets and logs, and they are procured from Alba, Bahrain. But recently, we have started purchasing small quantities from Qatalum, Doha, as well
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