12
February
2018
|
09:16
Europe/Amsterdam

EGA sponsors first UAE Innovation Award during Innovation Month

EGA sponsors first UAE Innovation Award during Innovation Month

The UAE Innovation Award is under the patronage of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and aims to encourage innovation in the private sector

United Arab Emirates, 12 February 2018 --- Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, is to be the platinum sponsor of the first UAE Innovation Award, organised by Dubai Quality Group to encourage a culture of innovation in the private sector.

The award ceremony is set to take place at the end of Innovation Month on 28 February and will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Honorary Patron of Dubai Quality Group.

EGA has developed its own technology in the UAE for over 25 years and has also focused on continually improving its operations for decades by engaging its entire workforce.

Dubai Quality Group is organising the UAE Innovation Award in line with UAE Vision 2021, aiming to promote innovation and drive sustainable development. The UAE Innovation Award is also designed to support the achievement of the UAE National Innovation Strategy which aims to make the country one of the most innovative in the world including through a highly innovative private sector.

EGA recently commissioned a national survey which showed that employees in the UAE believe their companies are becoming more innovative, but are failing to unlock the innovation potential of their entire workforces. The survey also found that people working in the UAE believe that the country is more innovative than it was five years ago.

The UAE ranked first in the region in the 2017 Global Innovation Index and 35th worldwide.

Abdulla Kalban, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at EGA, said: “Innovation and continuous improvement have been foundations of EGA’s global success for decades. Based on our own experience and as a corporate citizen, we strongly support initiatives to increase innovativeness in the UAE. This Award should help companies to assess the systems they have in place to drive innovation and plot the way forward.”

Fatma Buti Al Mheiri, Chairman of Dubai Quality Group, said: “The UAE Innovation Award is a new strategic initiative adopted by DQG and it will play a major role in enhancing the competitiveness of the private sector throughout the UAE and the region. Innovation is a viable investment to make UAE a global innovation hub, bringing great benefits to future generations, and improving the country’s competitive position in the global innovation index. It is great to have support from innovative companies like Emirates Global Aluminium.”

EGA’s own research and technology development focuses on continually improving the core aluminium smelting process. Today, EGA’s home-grown technology is amongst the most efficient in the global aluminium industry.

EGA has used its own technology in every smelter expansion since the 1990s and has retrofitted all its older production lines. In 2016 EGA became the first UAE industrial company to license its own large-scale industrial technology internationally.

EGA has run an employee suggestion scheme since 1981 to encourage everyone in the organisation to find ways to improve the company’s operations. Last year EGA employees submitted a record 34,419 ideas, leading to validated savings of AED 36 million.