The award recognises EGA’s innovative implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies and future-focused digital and AI-powered use cases. EGA's ongoing digital transformation leverages advanced digital capabilities to transform operations, processes and systems.

Hosted annually by the Manufacturing Leadership Council, part of the US-based National Association of Manufacturers, the Manufacturing Leadership Awards is an awards platform that recognises organisations driving the future global manufacturing through operational excellence and innovation.

EGA’s digital transformation programme was launched in 2021 and has delivered significant improvements. Industry 4.0 at EGA has delivered some $100 million in financial impact through the implementation of more than 80 Industry 4.0 use cases, ranging from using artificial intelligence vision to quality check carbon anode production in real-time, to predictive tools for market movements in key commodities.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer at Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “This award recognises the progress we have made in embedding digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence across our operations to deliver measurable improvements in safety, performance, and efficiency. By combining world-class industrial expertise with advanced digital capabilities, we are strengthening EGA's position as the technology provider of choice for the global aluminium industry while supporting the UAE's ambitions to lead in Industry 4.0 and artificial intelligence."

EGA’s ongoing digital transformation is a key part of EGA’s drive to innovate the future of aluminium production and be the technology provider of choice for the global aluminium industry.

In 2024, EGA introduced the region’s first 100 per cent renewable energy powered industrial data centres at its Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah sites and launched of one of the first digital manufacturing platforms in the region with Microsoft to unlock additional value through large-scale Industry 4.0 applications.

Last year, EGA was named an Industry 4.0 global lighthouse by the World Economic Forum, the first industrial company in the UAE and the first aluminium company in the world to achieve this designation.

The awards were presented to EGA by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.

Najeeba Al Jabri, EGA’s Chief ESG & Sustainability Officer, was recognised in the Leadership Category of the Emirates Women Award.

EGA was also recognised for continuous improvement in health and safety, and for innovation projects across the company’s operations.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “I was proud to accept the innovation award from His Highness, and I congratulate all my colleagues who were recognised at the Dubai Quality Group Awards. What matters most is what they represent - the dedication of our people to continuously improve, innovate, and find better ways of working every day.”

EGA has developed its own aluminium smelting technology in the UAE for more than 30 years, and is a technology provider of choice in the global aluminium industry. EGA has used its own technology in every smelter expansion since the 1990s, and was the first UAE industrial company to license its core process technology internationally. EGA’s latest technology EX, the 10^th generation, is amongst the most efficient in the world and is currently being piloted at Al Taweelah.

EGA has focused on continuous improvement as a foundation of its global competitiveness since the company’s foundation. EGA engages all its employees in continuous improvement through its Suggestion Scheme, which is one of the longest-running programmes of its type in the world. EGA also brings together mid-level employees to work on larger improvement projects through its Tamayaz scheme, which has been running since 2016. 

The awards celebrate employees whose ideas have delivered tangible improvements through EGA’s Suggestion Scheme and Tamayaz programme across areas such as safety, cost optimisation, environment, and operational efficiency, contributing to EGA’s global competitiveness and supporting long-term sustainability.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “Innovation and continuous improvement have powered EGA’s progress for decades. Our success depends on our people turning great ideas into improvements, every day and everywhere in our operations. I congratulate this year’s Rashid Award winners and thank every colleague who is helping us innovate for a better future.”

EGA’s Suggestion Scheme programme has operated since 1981, and is one of the longest-running structured suggestion schemes in the world. EGA’s innovative employees have submitted more than half-a-million suggestions since then.

More than 35,000 ideas were submitted by EGA employees through EGA’s Suggestion Scheme since the last Rashid Awards ceremony in 2024, with over 30,000 implemented. EGA’s Suggestion Scheme has saved over AED 18.4 million in the past year alone and more than AED 520 million since its launch.

The Tamayaz programme, introduced in 2016, enables mid-level managers and their teams to find solutions to overlooked problems through the regular examination and analysis of their work processes and output.  In 2024, the program generated over AED 87 million in audited savings.

EGA has focused on innovation and continuous improvement for decades, encouraging employees at all levels to contribute ideas. The company also runs programmes for school students and university engineering students to build the UAE’s future industrial innovation capabilities.

The partnership supports the objectives of the ‘Dubai Research and Development Programme,’ launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of DFF. The programme seeks to build a knowledge-driven ecosystem fueled by research, development, and innovation, enabling growth in key economic sectors and emerging industries through advanced industrial technologies.

The agreement was formalised by His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of DFF, and Abdulnasser Ibrahim Saif Bin Kalban, CEO of EGA.

His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul emphasised Dubai’s commitment to preparing all sectors for the future, guided by the vision of its leadership. He said: “Dubai places great importance on forming meaningful strategic partnerships and sharing expertise to accelerate progress in research, development, and innovation. By promoting global collaboration, we aim to create transformative solutions that drive industrial innovation, stimulate economic growth, and reinforce Dubai’s position as a global leader in advanced technology. This partnership with EGA presents exciting opportunities to advance industrial technologies, transformation, and advanced manufacturing, strengthening Dubai and the UAE’s global standing in these vital sectors.”

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “Our strategic partnership with the Dubai Future Foundation will drive collaboration and knowledge exchange to advance the future of the UAE’s industrial sector through research, development, and innovation. At EGA, we have been developing our own proprietary aluminium smelting technologies in the UAE over 30 years to strengthen our global competitiveness.”

Bin Kalban concluded: “Four years ago, we set ourselves a bold goal to transform the aluminium industry by pioneering the adoption of Industry 4.0. Today, the World Economic Forum has recognised EGA as a Global Lighthouse for our leadership in the adoption of these technologies. Through this partnership, we look forward to accelerating digital transformation in the UAE’s industrial sector and reinforce the nation’s position as a hub for developing future technologies.”

As part of the partnership, EGA will lead keynote sessions and participate in panel discussions at the upcoming editions of the Dubai Future Forum, DFF’s flagship event and the world’s largest gathering of futurists. During these sessions, EGA will share strategic insights with global industry leaders. Additionally, EGA will join closed-door meetings with global experts and policymakers to foster impactful dialogue and high-level networking. Through these efforts, EGA’s leaders and experts will present their vision and expertise, driving collaboration and knowledge exchange at the forum.

The agreement also grants EGA priority access to marketing and communications opportunities tied to the forum, including exclusive branding, contributions to official publications, and access to specialised programmes offered by the Dubai Future Academy, an initiative of DFF.

More than 40 employees were recognised in total by EGA leaders at a ceremony at the company’s headquarters in Al Taweelah.

Innovation and continuous improvement have been foundations of EGA’s global competitiveness for decades.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “At EGA, we believe that the people closest to a work process are often in the best position to identify what improvements are required and create the best solutions. That’s why everyone at EGA has a role in continuous improvement, and why each year we recognise the colleagues who have made the most impactful suggestions.”

Continuous improvement involves everyone at EGA and is an integral part of the company’s corporate culture. EGA’s Suggestion Scheme programme has operated since 1981, and is one of the longest-running structured suggestion schemes in the world. EGA’s innovative employees have submitted more than half-a-million suggestions since then.

EGA’s Tamayaz programme brings together cross-functional teams to find potential solutions through structured and scientific analysis.

EGA also has dedicated research & development teams focused on game-changing innovation, staffed by global experts.

EGA has developed its own aluminium smelting technology in the UAE for more than 30 years. 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 core process technology internationally.

EGA has also made global research and development breakthroughs in aluminium industry challenges, such as finding productive uses bauxite residue, a by-product of alumina refining.

The visit is part of EGA’s FURSA platform, developed by the EGA Youth Council and the company’s Learning and Development team to provide youth access to curated courses and experiences to enhance skills in leadership, Industry 4.0, sustainability, science and technology.

EGA youth engaged with leading technology companies in Silicon Valley, including Google, Apple, Tesla, Amazon, Microsoft and Standford University, to gain insights on the transformative potential of emerging technologies and best practices for enhancing organisational adaptability and driving innovation.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “Empowering the next generation of leaders is crucial for the future growth of our business. Through these programmes, we ensure young people are able to learn from others and are equipped to drive transformative change. Industry 4.0 is already transforming the competitive landscape in our industry and at EGA, and will be central to the success that today’s youth will deliver during their careers.”

Hala Alhashmi, Chair of EGA Youth Council and Product Owner in the Digital Transformation & Industry 4.0 Department at EGA, said: “Exploring global innovations and emerging technologies is essential to enhance our competitiveness, drive growth, and remain relevant in today's digital economy. As young people at EGA, we are proud to be playing an active role in shaping a dynamic and progressive future for our company.”

FURSA is an exclusive platform for EGA employees under the age of 35. It includes 26 academic courses, from prestigious universities such as Harvard, Oxford and London Business School, and wide range of tailored experiences in volunteering, and collaboration.

The EGA Youth Council hosted and participated in over 20 events during 2023 including 11 nation-wide impact initiatives.

Founded in 2018, the EGA Youth Council empowers aspiring young employees to enhance their leadership skills and become pacesetters for change in the nation. The council operates under three main tenets as a foundation of its five-year strategy - empowering youth, engaging them, and fostering their development.

EGA developed the digital manufacturing platform with Microsoft as part of a strategic collaboration to progress EGA’s Digital Roadmap. The platform enables the integration of hardware, software, processes, and people throughout EGA’s global operations.

The platform was built using the latest generation of Microsoft Azure hybrid cloud, to use artificial intelligence at a significant scale across EGA’s global industrial operations including Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah to further improve industrial process efficiency, quality and safety.

The hybrid infrastructure deploys digital architecture previously used in many defence and space projects, while combining the advantages of public and on-premises hybrid cloud processing.

The digital manufacturing platform will enable EGA to reduce the unit cost of running artificial intelligence-based image and video analytics by more than 80 per cent, while increasing speeds as much as 13 times compared to EGA’s previous solution.

EGA’s digital manufacturing platform currently processes over 2.9 petabytes of real-time data annually, equivalent to streaming more than 32,000 movies at 4K resolution, and will be regularly expanded in future. 

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “EGA’s bold aspiration is to become a digital lighthouse for the region and the global aluminium industry, because we see enormous potential to unlock additional value for our business through Industry 4.0. The digital manufacturing platform, developed in collaboration with Microsoft, transforms our operations by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence at scale, while unlocking significant opportunities for further Industry 4.0 applications.”

Carlo K Nizam, Chief Digital Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said, “EGA’s digital transformation strategy has two parallel tracks to fundamentally transform how we operate – implementing high-impact digital solutions for immediate business impact, and building important digital foundations to enable company-wide transformation. The digital manufacturing platform is one of these key foundations.”

Christoph Berlin, General Manager and Partner Architect, Microsoft Azure, said: “Today’s announcement marks a key milestone in our strategic collaboration with EGA, a company which is a leader in the application of Industry 4.0 in the Middle East. Their new digital manufacturing platform, created in collaboration with Microsoft, is a great example of using Microsoft’s Adaptive Cloud Framework to fundamentally rethink and modernise OT in a cloud-first era to embrace modern capabilities such as Generative AI. We look forward to our continued collaboration with EGA.”

Earlier this year, EGA announced the groundbreaking for the region’s first 100 per cent renewable energy powered industrial data centres at its Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah sites. The digital manufacturing platform will be hosted on EGA’s data centres in the future.

EGA launched its digital transformation in 2021, aiming to enhance every aspect of its operations and business, while upgrading customer and employee experience and ultimately creating new revenue streams.

In its wider digital transformation, EGA has so far implemented over 60 Industry 4.0 use cases, ranging from using artificial intelligence vision to quality check carbon anode production in real-time, to developing predictive tools for market movements in key commodities. To date, almost 2,000 EGA employees have been upskilled in digital capabilities and ways of working, and the transformation has delivered some $90 million in financial impact.

Both EGA and Microsoft are members of the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology’s Industry 4.0 Champions Network, which aims to accelerate Industry 4.0 adoption across UAE industry.

ICSOBA is the largest annual technical forum in the global aluminium industry.

The three-day event in Dubai - the biggest edition ever - brings over 190 international contributions and 168 technical presentations in four, parallel streams focusing on advancing sector decarbonisation and further sustainability.

As a global leader in aluminium smelting technology development, EGA will share over 20 papers detailing findings and solutions to address complex industrial challenges, including both EGA papers and papers co-authored with academics or suppliers.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “Technology development has for decades been a source of global competitive advantage at EGA, and a commercial opportunity. Our bold aspiration is to innovate the future of aluminium production, and that is why we are hosting ICSOBA in the UAE. Convening the best technical minds in aluminium in Dubai will help our industry tackle some of its most complex challenges.”

The conference is taking place between 5 - 9 November 2023 in Dubai. This edition marks the second time ICSOBA takes place in Dubai and the fifth time in the Middle East.

EGA has developed its own aluminium smelting technology in the UAE for more than 30 years. EGA was the first UAE industrial company to license its core process technology internationally. DX+ Ultra, EGA’s latest fully-industrialised technology, was licensed to Aluminium Bahrain in 2016 for their potline 6 expansion project,. EGA technological know-how was used for the upgrade of five pilot reduction cells at Indonesia’s INALUM.

All EGA’s aluminium smelter expansions since the 1990s have used the company’s own UAE-developed technology. EGA has retrofitted all its older production lines.

For more information about the 41st International Conference and Exhibition of ICSOBA, please visit https://icsoba.org/2023/

The winning team members from American University in Dubai were Mostafa Aboelnaga, Mohammad Rashwan, Mohammad AlHadi, Yassin Abdelmeguid and Bilal Serieh. They were coached by Dr. Salem Haggag.

In this year’s competition, students were challenged to design and build a robot that can measure the thickness of materials within EGA’s reduction cells, a task that is currently performed manually. Through this challenge, students were able to apply their academic knowledge in the field of robotics and automation to think creatively and develop a practical solution for the aluminium industry.

The American University of Dubai team’s winning entry was called Robot for Anode Cover Thickness (R FACT). It uses artificial intelligence to interpret images.

Five teams were shortlisted and received funding of AED 50,000 each from EGA to design and build their robots, and three teams proceeded to the finals. The other finalist teams were from Heriot-Watt University and Abu Dhabi University.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said: "I congratulate the American University in Dubai team for their win. The skills students practice in EGA’s Al Robot competition are important for the UAE’s industrial future and the achievement of Operation 300bn. I hope these students will now be inspired to pursue careers in UAE industry."

EGA's technology and development team works extensively with universities in both the UAE and internationally, with academic partnerships that include Khalifa University, the American University of Sharjah, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE, as well as the University of Auckland, University of New South Wales, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Through the EGA Ambassador Programme, EGA also collaborates with universities to bridge the gap between academic studies and workplace experience. This initiative is spearheaded by young Emirati engineers and professionals, who demonstrate the practical applications of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in UAE industry.

With the goal of reaching 45 per cent in-focus Emiratisation, EGA plans to create 500 additional opportunities for UAE Nationals by 2026 to secure talent for the future and provide opportunities for young UAE Nationals in the industrial sector. By the end of 2022, EGA had achieved an in-focus Emiratisation rate of 42 per cent, one of the highest of any major company.

The winning teams were recognised by Her Excellency Hessa Ahmed Rasheed, Executive Director of School Development Sector at Emirates Schools Establishment, and Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, at a ceremony held at EGA Al Taweelah in Abu Dhabi.  

Her Excellency Hessa Ahmed Rasheed of Emirates Schools Establishment said: “The EGA Aluminium Design and Innovation Challenge is a vital initiative that reinforces EGA and Emirates Schools Establishment collaborative efforts to encourage and nurture students' interest in STEM education and help establish a strong foundation for the future of our workforce. The Establishment continues to build bridges of cooperation and coordination with all partners in the public and private sectors, to support students in their academic and practical journey by involving them in many pioneering programs to qualify them for the future.

Her Excellency congratulated the students who won the challenge, expressing her great confidence in their abilities and skills, wishing them all the luck in the future.

Out of 105 team applications received across the UAE, 20 teams were shortlisted to participate in the competition. Shortlisted students from grades nine to 12 were invited to apply their STEM skills to creatively design an innovative project using aluminium in one of the four challenge categories -  architecture, green solutions, product design and sustainable mobility.

The winning teams in each category are:

-       Jameela Bu Heired School in the Architecture category

-       Al Ma'arif 2 School in the Green solutions category

-       Al Maseera School in the Product design category

-       Dubai National School - Twar in the Sustainable mobility category

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: "Achieving our national goals requires more young people to study and ultimately pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The high number of applications for ‘The EGA Aluminium Design and Innovation Challenge’ shows the interest amongst students in these subjects. The high quality of the entries gives me great confidence that the coming generation will reach new heights for our country. Congratulations to all the winners.”

‘The EGA Aluminium Design and Innovation Design Challenge’ is part of EGA’s ‘Engineer the Future’ programme, which introduces school students in the UAE to the real-life application in industry of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Over the course of four weeks, students were mentored by young EGA engineers. The students were also provided with the necessary resources and tools to complete their projects.

In addition, EGA also runs an annual industrial robotics competition that aims to provide university engineering students with real-life experience of robotics, automation, and big data. Last year, EGA programmes inspired young people’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics reached more than 6,000 students.