Business & Finance Club - Manama : Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), a major smelter, plans to enlarge its global presence, expand its customer base, and position Bahrain as a destination for international investors at an upcoming aluminium event in Germany.

Alba is a sponsor and a participant in Aluminium 2010, a major trade fair and conference and one of the foremost B2B platforms for the aluminium industry, which will be held from September 14 to 16 at Essen.

It will be attracting the who's who of the industry encompassing the entire spectrum of the value chain, from producers, processors, technology suppliers to consumers.

More than 890 companies from 45 countries are expected to attend the event.

"The fair offers Alba a tremendous opportunity to explore business possibilities with potential trade partners, meet customers and suppliers from around the world, learn about new developments in the industry, and project Bahrain's attractiveness as an economic destination," said Alba chief executive Laurent Schmitt.

"Our support for this event highlights our continuing commitment to strengthen the growth of the industry, and also, underlines the confidence we have in the industry's long-term success," he added.

The exhibition area at Aluminium 2010 has been increased to 60,000 sq m this year and the halls will be given a clearer thematic structure to include elements from the value chain: primary production and supplier technologies, casting and heat treatment, semi-finished products and semi-fabricates, surface treatment and technologies, metal working and processing, and a segment devoted to aluminium joining technologies.

A conference, under the theme "Aluminium - Material of the Future", will also be held alongside the exhibition.

Five different sessions are planned during the three days and are expected to cover topics related to production processes, transport, automotive, surface and aluminium markets.