Abu Dhabi boost for Ducab output.

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New production units and an acquisition are putting Ducab's Abu Dhabi facilities in the forefront of manufacturing of cables and related material. Of Ducab's total production capacity of 200,000 cable tonnes, the Abu Dhabi plants account for around half. Most of the building wires and low voltage cables that Ducab produces now come from Abu Dhabi which is also the location for a new copper rod facility, the first of its kind in the UAE. Ducab plants commissioned in recent months in the emirate of Abu Dhabi comprise the copper rods facility and a new factory acquired from Electrocab Emarat (EIIC) and which makes a wide range of cables and wires that raised cables capacity by around 50 per cent. "Abu Dhabi has gained significance as the new focus of manufacturing for Ducab in recent years," says marketing manager Ashish Chaturvedy. Chaturvedy commented that Abu Dhabi was an energy powerhouse, also noting that the emirate is expected to be the largest market for cables in the next two to three years given the current level of construction and development activity. "We also have an ongoing contract with Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (Adwea). Proximity is very important. The regional authorities would definitely value the fact that Ducab is a local supplier. With the supply source of best quality cables and wires nearby, project delays can be avoided." Chaturvedy also said the Abu Dhabi government was extremely positive to expansions at Ducab and wholeheartedly supported the new copper rod plant, which needed abundant gas, and other facilities. The company is owned equally by the Government of Dubai and the Government of Abu Dhabi. Since opening its doors for business in 1979, Ducab has been meeting the requirements of discerning clients throughout the MiddleEast and Far East. Its quality management system was certified to ISO 9001 in 1995 and upgraded in 2002 to the more stringent ISO 9001:2000 standard. Ducab was the first cable company in the Middle East to achieve this distinction. Ducab is also the only cable manufacturer in the ME to obtain product type approval of a range of medium and low voltage cables to British Standards by BASEC (The British Approval Service for Cables). This approval is only awarded to manufacturers who meet the requirements of BS EN ISO 9000 Quality Management Standard and are certified by BASEC. Ducab's excellence in product quality, technical expertise and cable leadership is evident from the many awards and recognitions conferred on it by local, regional and international institutions. Among the awards are those from Dubai Quality Group, and RoSPA as well as the ICD Chairman's award for Best Economic Value Creation and other gold awards. The latest feather in its cap is the Emirates Quality Mark Certification awarded recently by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA). Ducab is the first ever cable facility in the region to have been honoured with this award. Ducab's turnover in the first half of 2008 was about Dh1.6 billion. It is hopeful of meeting the 2008 target of Dh3.8 billion. Its sales turnover in 2007 was a record Dh2.4 billion.

A UAE first The new copper rod facility, first of its kind in the UAE, operates within Ducab's Musaffah plant No 1 and represents an investment of $45 million. The plant comprises state-of-the art machinery housed in a purpose-built 3,000 sq m production facility comprising the main factory floor, shaft furnace tower, workshops, a laboratory and offices plus the required natural gas-handling systems, electrical substations, cooling towers and fume de-dusting equipment. The facility is designed to take raw copper cathode and convert it into 8 mm dia electrolytic tough pitch (ETP) copper rod as per as per BS1977:98 (C100) and ASTM B-49:98, which is the required raw material for the production of electric cables. Currently Ducab purchases its copper rod from various suppliers from around the world, but this new facility means that in future Ducab will be self-sufficient in this strategically important raw material. The facility comprises continuous melting, casting and rolling and is collectively known as the 'Contirod process,' as developed by the world-renowned heavy engineering group, SMS Meer of Germany. The technology is actually a marriage of German rolling and control engineering with the very latest metal casting technology from a specialist American company called Hazzelet. The line incorporates a number of novel features designed to give improved operational efficiency and the very best product quality. In particular, the facility is the first in the world to use a novel gas control system. The first stage of the process requires the melting of the copper cathodes in a vertical furnace known as a shaft furnace, which is heated using natural gas. The control of the gas burners to give efficient heating is clearly very important. The system used in this facility is a world first and gives very precise real time computer control of each of the 12 burners completely independently. The next stage of the process is to cast the molten copper into a continuous cast bar, which can be subsequently rolled into shape. The casting of the copper bar is a critical element in ensuring the quality of the final product. In the case of the Contirod process, a horizontal casting machine supplied by Hazzelet is used. Horizontal casting results in a bar with the best metallurgical structure. In the case of the Ducab machine, various novel features have been incorporated for the very first time to ensure the most efficient thermal transfer of heat from the bar as it cools from molten copper in to a solid bar. The result is a cast bar that is more efficient to produce and has the very best metallurgical structure. This is important when it comes to processing the finished rod into quality conductor as required for production of top-quality electrical cable. After casting, the next stage of the process is rolling. The rectangular section of the cast copper bar, measuring 50 mm by 60 mm, is rolled in a series of steps down to an 8 mm diameter rod. The rolling process is fully computer controlled with independent drives on each pair of rollers. This enables the rolling process to be very precisely controlled and to continually monitor for the changes caused by wear on the rollers, which can then be compensated for by making fine adjustments to the roll speed. The system also makes it much easier for the operators to set up the mill after a roll change. The rolled rod is then 'pickled' to reduce the surface oxide layer and coiled and packaged ready for despatch. In Ducab's case, approximately half of the rod will only need to travel a distance of circa 25 m through the side wall of the copper mill and straight onto the payoffs of the company's copper rod breakdown machines located in the LV power cable factory, which draw the rod into the required wire size for cable making. Logistically this is a very efficient layout; furthermore, it allows Ducab to get immediate feedback regarding the drawing characteristic of the rod, thereby enabling further refinement of the copper rod process conditions. Annual production capacity at the copper rod plant is 110,000 tonnes, which can be raised to 160,000.

Striving for growth & expansion In April of this year, Ducab acquired Electrocab, a new company in Abu Dhabi which makes a wide range of electrical power cables in the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi, 30 km from Abu Dhabi city. The factory is equipped with the latest generation of production and testing equipment. The product range covers low, medium and high voltage cables, control and instrumentation cables, building wires, flexible, THHN/THWN cables and fire performance cables. Annual production capacity is 50,000 tonnes of cables. Earlier in February, Ducab launched a new range of fire resistant (FR) cables, designed especially, amongst other applications, for high-rise buildings enabling them to survive longer in the event of a fire. Fire resistant cables The Dubai Civil Defence recorded that in the first five months of 2007, there were 244 fire incidents - an increase of 17.3 per cent over the same period in 2006. Fire safety, therefore, is one of the most important considerations in any living environment, but the amount of thought and deliberation that goes into making homes and offices that can face the threat of a fire is often way too little. This could result from several factors - ignorance of the advances in cable engineering, sheer negligence and cutting corners to make short-term advances. However, of late, there is a growing awareness and even legislative support to ensure that adequate measures are taken to minimise the impact of fires. Ducab-FR Cables possess the following characteristics, making them extraordinarily effective: * Ducab FR cables function normally and keep carrying electricity even under fire conditions so that essential devices can continue to operate. In order to achieve this, these cables have special grade mica tape wrapping over the conductor. Mica as a mineral retains its insulation property even in cases of extreme fire temperatures of up to 950AC. The mica tape over the conductor forms a tube when subjected to fire and provides a barrier to insulate the conductor and prevent short circuit. The selection of the correct grade mica tape and careful application during manufacture is key to achieving this feature. Ducab has invested in special taping machines to apply this critical material. * Ducab-FR cables generate no toxic or acidic fumes so that people and sensitive equipment are not affected adversely. In order to avoid such fumes, it is ensured that each and every raw material that goes into making these cables does not emit toxic or acidic fumes. Right from insulation to final sheath the cable is designed to be halogen-free. Ducab-FR cables are bedded and sheathed with a special 'Low Smoke and Fumes -- LSF' compound, which is also known as 'Low Smoke Zero Halogen -- LSZH'. * The choice of LSF material also means that these cables do not generate dense smoke during fires, which would otherwise reduce the visibility. In the absence of dense smoke, people can breathe without much trouble and the 'Exit' path can be seen clearly for escape. * It is general practice that many cables are laid together in close vicinity on cable ladders or trays. In a fire situation, these cables should not propagate the fire to other cables or other locations. Ducab-FR cables are designed with special materials having an Oxygen Index greater than 35 per cent. This means that an atmosphere containing 35 per cent oxygen is required to sustain the fire in these cables and the oxygen content of air is only 21 per cent. This results in the self-extinguishing the fire immediately after the source of the fire is cut off. Ducab-FR cables are fully approved to BS7846 by the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB), UK. This approval requires more than testing a sample of cable. LPCB also inspected the Ducab factories to ensure the materials and manufacturing process meet their tough quality requirements. LPCB also carries out regular audits and takes samples of cable for testing in their UK laboratory. Due to the very strict standards applied by LPCB, very few cable manufacturers get full LPCB approval for their products and Ducab is proud to have this level of approval. Ducab-FR cables are also designed to meet key fire performance requirements as follows: Flammability: IEC 60332-1 and IEC 60332-3 categories A, B & C; Resistance to Fire: C-W-Z of BS:6387, IEC 60331, and F-2 of BS:7846; Smoke Emission: IEC 61034 -- 1 & 2; and Acid Gas Content: IEC 60754 -- 1 & 2, BSEN 50267 -- 1 & 2.

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