EGA showcases employee involvement at 2016 Ideas.Arabia event

UAE-based aluminium giant sponsors event for eleventh consecutive year

United Arab Emirates, 24 April 2016: In keeping with its corporate focus on value-adding innovation as a key driver of business competitiveness, Emirates Global Aluminium (“EGA”) is Main Sponsor of the 11th annual Ideas.Arabia International Conference (“Ideas.Arabia 2016”), which takes place in Dubai under the patronage of H H Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum from 25 to 26 April. Having sponsored the event every year since the inaugural Ideas.Arabia in 2006, EGA has provided foundational support to the event for eleven consecutive years.

By providing a forum for international experts in ‘Suggestion & Rewarding Scheme’ to share their knowledge and experience, the annual Ideas.Arabia conference brings the latest developments in the field to the Middle East. The event also offers a platform for companies in the region to share best practices. Ideas.Arabia 2016 will feature sessions on Suggestion & Rewarding Scheme trends; Innovation; and Workplace Happiness – with particular emphasis on the positive impact of these aspects on employee engagement.

A highlight of each annual Ideas.Arabia conference is the ‘Idea of the Year Competition’, which recognises the most significant ideas implemented in the prior period. The competition recognises employees and organisations for their outstanding ideas and provides an opportunity for participating companies to benchmark against other leading organisations as well as to motivate employees. EGA’s midstream aluminium industry assets have secured a total of 25 wins across various categories in the Idea of the Year competition to date.

EGA will again showcase its innovation credentials Ideas.Arabia 2016, by way of entries in the competition; and a stand in the exhibition area alongside the conference. “Continuous improvement has been inherent in the corporate culture of EGA since inception. It is a culture that has been leveraged through encouraging our employees to identify better and safer ways of operating the businesses,” says Abdulla Kalban (Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, EGA). “Our award-winning Suggestion Scheme has not only operated very successfully since May 1981, but has also served as a model for a large number of organisations, both locally and internationally.”

Ideas.Arabia is organised by the Dubai Quality Group (“DQG”), a non-profit organisation set up by the Dubai Department of Economic Development under the patronage of H H Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Guided by the vision of H H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai), Dubai Quality Group was established in 1994 to develop and promote quality and business excellence practices in UAE. EGA, through its operating subsidiaries, is a founding member and avid supporter of DQG.

“EGA aims to sustain a performance-based work culture where individuals are empowered through ownership, accountability and team support,” Kalban adds. “These attributes enable EGA to excel in operations through continuous improvement and innovation. The implementation of employee ideas has added immeasurable value in terms of positive morale, loyalty and productivity.”