Aluminum Bahrain Celebrates Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen Team's Achievements

Aluminum Bahrain (Alba), a world-leading smelter with a proud 50-year legacy, celebrated the achievements of its participants in the ‘Lean Six Sigma’ and ‘Kaizen’ course at a special award ceremony held on September 25 at its Oasis Hall.

A total of 105 individuals participated in these courses conducted in 2024, including 10 participants from external entities namely the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Nasser Vocational Training Centre (NVTC), Bapco Refining, and the Arab Open University (AOU), said a statement from Alba.

Alba said its in-house training has empowered 26% employees with the Six Sigma knowledge. The courses offered by the aluminum giant covered Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Green Belt and Yellow Belt, as well as the Kaizen philosophy.

The projects delivered by the courses’ participants focused on improving equipment availability, reducing downtime, optimizing industrial and administrative processes through automation, eliminating or minimizing various types of waste, and shortening lead time for material and service delivery.

Alba’s CEO Ali Al Baqali awarded the participants in the presence of Bapco Refining CEO Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, NVTC Chief Executive Dr. Abdulla Al Noami, AOU’s President Dr. Najma Taqi, MoI’s Director of Officers’ Affairs Colonel Waleed Khalid Sayyar, along with several high-level officials from these organizations as well as Alba.

Emphasizing Alba's commitment to cost-competitiveness and operational efficiency, Alba’s CEO Ali Al Baqali said: "Alba's commitment to operational excellence is driven by Lean Six Sigma and Kaizen methodologies. By enhancing our people's capabilities in process optimization, we've created a competitive advantage that has helped us navigate challenging market conditions."

"By sharing this knowledge with other Bahraini organizations, we are contributing to the development of our society," he stated.

Alba's in-house training has empowered 26% of its employees with Six Sigma knowledge. The company has also shared this expertise with 211 individuals from various entities across Bahrain.

Following the ceremony, a special tour was organized for the visiting dignitaries to see first-hand the newly inaugurated Alba Data Command Centre, a centralized hub for overseeing the company’s operations, where they received a briefing on the Centre’s role in enhancing Alba’s overall operational efficiency and responsiveness.