Ma'aden Alcoa Aluminum Joint Venture - a fully integrated mine to rolled product joint venture in Saudi Arabia under construction by the Saudi Arabian Mining company and Alcoa, a world leader of primary aluminum production - is deploying Quintiq to manage the scheduling process for its smelter. The Greenfield smelter, which has an initial aluminum smelting capacity of 740,000 metric tons per year, will begin commercial production in 2013.

The Quintiq scheduling solution will support the operational planning processes of the plant and will give the Ma'aden Alcoa Aluminum Joint Venture the ability to react instantly to unforeseen production disturbances. It will enable the Ma'aden Alcoa Aluminum Joint Venture to improve delivery performance, throughput, secondary metal utilization and pot line production flow. Keops, a Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) provider in Montreal, Canada, will provide the Greenfield in Saudi Arabia with the MES solution. Alcoa assigned a team of specialists to work with Ma'aden on the project. The team is working in Saudi Arabia to support the set up and launch of the entire operation.

"We are very pleased with the collaborative approach of all of the companies involved in this project to make the scheduling solution at Ma'aden Alcoa Aluminum Joint Venture a success. Especially in complex production situations, across the aluminum industry, more and more companies are using Quintiq. We look forward to utilizing our extensive aluminum-industry knowledge to help the Ma'aden Alcoa Aluminum Joint Venture commence operations and achieve optimal smelter productivity," commented Francois Eijgelshoven, Business Unit Director Metals at Quintiq.

The Ma'aden Alcoa Aluminum Joint Venture
In its initial phases, the joint venture will develop a fully integrated industrial complex which will become the world's preeminent and lowest-cost supplier of primary aluminum, alumina and aluminum products, with access to the growing markets of the Middle East and beyond.

The complex comprises: A bauxite mine with an initial capacity of 4,000,000 metric tons per year, an alumina refinery with an initial capacity of 1,800,000 metric tons per year; an aluminum smelter with an initial capacity of 740,000 metric tons per year; a rolling mill, with initial capacity of 380,000 metric tons per year. The mill will be the first of its kind in the Middle East and will be one of the most technically advanced mills in the world.

First commercial production from smelter and mill is scheduled for 2013, followed by first
commercial production of alumina from the mine and refinery complex, scheduled for 2014.
Alcoa will supply alumina to the smelter in the interim period.

Ma'aden
Ma'aden was established as a Saudi Arabian joint stock company in March 1997 to facilitate the development of Saudi Arabia's non-petroleum mineral resources and to diversify the Kingdom's economy away from the petroleum and petrochemical sectors. Ma'aden is engaged in the development, advancement and improvement of all aspects of the mineral industry, mineral products and by-products and related industries in Saudi Arabia. In July 2008, Ma'aden offered 50% of the company's shares for subscription in a successful SR 9.25 billion IPO. Ma'aden has progressed towards realizing its vision of building a world class mineral enterprise and its mission of being a profitable, publicly owned, international mining company, while maintaining the utmost concern for human resources, health and safety, environmental and social issues. The company is committed to the best international and local environmental standards and values its role as a good corporate citizen.

Alcoa
Alcoa is the world's leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and
alumina. In addition to inventing the modern-day aluminum industry, Alcoa innovation has been behind major milestones in the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and
construction, commercial transportation, consumer electronics and industrial markets over the past 120 years. Among the solutions Alcoa markets are flat-rolled products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, as well as Alcoa wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building systems in addition to its expertise in other light metals such as titanium and nickel-based super alloys. Sustainability is an integral part of Alcoa's operating practices and the product design and engineering it provides to customers. Alcoa has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for ten consecutive years and approximately 75 % of all of the aluminum produced since 1888 is still in active use today. Alcoa employs approximately 61,000 people in 31 countries across the world.

Keops
Today a leading expert in industrial IT, Keops was founded in 1982 with the strong belief
that Information Technology had something to offer to manufacturing operations. It has
since been focused on the development, integration, and deployment of MES that enhance operational efficiency.

Quintiq
Quintiq provides advanced planning, scheduling and supply chain optimization software
solutions. This fast-growing company, established in 1997, offers and implements software for planning and optimizing complex business processes throughout the enterprise. The company's dual headquarters are located in the Netherlands and the USA with subsidiaries in Australia, Switzerland, China, Finland, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, and the UK. Quintiq systems are implemented in 77 countries worldwide.