DUBAL honoured at 2013 CIO 100 Symposium in USA

The DUBAL Noor, Enterprise Business Intelligence, Program developed in-house at Dubai Aluminium, DUBAL, the state-owned corporation that owns and operates one of the world’s largest single-site aluminium smelters, has been recognised internationally at this year’s CIO 100 Awards, which were presented during the 2013 CIO 100 Symposium, held mid-August in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. Designed to empower business excellence by providing appropriate intelligence for informed decision-making, the DUBAL Noor Program leverages advanced data analytics tools to reveal key information to users across the business, adding immense value to the business in the process. 

The annual CIO 100 Awards are presented to the top 100 organizations, and their employees, that use information technology, “I.T.”, in innovative ways to deliver business value – whether by creating competitive advantage, optimizing business processes, enabling growth or improving relationships with customers. As such, the honorees are widely acknowledged both as models of I.T. application and fast-responders to rapidly changing conditions in emerging markets, customer demands, and competitive threats.   

The process for choosing the CIO 100 award recipients is systematic and very competitive. Applications are solicited from hundreds of companies across the world; and recommendations are collected from experts who nominate organizations which are distinguished for their innovative use of I.T. and are then invited to apply as well. Teams of CIO judges review the applications and make initial recommendations about each entrant. The evaluation criteria include the depth and breadth of practices, creativity, specific measurable results of the entrants’ achievements, and the valuable lessons that the nominees can provide to readers of the diverse CIO publications. 

This is not the first time that DUBAL’s innovative use of I.T. has been recognised. Previously, the company won a CIO 20 Award from CIO Middle East in 2010; and a CIO 50 Award from CIO Middle East in 2011. Several accolades have also been received through the Arabian Computer News, ACN, Arab Technology Awards over the years, including ACN Arab Technology Best Manufacturing Sector Implementation, 2007; ACN Arab Technology Best Manufacturing and Construction Sector Implementation, 2008; ACN I.T. Manager of the Year, 2010; ACN Best Energy and Industry Implementation (2012); and ACN CIO of the Year, 2012. 

Expressing his pride at DUBAL’s recognition through the 2013 CIO 100 Awards, Ahmad Almulla, Vice President: I.T., says, “The DUBAL Noor Program has provided a platform for focusing the diverse sources and repositories of DUBAL information in a unified view for effective decision-making. It has blended the power of information and intuitive analysis, leading to enhanced optimisation of processes across our business. We are extremely proud of the program and our employees who not only developed the initiative but who also continually refine and develop it further. Receiving international recognition for the programme is very gratifying, as it confirms that our aspirations towards excellence in all we do are being realised.”