KARACHI, Nov 1: The first plant in Pakistan to commercially produce ‘Ferroalloys’ that would cater to the needs of Pakistan Steel and other steel manufacturing units, has started production in the Dhabeji Industrial Estate.

A press release by Al Abbas Industries (AAI) Limited — the company that initiated and executed the project — said on Tuesday the plant had been set up with the technical assistance of South African experts.

Until now, all quantities of Ferroalloys used in the steel industry for degassing and alloying purposes had to be imported. The production of the two products locally would save the country substantial sum in foreign exchange.

Al Abbas Industries, ISO 9001:2000 certified plant, is first of its kind in Pakistan to commercially produce various Ferroalloys using 100 per cent local raw materials and captive electric power generated from mixture of domestic and imported coal.

“Commitment and efforts of both local and South African technical teams need to be commended for making this plant operational within the time frame,” Shunaid Qureshi, managing director of the company, was quoted to have said. AAI is part of Al-Abbas Group, an industrial conglomerate that operates cement, sugar, chemical and board industries.