Felipe Quintá Mariño, Managing Director of Exlabesa, appointed as new president of the Spanish Aluminium Association (AEA)

At this decisive moment for the aluminium sector, the members of the Spanish Aluminium Association (AEA in Spanish) have unanimously appointed Felipe Quintá Mariño, managing director at Exlabesa, as the association’s new President. This decision, which was confirmed at a Special General Assembly Meeting held on November 21st, is part of the AEA’s new vision, which will aim to strengthen aluminium´s position as a key material to address the current sustainability and decarbonisation challenges, both in Spain and Europe.

Exlabesa: a worldwide leader fully committed with carbon neutrality

Exlabesa is currently one of the biggest aluminium producers in Europe. Thanks to its continuous investments in R&D, its unique production capabilities and use of the latest technologies, the company has been able to achieve a leading position in the production of low carbon and high added value aluminium products.

Currently, Exlabesa operates on three continents, through its nine production facilities strategically located in the USA, UK, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Poland, and Morocco. From these production centres, the company serves nearly 16,000 clients in 50 countries, employing over 2,000 people and producing 174,000 tonnes of extruded profiles annually.

Innovation, efficiency, and sustainability have always been part of Exlabesa core values and this is why the company has played a pioneering role in fully closing the aluminium production cycle by investing in state-of-the-art recycling plants where they produce up to 80 000 tonnes per year of low carbon aluminium. Those investments have helped the company not only to reduce drastically its carbon footprint but also to decarbonize the building industry by supplying 100% recycled RE-local 100 post-consumer profiles for its windows, doors, and facades systems.

From 2002, Felipe Quintá has held several senior management positions at Exlabesa, and he has made a key contribution to the company’s international expansion and growing reputation as a worldwide leader in the aluminium sector.

Fostering aluminium as a strategic material, for a greener future

In his first speech delivered as President of the AEA, Felipe Quintá emphasised the growing importance of aluminium in key sectors such as building or industrial production, stating that “thanks to its infinite recyclability and low carbon footprint, aluminium is the only material that can lead the transition towards a circular economy, while also fulfilling the goals of the European Green Deal”.

When asked about the main goals that he will be pursuing during his mandate, the new President stressed the importance of strengthening the presence of Spain’s aluminium sector throughout Europe, while also taking on important challenges such as addressing unfair competition coming from third countries.

By maintaining the same level of commitment he has demonstrated over the last two decades at Exlabesa, and by applying a new strategic vision, Felipe Quintá will be leading the AEA’s efforts to solidify aluminium’s reputation as the material of the future. Under his leadership, the association will be focused on giving aluminium a starring role in a context of changing production models, to help drive the transition towards a more circular economy and more sustainable industry.