The next generation of aluminium plants think as one | ABB

First published in the September 2026 issue of Aluminium International Today

Aluminium is in high demand as industries from automotive to construction and energy transition technologies increase their use of the metal. In fact, aluminium recycling needs 25% growth per year to support growing industrial requirement. Meeting that demand, however, is becoming increasingly complex.

Producers are facing mounting pressure to improve productivity, reduce emissions, and accommodate more variable operating conditions, all while avoiding major capital expenditure. For most, building entirely new facilities is neither practical nor economical. Instead, the challenge is how to unlock more performance from the assets already in place.

That means looking beyond individual pieces of equipment. The next generation of aluminium plants won’t necessarily contain dramatically different equipment. Instead, they’ll make better decisions because every part of the operation shares information, responds to changing conditions, and optimises performance together.

Optimising individual systems is no longer enough

An aluminium plant is a highly interconnected operation, bringing together multiple process stages – from raw material preparation and refining through to smelting, casting and rolling. Each stage has traditionally been optimised to maximise its own performance, supported by specialist equipment and control systems designed for a specific task.

Over time, the electrical, automation and digital systems that support these processes have typically evolved independently. Upgrades are often introduced to address specific operational priorities, rather than as part of a wider plant strategy. This is particularly common in aluminium plants, where decades of incremental investment have created a mix of legacy and newer technologies. As a result, further efficiency gains become ever more difficult to achieve through isolated upgrades alone.

When systems are poorly integrated, operators lack a single view of the production process and disconnected systems can limit performance. This fragmentation can make it harder to identify the root cause of issues, optimise energy use across the production chain, coordinate maintenance activities and respond quickly to changing operating conditions. As a result, inefficiencies arise not within individual technologies but at the interfaces between them.

Integration across power, automation and digital helps aluminium plants improve performance today while building more connected, adaptable operations for the future.

Integration creates a plant that runs as one

As energy becomes one of the defining factors in aluminium competitiveness, the greatest opportunities increasingly come from making operational systems work as one.

Primary aluminium production typically requires around 14–15 MWh of electricity per tonne, and the Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 has identified energy access as a primary determinant of competitiveness. Maximising the value of every megawatt is now just as important as maximising production output.

When these systems operate as one, performance compounds. Stable power supply is the precondition for maximising productivity. Better automation generates higher-quality operational data. More reliable digital insight, in turn, helps operators optimise production, detect deviations earlier and make better-informed maintenance decisions. Rather than functioning as separate technology layers, power, automation and digital become parts of a single operating system that continuously reinforces plant performance.

This can be seen throughout aluminium production. In furnace operations, stable power combined with precise control maintains consistent temperatures, improving energy efficiency and reducing process variability. In rolling mills, coordinated drives and automation systems enable tighter control of strip thickness, speed and tension, helping operators maintain product quality while minimising waste. Across the plant, greater operational visibility allows maintenance teams to intervene before failures occur, reducing downtime and improving asset utilisation.

An integrated approach can already be seen in practice. At Aluminium of Greece, integrated furnace technologies enabled the producer to increase the proportion of solid scrap by 59%, shorten cycle times by 52%, improve productivity by 19% and reduce gas consumption by 23%. Rather than optimising a single component, the project improved overall furnace performance by integrating electromagnetic stirring, process control and metallurgical expertise into one coordinated solution.

Integration also changes how plants should be engineered. Rather than optimizing operational systems independently, engineers can design around how they interact. The result is fewer interfaces, simpler commissioning, lower maintenance complexity and a plant that is easier to modernize throughout its lifecycle.

At Aluminium of Greece, integrated furnace technologies improved productivity while reducing cycle times and gas consumption.

Designing for integration from the start

Every additional interface between electrical, automation and digital systems introduce complexity that needs to be engineered, tested, and maintained.

Integration is therefore most effective when it is considered from the earliest stages of a project, rather than after major equipment has already been selected. Decisions made during front-end engineering and design (FEED), plant expansions, and modernisation programmes shape how power and control systems will interact for the following decades.

Designing for integration is also about reducing project risk. Decisions made during FEED influence how easily new technologies can be commissioned, maintained and adapted over time. By considering integration upfront, producers can avoid costly redesigns later and create a platform that supports future upgrades as operational requirements evolve. It also enables manufacturers to improve performance incrementally, rather than waiting for major shutdowns to deliver meaningful gains.

The same thinking applies to existing aluminium plants. Most producers are not building new facilities from scratch but modernising their operations over time. Replacing everything at once is rarely practical, so modernisation must be delivered in carefully planned stages around production schedules, grid constraints and limited shutdown windows. An integrated architecture helps ensure new operating systems can be introduced with minimal disruption while building a more connected and adaptable plant over time.

The future runs as one

The aluminium industry has never faced greater pressure to produce more with less. Meeting that challenge will require more than incremental improvements to individual technologies.

The next gains will come from bringing power, automation and digital together as one operating system, where each reinforces the performance of the others. Plants that think as one are more efficient and resilient, enabling producers to improve performance today while building the foundation for the autonomous, lower-carbon aluminium operations of tomorrow.