True to its reputation as a technology and innovation-driven company, Sohar Aluminium is harnessing the transformational potential of Industry 4.0 in its quest to position itself as the ‘Smelter of the Future’.
Overcoming the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic since early 2020, Sohar Aluminium (SA) recorded an excellent annual production of primary aluminium totalling 396,929 tonnes in 2020. Timely business continuity measures initiated by the company management have greatly contributed to this achievement. The year 2021 so far seems to be witnessing a similar trend in production and other overall key performance indicators (KPIs).
The Company is jointly owned by OQ S.A.O.C representing the Omani government (40%), Abu Dhabi National Energy Company - TAQA (40%), and Rio Tinto Alcan (20%) that also provides the efficient AP39 smelting technology and sales support. The company’s primary products include hot metal, primary aluminium Ingots, and primary aluminium Sows.
In its brief history of just over 10 years as one of the Middle East’s youngest greenfield aluminium smelters, SA has achieved several accolades and milestones attesting to its superior technological underpinnings and operational excellence. From the use of leading-edge smelting technology with progressive increase in amperage, to the deployment of state-of-the-art production, efficiency and safety optimisation tools, technological innovation has long been the cornerstone of its ambition to become the benchmark smelter in the region.
Traversing this journey, SA has embarked on yet another exciting leap into the future aided by emerging technologies that form part of the 4th Industrial Revolution. From Mobile Connectivity, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data to Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning, Industry 4.0 has the potential to accelerate the digital transformation under way at the smelter.
Sohar Aluminium has embraced some elements of Industry 4.0 ever since it came on stream, and it continues to evaluate new technologies and innovations as they materialise on its continuous journey of improvements.
Automation – a key facet of Industry 4.0’s suite of breakthrough technologies has long been the hallmark of Sohar Aluminium’s investment in a modern smelter. Advanced automation technologies are a defining characteristic of the company’s operations. Similarly, robotics is an integral part of the company’s Casthouse operations, eliminating any potential for human interaction with unsafe material handling, thereby reducing the risk of injury to its operators. Robotic cranes assist in the stacking of the refined metal bundles and applying labels to them.
Adopting the Internet of Things (IoT) – an ecosystem of connected machines, equipment, devices, and physical objects that can communicate with each other has been another step forward towards the future. SA uses the Industrial IoT, which connects all its systems with the enterprise. This means that all the data from the shop floor, production units, and so on, is captured on the dashboards in real time thereby adding increased value to the business.
Equally promising is the deployment of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions to improve process control at Sohar Aluminium. With a combination of ML and AI, the IT department, in particular the Automation team sees the potential to automatically record, network and use numerous machine and system parameters that can be harnessed to plan downtimes, increase productivity, and drive quality. Not surprisingly, some elements of Machine Learning are already a part of Sohar Aluminium’s processes – the result of an abiding commitment to staying abreast of technology.
Data Analytics – another Industry 4.0 technological offering is also proving handy in enhancing maintenance and operational processes at Sohar Aluminium. Historical data is used to forecast equipment failures and process deviations. This improves SA’s uptime and allows for proactive maintenance rather than reactive while also enabling to achieve a high level of operational production.
Sohar Aluminium believes that Industry 4.0 helps in improving productivity, efficiency, safety, resource utilisation, increasing machine uptimes and reducing breakdowns by using smart sensors and such technologies. It also enables self-diagnosis, reducing turnover time, preventing breakdowns, and reducing human intervention which will reduce human errors.
The adoption of Industry 4.0 tools began in earnest a couple of years ago with members of the IT Team evaluating the applicability of these technologies and their deployment in key departments within the organisation while also engaging with relevant vendors with a view to ascertaining their efficacy within Sohar Aluminium. Furthermore, members of the Automation team have come up with their own in-house solutions as cost-effective alternatives to vendor-promoted offerings.
Being mindful that the roll-out of Industry 4.0 is no small feat, SA has embarked on a plant-wide awareness programme designed to ensure that the company’s sizeable technical staff are fully on board in the delivery of this ambitious project.
The company has taken a proactive approach to managing the impact of the COVID-9 pandemic. As always, the health and safety of its workforce has remained top priority in addition to business and operations continuity. Several actions were taken including the formation of a special committee mandated with planning and overseeing implementation of actions, and precautionary procedures. The workforce on site was reduced with work-from-home plans initiated which was made possible with the adoption of technologies that allowed its employees to work remotely without any loss of productivity.
As a testament to its glittering journey, Sohar Aluminium recently claimed the topmost position in His Majesty the Sultan’s Award for Industrial Excellence 2021. This is the third time that the company has won this prestigious award, other than various other awards and trophies at local, regional, and international levels for Nationalisation, Corporate Social Responsibility, Human Resources Administration and Development, Occupational Health, Community Service, and Environment Protection.
Sohar Aluminium was formed in September 2004 to undertake a landmark Greenfield aluminium smelter project in the Sultanate. Its establishment stands on a strong foundation of decades-long industry insight in design, specification, and construction. This has ensured efficiency, environmental protection, and utmost safety of its workforce.