ABB will supply integrated automation, process control and digital technologies for two cold-rolling mills operated by Southwest Aluminum (Group) Co., Ltd. in Chongqing, China, as the aluminium producer expands and modernises its wide-strip manufacturing capabilities. Both mills are expected to be fully commissioned and operational by the end of 2027.
The project involves a 2,500 mm two-stand six-high cold rolling mill and a 3,000 mm single-stand six-high cold rolling mill. ABB’s technology package will include its Ability System 800xA distributed control system, drives, flatness control, sensing and measurement technologies.
The two production lines will use standardised automation architectures designed to improve compatibility between systems, establish consistent operating environments and simplify maintenance and spare-parts management.
Alongside the automation systems, ABB will implement its Ability Smart Manufacturing Solution for Cold Rolling Mill across both production lines. The platform will integrate production, quality and equipment data, enabling operators to assess mill performance, monitor product quality and evaluate equipment conditions.
ABB Ability History, an industrial time-series data management platform, will collect and store high-frequency process information for further analysis. This data will help monitor important rolling parameters, including thickness deviation and flatness, supporting greater visibility into production performance.
The technology package will also incorporate ABB’s Golden Coil analysis methodology, which is designed to identify and replicate operating practices associated with product quality, productivity, yield and energy consumption.
By bringing together production information and process analytics, the digital systems are intended to help Southwest Aluminum identify performance variations and improve consistency across its rolling operations.