ABB has secured two orders from China’s Southwest Aluminum to supply integrated automation and digital technologies for two six-high aluminium cold rolling mills, supporting the manufacturer’s wide-strip production expansion and upgrade. The projects involve a 2,500 mm two-stand mill and a 3,000 mm single-stand mill, with both lines expected to be fully commissioned and operational by the end of 2027.
Chongqing-based Southwest Aluminum is a subsidiary of the Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco). The orders build on the longstanding cooperation between ABB and the aluminium producer, with the latest projects focusing on process stability, control precision and production performance.
ABB’s scope includes mill automation and process control through its ABB Ability System 800xA distributed control system (DCS), alongside drives, flatness control, sensing and measurement technologies. The integrated systems are designed to improve visibility into production performance and equipment condition.
A common automation architecture across both mills would help standardise operating environments, improve system compatibility and simplify maintenance and spare-parts management.
Frederik Esterhuizen, Global Manager of ABB’s Business Line Metals and Power Conversion, stated, “The two projects build on the experience ABB and Southwest Aluminum have developed together over many years.”
“Cold rolling places demanding requirements on process stability, control accuracy, and equipment availability,” he added.
Implementing “common automation architecture across the two mills” would further help Southwest Aluminum with “a strong foundation for optimising performance throughout the operating life of the lines.”