Ma’aden Aluminium to Implement MES Solution for Automotive Sheet Plant

The Saudi manufacturing plant for aluminium processing will apply the Croatian company 8Sigma’s innovative software solution Manufacturing Execution System (MES) to digitise aluminium sheet production for the automotive industry

di Alberto Pomari

Following Ma’aden Aluminium business strategy, the management of the aluminium smelter in the Saudi Arabia decided to digitalize their Automotive Sheet plant by implementing software solution Manufacturing Execution System (MES). After considering cooperation proposals received from several prominent companies, they concluded that the best offer was the one received from Croatian software company 8Sigma, whose experts have developed own solution 8Sigma MES and have already proved their expertise by working on some of the most demanding projects in the field of the metals industry. This cooperation is a part of Ma’aden Aluminium’s plan which includes a multi-million-dollar investment for a complete digitalization of the production processes in the rolling mill that produces aluminium coils for the automotive industry. The cooperation agreement that was signed in July 2019 refers to the first phase of the implementation of 8Sigma MES solution in the factory in Ras Al Khair Industrial City and will be completed and put into operation during 2020. According to this agreement, implemented MES will enable the factory’s staff and management to have a quick and real-time overview on all production phases. It will provide them with a possibility to track the product from the moment when it enters plant as a raw material to the moment when it is ready for delivery to the end customer. Some of the most important benefits of implementing MES solution will be also product quality increase, process optimization, as well as a possibility to compare employees’ performance and control machine efficiency. “We expect a quick and efficient implementation of MES solution by 8Sigma that will bring Industry 4.0 to automotive part of our complex and support us in further digitalization activities that we have been implementing from the very beginning of our plant. It will help us to increase quality control and also to strengthen our leading position on the market. By concluding this agreement, we have once again confirmed that Ma’aden Aluminium is a modern company oriented to continuous development and growth, which follows high technological and market trends”, said Abdulaziz Al-Ruwaily, Ma’aden Rolling Company Operation Director. Signing the cooperation agreement with one of the largest integrated aluminium complexes in the world is an additional proof of the quality of 8Sigma. On the occasion of signing the agreement, Director and Co-founder at 8Sigma, Mr. Marko Šatrak said: “It is a great honour to be a partner of a leading company in aluminium production and to support them in their further development. Implementation of 8Sigma MES is a confirmation of Ma’aden‘s tendency to be a state-of-the art company focused on reaching the highest product quality and achieving the most challenging business goals.”
As a supplier of high quality primary and rolled product solutions, Ma’aden Aluminium includes the development, design, construction and operation of two sites integrated in a mine-to-metal network. Since 2009, it has been a joint venture company with Alcoa, the world’s third – largest aluminium producer.