Saudi Arabia's Ma’aden Aluminium has signed up top European software solutions supplier 8Sigma to help digitise its automotive sheet plant.

This cooperation is a part of Ma’aden Aluminium’s plan which includes a multi-million-dollar investment for a complete digitalisation of the production processes in the rolling mill that produces aluminium coils for the automotive industry. The cooperation agreement that was signed recently 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.

Following Ma’aden Aluminium business strategy, the management of this largest aluminum producer in the Middle East decided to digitise the plant by implementing software solution Manufacturing Execution System (MES).

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.

Once the MES gets implemented, it will enable the factory’s staff and management to have a quick and real-time overview on all production phases. It will also 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.

Ma’aden Rolling Company operation director Abdulaziz Al Ruwaily said: “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 digitalisation activities 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,” he stated.

Signing the cooperation agreement with one of the largest integrated aluminum complexes in the world is an additional proof of the quality of 8Sigma, remarked director and co-founder Marko Šatrak.

“It is a great honour to be a partner of a leading company in aluminum 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,” he added.