Lotte Aluminium Materials USA LLC formed a strategic partnership with SMS group for the supply of an advanced digitalization package for Lotte’s greenfield aluminum cathode foil production plant being built in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The package will help the site to set new operational standards.
“With SMS group, we have the right partner for our business in the sensitive aluminum industry,” said Eun Seong Chang, CEO of Lotte Aluminium. “They impressed us with a digital package that also seamlessly integrates third-party equipment for the greenfield production of ultra-thin aluminum cathode foils for electric vehicle batteries. SMS group combines longstanding metallurgical and operational know-how with digitalization expertise — these strong competencies support us immensely on our road to enhancing aluminum foil production. Our strategic partnership contributes significantly to shaping the electric vehicle battery manufacturing landscape.”
The greenfield plant will produce 36,000 tons of ultra-thin cathode foil per year in response to the sharp rise in demand in the electric vehicle market. The facility includes six cold rolling mills and four slitting lines supplied by a third-party supplier, as well as the high-bay-storage system delivered by AMOVA, an SMS group company.
The new digitalization package will utilize cutting-edge technology to manage and optimize the full scope of the facility. This will enhance efficiency, quality, and customization in the manufacturing process from the start of production. Technologies involved in the package include SMS group’s DataFactory Suite for collecting all relevant production data from the very first product; the Manufacturing Execution Suite (MES), which serves as the planning and communication master to enable automatic execution of the entire plant’s production process; and the Quality Execution Suite (QES) for real-time, pass-based quality evaluation and product certification.
The high-bay storage system with around 500 storage locations is connected to the various process lines via appropriate conveyor technology and is equipped with warehouse management software developed by AMOVA. This logistical solution is directly linked to the MES, which allows for bi-directional communication on production and warehousing. Moreover, all systems integrate seamlessly with the third party equipment and automation to achieve efficient logistics throughout the plant.
Considering Lotte’s existing processes in various plants around the world, the digital package will also be fully customizable to meet the company’s production requirements, offering various operation-supporting functions such as inspection procedures, production support equipment planning and administration, claim assessment, and plant reporting on a shop floor, operations, strategy, and management level. In addition, the systems will allow remote access and control possibilities via overseas.
The MES enables pass-level production sequencing and intralogistics control, while the QES ensures genealogy tracking and time-length mapping from the first pass to the final product. The easy integration of multiple types of third-party surface inspection systems supports the enrichment of quality-related data as and where required. The QES automatic coil release functional automates the quality decision-making process and helps Lotte’s operational team to focus on demanding quality decisions. The QES also ensures that each coil is quality certified.
The long-term data storage of all production-relevant data in the DataFactory Suite means that quality process-oriented analyses can be carried out and production failures prevented. “This predictive approach is an example of the commitment to staying at the forefront of technological advancement in the aluminum industry and ensuring long-term success by also contributing to the reduction of global carbon emissions,” said Dr. Thiago Turchetti Maia, executive vice president CoE, SMS digital.
A global SMS team coordinated by a local project management office on site in the U.S. will enable effective communication and swift issue resolution. Furthermore SMS will support Lotte by providing a software maintenance contract in terms of a lifecycle partnership with predefined and on-demand services for continuous secured operations and improvements to keep the systems at the cutting edge of technology.