Crossing the Atlantic to Argentina to Aluar

The Initial Situation

Aluar, a globally leading aluminum producer, faces the challenge of effectively managing its rapid growth and the associated modernization of its production facilities. As Argentina's sole primary aluminum producer, the company exports more than two-thirds of its production, supplying ingots, rods, wires, and aluminum alloys to industries such as construction and automotive.

The increasing number of controllers (300, mainly Siemens S7-300 and S7-400) during the modernization phase between 2005 and 2010 led to inefficient workflows and version control problems. The automation and maintenance team grew to over 100 users, resulting in sparse and incomplete documentation of software versions.

The Solution

Federico Ares, Automation Project Engineer at Aluar, searched extensively for a version control system for binary/proprietary data in automation. In his search, he found that common text-based systems did not meet the requirements and that specialized software for version control in automation often lacked broad support from control manufacturers or a robust version control architecture.

AUVESY-MDT's version control system proved to be the optimal solution for Aluar. The 60-day trial offered by AUVESY-MDT allowed Aluar to thoroughly evaluate the system in a real-world environment. Ares emphasizes, "We quickly identified the features that were important to us and the capabilities we were missing. The software impressed not only with its functionality, but also with its ease of implementation, its advantageous scripting solution, and its ability to easily meet individual requirements.

The software has been implemented primarily in the casting process, alumina reduction facilities, and peripheral facilities such as flue gas treatment and material flow.

The Result

The implementation of the AUVESY-MDT version control system at Aluar has led to significant improvements and positive changes. Federico Ares highlights the benefits in the production process and service. "The software has not only optimized version control, but has also greatly strengthened quality assurance," Ares points out.

All processes and tasks, including equipment, are now automatically backed up on a weekly basis. In the event of any deviations from the current status, the system immediately triggers an alarm, allowing the maintenance team to react quickly and address issues in a timely manner. This proactive backup strategy has not only increased asset and process security, but also minimized the risk of undetected safety hazards.

The software's change history provides clear traceability of changes, including the date, person responsible, and reason for the change. Ares emphasizes this aspect: "The transparent representation of changes has helped us maintain full control over the development process."

Another significant benefit is the simplification of management and the organized project architecture. "The software allows us to efficiently organize the project archive and directory structure," explains Ares. By locking components, version conflicts are avoided and changes can be reviewed efficiently, leading to a significant reduction in rework.

The AUVESY-MDT hotline is also considered to be extremely efficient and helpful. "Even when we ask for specific functionalities, we always receive a quick and supportive response, despite the geographical distance," says Ares. The hotline support has helped to solve potential problems quickly and to use the software effectively.

Overall, the AUVESY-MDT version control system has not only solved the technical challenges of version control, but has also optimized the overall production control and collaboration at Aluar. Data security, transparent change history and efficient communication between