ABB has secured two orders from Southwest Aluminum (Group) Co., Ltd. — a core aluminum producer within China Aluminum (Chinalco) — to deliver integrated automation, process control, and digital solutions for two new six-high wide-strip aluminum cold rolling mills. The projects form a key part of Southwest Aluminum's expansion and quality upgrade program, with both lines expected to be fully commissioned and operational by the end of 2027.
The Scope — Two Six-High Cold Rolling Mills
The contract covers two separate mill lines at Southwest Aluminum's Chongqing headquarters:
| Mill Spec |
Configuration |
Width |
ABB Deliverables |
| Line 1 |
Six-high, two-stand |
2,500 mm |
Full mill automation + drives + flatness control |
| Line 2 |
Six-high, single-stand |
3,000 mm |
Process control + digital analytics + measurement |
Both mills will operate under a common ABB automation architecture — standardizing the underlying control system to deliver more consistent operation, simplified maintenance, and streamlined spare-parts management across the two lines.
ABB Technology Stack Deployed
At the heart of the solution is ABB Ability™ System 800xA®, ABB's flagship distributed control system (DCS) for process industries:
1. ABB Ability™ System 800xA — Mill Automation & Process Control
System 800xA replaces legacy mill control with a unified platform covering pass scheduling, gauge control, flatness control, tension regulation, and mill interlocks. Key deployed products include:
2. ABB Ability™ Smart Manufacturing Solution for Cold Rolling Mill
ABB's digital platform integrates production, quality, and equipment data from both mills into a single operations dashboard. The solution provides:
- Real-time visibility into mill performance — pass-by-pass production data, thickness deviation trends, and flatness metrics
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ABB Ability™ History — industrial time-series data management platform capturing high-frequency rolling parameters for trend analysis and business intelligence
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Golden Coil analysis methodology — identifies and replicates the process settings that produce the highest quality, most productive, and lowest-energy-consumption coils
- Condition monitoring, drive performance analysis, and hydraulic diagnostics in a common environment — supporting predictive maintenance and earlier fault detection
3. Drives, Flatness Control & Sensing
Beyond the DCS and digital stack, ABB will supply:
- Low- and medium-voltage variable frequency drives (VFDs) for mill rolls, conveyors, and auxiliaries
- Flatness measurement and closed-loop control systems for strip shape optimization
- Strip thickness gauges, profile measurement sensors, and temperature monitoring instrumentation
Business Impact — What Southwest Aluminum Gains
By standardizing on System 800xA and deploying the Smart Manufacturing digital layer, Southwest Aluminum targets:
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Reduced strip thickness deviation — tighter gauge tolerances across the full 2,500–3,000 mm product width
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Lower energy consumption — Golden Coil analysis identifies the most energy-efficient operating parameters for each product recipe
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Higher line availability — predictive maintenance reduces unplanned downtime across drives, hydraulics, and mechanical systems
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Simplified maintenance — common spare-parts inventory, unified HMI, and one control system across both mills
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Data-driven quality optimization — high-frequency time-series analysis surfaces process bottlenecks and quality root causes
Why ABB for Aluminum Rolling?
ABB and Southwest Aluminum have worked together since 1988. ABB brings a depth of metals-industry expertise built on over 700 references in processing lines worldwide. Its Roll@xA automation suite is purpose-designed for rolling processes, covering:
- Pass scheduling and setup calculation for high-productivity rolling campaigns
- Integrated gauge, flatness, and profile control for tight product tolerances
- Real-time quality assessment against material and process specifications
- Seamless integration between process control, drives, measurement, and production planning
ABB Product Supply — PLC Source PRO
PLC Source PRO stocks the full ABB System 800xA, AC 800M, and S800 I/O product lines for industrial automation retrofit and expansion projects. All parts ship with authentic ABB packaging and worldwide competitive shipping:
| ABB Family |
Featured Part |
Application in Cold Rolling |
| AC 800M Controller |
PM857K01 |
Main mill process controller |
| AC 800M CPU |
PM862K01 |
High-performance redundant CPU |
| S800 I/O HART AI |
AI815 |
Gauge, flatness, temp sensors |
| S800 I/O Analog Out |
AO815 |
Control valve & actuator drive |
| S800 I/O Digital In |
DI803 |
Mill interlock feedback |
| Profinet Comm |
CI871 |
Mill fieldbus networking |
| EtherNet/IP Comm |
CI873 |
Drive & sensor Ethernet |
| Advant 31 Basic |
07 KT 96 |
Legacy metals rolling control |
| Advant CS31 |
07 AC 91 |
CS31 fieldbus I/O |
| Modulebus Adaptor |
TB805 |
Fieldbus extension |
Contact sales@plcsourcepro.com for real-time OEM pricing or ABB retrofit project quotes.
FAQ
What is Southwest Aluminum's relationship to Chinalco?
Southwest Aluminum (Group) Co., Ltd. is a core subsidiary within China Aluminum Corporation (Chinalco). Headquartered in Chongqing, it is one of China's most comprehensive aluminum material manufacturers, producing high-performance alloys for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications.
When will the two mills be commissioned?
Both mills are scheduled for full commissioning and operational ramp-up by the end of 2027. The ABB Scope 1 system integration phase runs through 2026, followed by installation and cold/hot commissioning.
Why standardize on one automation platform across both mills?
Common control system standards reduce spare-parts inventory, simplify operator training, enable coordinated production scheduling, and make future maintenance and digital expansion significantly easier — a key driver for both ABB and Southwest Aluminum.
What does ABB Ability™ History do?
ABB Ability™ History is ABB's industrial time-series data management platform. For the cold rolling mills, it captures thickness deviation, flatness, tension, and energy consumption data at high frequency, enabling the Golden Coil analysis methodology to identify and replicate best-practice process settings.
Disclaimer: Based on ABB's November 2, 2026 press release. Project timelines and specifications subject to final commissioning schedules. Consult ABB directly for detailed technical specifications.