Boost productivity by up to 25 percent

The Process Consultancy Services offered by Siemens VAI Metals Technologies help manufacturers of flat aluminum products to boost their productivity and yield and to improve product quality.

The process consultancy services can be tailored to specific requirements, ranging from examining one single sub-system to analyzing complete factory operations. At a Chinese foil mill, it was possible to increase productivity by around 25 percent.

As a leading vendor of plant technology for the aluminum industry, Siemens VAI has references from all over the world, including compact aluminum, reversing warm rolling, tandem rolling, cold rolling and foil roll mills. Its industry-specific know-how encompasses process control and electrical engineering as well as fluid technology and mechanics.

Based on process-oriented consulting packages, Siemens VAI checks operational processes or workflow and production planning. Suggestions are then put forward for improving productivity or quality. In addition, an analysis of the factory and existing production facilities provides a decision-making basis for pending investments in modernization or expansion projects and yields information about options for extending the product portfolio.

Depending on the plant, the potential for improvements can be considerable. Thus, in a high-speed foil rolling mill in China, it was possible to boost productivity by up to 25% by reducing pre-stress levels in relation to the rolling speed.

The process consultancy services are provided by an interdisciplinary team of technical specialists for all kinds of systems, manufacturing facilities and production processes.

The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the world's leading supplier of production, transportation, building and lighting technologies. With integrated automation technologies as well as comprehensive industry-specific solutions, Siemens increases the productivity, efficiency and flexibility of its customers in the fields of industry and infrastructure. The Sector consists of six Divisions: Building Technologies, Drive Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility and Osram. With around 222,000 employees worldwide Siemens Industry posted in fiscal year 2008 a profit of EUR3.86 billion with revenues totaling EUR38 billion.

With the business activities of Siemens VAI Metals Technologies, (Linz, Austria), Siemens Water Technologies (Warrendale, Pa., U.S.A.), and Industrial Technologies, (Erlangen, Germany), the Siemens Industry Solutions Division (Erlangen, Germany) is one of the world's leading solution and service providers for industrial and infrastructure facilities. Using its own products, systems and process technologies, Industry Solutions develops and builds plants for end customers, commissions them and provides support during their entire life cycle. With around 31,000 employees worldwide Siemens Industry Solutions achieved an order intake of EUR 8.415 billon in fiscal year 2008.