UC RUSAL and GAZ to develop new machinery for national aluminum production

UC RUSAL announced the start of a joint project with GAZ Group to develop new machinery for the aluminum industry. The prototypes will be tested by RUSAL's Siberian facilities in September.

GAZ engineering division specialists are developing a pot crust breaking machine, metal handling trucks, alumina loading machines and a stud cleaning unit. This project is a part of the large-scale modernization program held at RUSAL’s operations and provides for the utilization of advanced machinery and equipment for the process automation and labour productivity improvement purposes. The implementation of the joint project will enable RUSAL to upgrade the aluminum production process in terms of safety and efficiency. The new prototypes will be tested at the Novokuznetsk, Krasnoyarsk and Bratsk aluminum smelters.

Following the testing of the prototypes, the Company will consider buying the new machines for all of its smelters. One of the possible options is to launch the manufacturing of the machines directly at RUSAL's sites.

Mr Vladislav Soloviev first deputy CEO of UC RUSAL said that “A dynamic business development is impossible without a special engineering base in place. Together with GAZ Group we are going to develop the best design solutions to manufacture the machinery required by our operations. Some production operations which do not add value will be automated, while some will be excluded from the process completely. The introduction of purpose built machinery to RUSAL’s production facilities will raise the Company's efficiency as a whole.”