In a recent conversation with Nozi Hamidi (Global Strategy Director), Peter De Bruyne (Global Business Director), and Peter Weissman (Senior Global Coatings Director), the trio shed light on how QH FLUID INTELLIGENCE™ is redefining fluid management in aluminium production. Peter Weissman addressed a long-standing challenge in the industry called manual fluid monitoring. Traditional methods rely heavily on time-consuming lab tests to measure key parameters like pH, temperature, and conductivity, particularly in conversion coating processes. Nozi Hamidi emphasised a critical gap in data utilisation. While aluminium plants are rich in operational data, they are concentrated around core production processes. Ancillary systems like fluid management often remain overlooked.

Here is an excerpt of his interview with us.

AL Circle: Quaker Houghton is well known as a leading global supplier of process fluids — what role are you playing in the digital transformation of the aluminium industry?

Nozi Hamidi: Our process fluids, lubricants and coatings are relied on by customers throughout the full value chain of aluminium production — from mine to mill and on to manufacturing. These fluids play an integral role in process control, equipment management and in delivering quality product, so it’s critical that they’re monitored and well maintained. But analysis and management of fluid parameters can often be lengthy, labour intensive and complex. Over the years we’ve developed hardware and software to help our customers overcome these challenges, and we now offer a fully digital, automated solution with our QH FLUID INTELLIGENCE™ platform that provides real-time monitoring and control of fluid performance.

Our focus has always been on helping customers improve production efficiency, reduce total cost of ownership, and produce the highest quality metal. With QH FLUID INTELLIGENCE™, we’re doing just that: leveraging automation and data — alongside our advanced fluids and process expertise — to keep our customers ahead in a changing world.

AL Circle: You mention that fluid management can be very manual. Which elements are you able to automate and does this bring any other advantages in addition to saving time?

Peter Weissman: Quaker Houghton designs process fluids to be as robust as possible, but as they have an active role in operations it’s unavoidable that they must be monitored and maintained. Across our portfolio of rolling fluids, metalworking fluids, cleaners and coatings, examples of fluid parameters include concentration, pH, temperature and conductivity. And it’s not uncommon for customers to be measuring these variables manually.

One example is the conversion coatings process in the surface finishing industry. Before coating and sealing, aluminium must first be cleaned to remove any oils or residues — otherwise the final surface may not be adequately protected from corrosion, or paint may not adhere. To control the cleaning process, key parameters such as pH, temperature and conductivity are measured. Manual sampling can be a lengthy, time-consuming process, with acid split laboratory tests that can sometimes take up to 10 hours. This delay prevents real-time dosing adjustments, which impacts on process control and quality. 

Using our QH FLUIDCONTROL™ WMS 100 hardware in combination with QH FLUIDTREND™ software, pH, conductivity and temperature can be measured in real time using sensor technology. But it’s not just the measurements that are automated. Depending on the readings, controllers will make automatic adjustments to the concentration of the baths, ensuring fluid concentration stays within ideal range to deliver optimal performance at all times. In addition to saving our customers valuable time, this automation supports consistency of process parameters and the resulting high surface quality.

To read the full interview, click here