“We are now celebrating 23rd Anniversary and we try to be always a step ahead towards the integration of green technology in the aluminium sectors,” Giovanni Margarotto, Managing Partner of T.T. Tomorrow

Giovanni Magarotto, 62 years old, is the founder and one of the Managing Partners of T.T. Tomorrow Technology. He has worked for 20 years in different fields of chemical, mechanical and metal (aluminium) industries, with a degree in Marketing and Business Administration in Padova and a masters in tax advisor and organisation. In 2000, he founded T.T. Tomorrow Technology, starting his own activity in the aluminium melting and recycling business. T.T. Tomorrow Technology’s core business is the design and production of special Multifunctional Furnace Tending Vehicles, Automatic Charging Systems and Automatic Skimmers, and various other transport vehicles for solid aluminium handling. The aim is to support the melting subsidiary phases of the aluminium casthouse as charging, cleaning and skimming of aluminium melting furnaces and to enhance the productivity and efficiency of the Aluminium casthouses.

AlCircle.com: What new special vehicles or equipment are you planning to manufacture in 2023 for primary and secondary aluminium sectors?

Giovanni Margarotto: Good point. So, our task for 2023 is to follow the great demand of the aluminium industry for decarbonization and reduction of energy costs in the production of primary and secondary aluminium metal. We are now celebrating 23rd Anniversary and we try to be always a step ahead towards the integration of green technology in the aluminium sectors, in the production of primary and secondary aluminium. And for this year, we have in mind two main efforts, not only for 2023 but for the next five to ten years. There are two main tasks for the next coming years that we have concentrated our efforts on in engineering technology. The first one is to increase and improve our presence in the primary sector, supplying what we consider so far the best technology available in the world. Concerning the anodes slots cutting technology, we are the market leader, having more than 20 installations worldwide. A couple of them are now undergoing construction in our plant. This new way to make primary aluminium is a modification of the production process in the pot operation. As a first impact, it saves 170 to 200-kilowatt hours of energy per tonne of aluminium produced. This is an immediate saving that our customer can convert into better efficiency of the pot rooms, can transform into extra production, or can save this energy consumption. It is a one-way ticket. All the installations we have worldwide are running since almost more than 15 years and none of our customers have returned to the original situation. So, all those customers that are using slotted anodes are following this way for the future as well, increasing and maybe the depth of the slots, reducing the thickness of the slots, but they will never go back to the standard baked anodes. And this is one of the two types of equipment we are concentrating on. The second one is the electrification of all our current vehicle production ranges. So in the future, or from today, we can supply standard vehicles with diesel engines or provide the same equipment with an electrical battery system so that they work electrically. These are the two main focuses for 2023. We have already completed the engineering and test phases of the electric vehicles. So, we are now in the position to supply electric vehicles together with diesel engine vehicles upon the customers' request. And we know that many primary plants and recycling or secondary aluminium plants are looking forward to this specific technology.

AlCircle.com: As recycling has taken centre stage in the aluminium industry, do you think your equipment and technology will be consumed more by secondary aluminium producers this year?

Giovanni Margarotto: Yes, especially the vehicles. We have a greater demand among secondary aluminium plants and recycling plants. The demand increased from the previous year. But it is important to note that several primary plants now have in-house recycling plants. So, they are now procuring scrap for their own customers. This is happening in India and the Middle East. It is a kind of new policy to save energy as much as possible and have a better relationship with customers. So, while companies like EGA or Hindalco in India are wanting to sell billets, they are looking to buy back the extruded profile scrap or the scrap for their customers. So, that's why we have seen a rising demand for technology for the secondary aluminium producer this year.

AlCircle.com: Do you think your existing equipment needs updation to help your customers achieve a more seamless production and delivery process?

Giovanni Margarotto: First of all, I would like to say that lifetime of one of our equipment is approximately in the range of between 15 to 20 years. We still have in operation the vehicles that we produced at the beginning of the year 2000. We are now, of course, implementing these vehicles with new features that are making the manoeuvrability and the use of this vehicle much more friendly. The most important upgrade that we are now installing or implementing in our vehicles is the control system. That means any vehicle is equipped with a communication system between the vehicle and the cast house. So, the cast house manager knows exactly who is on board of the vehicle and how many working hours he has provided in the cast house. They know exactly the tonnage or the weight of the solid aluminium that has been loaded into the furnace. And these data are filed in the cast house supervision system. So, they know the different types of alloy loaded into the furnaces. All these data are collected and kept in files just to be analyzed by the people at the end of the day. Another important technology implementation is the video camera system to continuously keep an eye on  the operational area around the vehicle and check the furnace condition before opening the door. So, we are in the position to have a camera communication system between the inside matting room and the vehicle and operator to monitor the situation inside the furnace. There are also some other safety installations that some years ago were not required, but now are mandatory for new environmental control of the diesel engine on the emission in the atmosphere. Hence, we are keeping the vehicle as updated as possible to meet not only the environmental restriction and regulation but also to improve the safety and the working condition of the operation inside the cast house.

AlCircle.com: Sustainability is a vital goal of the industry now. Have you started offering solutions that help primary aluminium producers reduce carbon emissions?

Giovanni Margarotto: Yes, this has been one of our main activities since the creation of this company. We have always been involved with the primary sector in pot room operation and pot room activities and have mainly concentrated our efforts on carbon area technology. I want to say here that, in my experience, the anodes have not always been considered an essential part of the process. Many plants were producing anodes in a very black and dark plant, which nobody cared for. All the efforts were concentrated on the production of pure light aluminium. However, in the last 15 years, the anodes have become an essential part of the process, and our company started to supply many years ago. I would like to say that about 17 to 20 years ago, we started producing our first anode cleaning machine. Twenty years ago, not many companies were considering an important task to clean the anodes before putting them in operation. Now it is a must. It is a must because cleaning the anodes means we are improving the condition, the stabilization of the pots, the conductivity of the electricity and the efficiency of the pots. That means we are improving the quality of the anodes inside the pot room, together with the cleaning of the anodes. We are now in the position to clean perfectly the old stuff and manage the anodes in a very proper way, just to speed up the process between the baking furnaces to the rolling shop. So I would like to say that for us, it is crucial to sustain carbon production, and as much as our technology is concerned, we are involved in providing high-quality anodes, ready to be installed in the pots without any contamination from packing material and with a very good casting stub rod. This system must be then integrated with the slotting activity of the anodes. So, now most of our anode slot cutting machines are supplied with the integration of the cleaning station and with the counter quality system, which is part of the package. So, this will allow our customers to save approximately 182 to 100 kilowatt hour of energy per tonne, a very important task for the smelters worldwide.

AlCircle.com: How much do you foresee primary and secondary aluminium producers will invest in technology this year to improve their operations further?

Giovanni Margarotto: I am just back from TMS in the United States last week, and I'm not sure for this year or next year whether many plants in the world will invest in green technology without considering first a previous step. So, we have to consider for now that the production scenario of molten metal has changed worldwide post the COVID-19 pandemic and amid the ongoing geo-political conflict between Ukraine and Russia. I guess the question to make before deciding is whether to invest in technology. Many companies in the world were ready for the automotive industry or packaging, but now they have to reconsider everything because the automotive industry is not any more demanding as before. The companies were ready to invest in making a Lloyd for the automotive industry but now have to reconvert their own activity. On the other hand, new car technology and the new electric cars, which seemed to be the future, are leading us to rethink it as there are not enough energy stations worldwide. Everyone in Italy, Europe, and America is looking to own electric cars, but when you need a charging station, there is no charging station around. However, the main point is not the charging station. The main point is the grid of the energy availability in the territory. I think primary and secondary aluminium sectors are still figuring out which product will drive customers' demand in the next couple of years before deciding where to invest their technology. For sure, in India, America, and Europe, there will be a huge demand for electrification, which can only be done with aluminium. So, I guess the future technology investment would be around wire rod production. 

AlCircle.com: Of all your existing equipment and technology, which according to you, will be most saleable in 2023?

Giovanni Margarotto: In my opinion, the most sellable equipment this year and next will be our furnace standing vehicles. We have a great scenario of much customized melting furnaces able to improve the melting rate and reduce energy consumption. However, now we have a high availability of about 15% to 20% of scrap and the rest of primary aluminium. Despite the fact that we have highly technological metal furnaces, it is very important to manage these furnaces properly. So, we have now spent a lot of efforts to make our furnace standing vehicle, as much as possible, suitable for these new furnaces with one, two or three chambers, with a very long telescopic boom up to 40ft or 12 meters, capable of skimming and cleaning in a very efficient way and very quickly.