“We have no doubt that the long-term future of aluminium is bright”, Cédric Schmuck, Deputy CEO of REEL International SAS

Cédric Schmuck is Deputy CEO at REEL International SAS, where he has over 25 years’ experience in different Engineering, Project Management, Business development, and Executive management positions. Active since 1999 in the aluminium industry, Cédric has been in charge of REEL’s Aluminium Division till end 2020. Cédric graduated from engineering school Arts et Métiers in Lyon and holds an MBA from Würzburg University, Germany.

Here is a brief excerpt of his interview with AlCircle:

AlCircle: Could you please share the insights of the latest acquisition of FLS Möller and Outotec Aluminium business by REEL?

Mr Cédric Schmuck: At REEL, we strongly believe in the future of sustainable aluminium, which will be key in the global efforts in the fight against climate change. As demand for the metal grows, aluminium producers look for solutions to efficiently increase their production in a way which is also environmentally responsible. We realized early on that REEL is well positioned to provide such solutions to the industry but needed to expand our portfolio to be able to offer broader packages for the benefit of our customers. Our acquisition strategy starting with Alesa in 2015, now complemented with FLS’s Möller and Outotec’s aluminium business, are helping us to reach this goal. Both have been in the forefront of offering the most efficient solutions in their respective technological areas and now we’ll be in a unique position to further develop our products. For example, a key industry challenge which we will address together is how to optimize the carbon area using digital solutions ranging from raw material handling all the way through the baking furnace to the rodshop. All in all, we are now better placed to provide the most relevant solutions to our clients, in the most efficient way.

AlCircle: Please explain how REEL is delivering service to existing aluminium smelters in regards to modernization, replacement and low emission.

Mr Cédric Schmuck: Over the last few years, we have been adapting our offering to the profound changes we have observed in our market. Fifteen years ago, we mostly supplied equipment for greenfield aluminium smelter projects. Nowadays, it is mostly about upgrading existing, sometimes relatively old, plants while delivering the benefits “turnkey”. All this required the development of specific technical solutions that can be tailor-made to each specific site. Brownfield projects are often more challenging to implement, and experience with these have taught us valuable skills on how to ensure minimal operational impact and most importantly the health and safety of the employees on site. As an example, in 2020 we completed the entire refurbishment of two Gas Treatment Centres at the Hydro Husnes smelter in Norway. I thought this was an excellent testament to our skills in modernizing old facilities to “state of the art”, on a turnkey basis, and certainly gave the plant a much longer lifetime..

Sustainability is not just about lowest specific emissions but also about the lifetime of the equipment used, and this has been a driver of our teams to understand how to increase design life of our products, often in collaboration with the operators. A good example of this are our pot tending machines and furnace tending assemblies where we’ve implemented modernizations and added “industry 4.0” features, all while using the original structures. On the ex-Outotec side, some of the green anode plants even built in the 60s and 70s are still in use, but have been modernized along the way and are achieving record production even today.

AlCircle: How is REEL uniquely equipped to meet the technological advancements and environmental needs of the future?

Mr Cédric Schmuck: At REEL, we are operating in markets that are well known to be at the forefront of technological innovation and environmental stewardship – I’m thinking in particular of the nuclear and aeronautic sectors. Our aluminium division has benefited strongly from this mindset and access to critical competencies. We’ve implemented a strong digital agenda across the group and particularly in aluminium will now benefit from our broader portfolio to optimize larger systems., I also want to highlight our strong capacity and track record in the development and industrialization of breakthrough technologies, such as automatic pot covers’ handling on our PTM. This is probably what sets us up apart. Our objective is clear: to lead the aluminium industry (r)evolution and support its transition towards a greener, carbon free production.

AlCircle: How do you envisage the year 2021 for the global aluminium industry after all the pandemonium in 2020 due to the COVID-19?

Mr Cédric Schmuck: We have no doubt that the long-term future of aluminium is bright. But there will be ups and downs and the current situation is of course particularly volatile. REEL has built a resilient organization, and we have been fortunate to receive nice orders even during the more troubled times last year, whereas now the current market situation looks very positive for our customers. The bottom line is that we will be ready to support our clients in whatever they need – from remote technical support, to new investment projects.

AlCircle: What will be REEL’s primary focus in terms of investment and expansion in 2021?

Mr Cédric Schmuck: In the short-term, we will be busy organizing ourselves to ensure our clients fully benefit from the synergies I mentioned before, particularly ensuring that we further improve our customer coverage locally in each of our key regions by leveraging each other’s’ presence. But we are constantly on the look-out for opportunities to complete our portfolio of products and services and thus consolidate our position as the partner of choice for aluminium producers. Currently our main focus is on developing our range of offers in environmental solutions for aluminium smelters.