Citizens experience the fascination of aluminium

On 29 October, Trimet opened the gates of its aluminium smelter in Essen-Bergeborbeck to the public. Around 70 visitors took the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of aluminium production. During the one-and-a-half-hour tour, they learned about the production and processing of the light metal and about the various job profiles in modern aluminium production. The event was part of the Long Night of Industry, an initiative of the Zukunft durch Industrie (Future through Industry) association under the patronage of North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst, which aims to introduce citizens to industrial production in the Rhine-Ruhr region.

‘Aluminium is a material with a promising future and makes our industry an attractive career field for young people,’ says Dr Roman Düssel, plant manager at Trimet in Essen. ’During the tour, the guests showed great interest in our topics. At Trimet, we combine technical innovations with ecological progress.’

The tour began for the participants in one of three electrolysis halls. With a total of 360 electrolysis furnaces, Trimet produces 165,000 tonnes of primary aluminium here every year. In addition to learning how the liquid light metal is produced at a temperature of 960 degrees Celsius, the guests also found out how the aluminium is prepared for further processing. In the foundry, they were given an overview of more than a dozen melting and casting furnaces, which Trimet uses to produce, among other things, extrusion and rolling ingots for further processing in the automotive, packaging and mechanical engineering industries. 285,000 tonnes of foundry products are produced annually at Trimet's Essen site.

Trimet's specialists were on hand to answer visitors' questions. The young guests in particular were interested in learning about the various applications of aluminium and the prospects that the light metal offers our economy and society for reducing CO2 emissions. The technology also attracted interest. Questions were asked about the approximately 140-year-old production process and the importance of digitalisation. The Long Night of Industry was a complete success for Trimet. ‘The world of aluminium is fascinating. All our guests were able to experience this live and up close today,’ says Trimet plant manager Düssel.