Aktobe ferroalloy plant adopts AI and digital twins for production

The Aktobe ferroalloy plant has begun rolling out artificial intelligence and digital twins of its production. A virtual replica of the smelting furnaces lets engineers model operating regimes, tune melt parameters and predict equipment wear — without costly, risky experiments on live production.

In metallurgy this is direct money: every mistake in a smelting regime means wasted electricity and raw materials, and an unplanned furnace stop costs millions. A digital twin lets you "break" the virtual furnace as many times as needed so the real one runs without incidents.

It is telling that AI in Kazakhstan has reached heavy industry — a sector usually considered conservative. The adoption logic mirrors office processes: first digitize what is happening, then hand routine decisions to the algorithm, and keep humans in control of exceptions. If this approach pays off in ferroalloys, the entry barrier is far lower for mid-sized businesses with their accounting, warehouses and sales.