Karthik Sitaraman

Senior Manager - DCS & PIMS, ATA Technical, Upstream at Emirates Global Aluminium

My name is Karthik Sitaraman and I represent Emirates Global Aluminium’s Al-Taweelah Alumina Refinery which started Operations in Mar 2019.
I head their Automation and MES division and we have established the most automated green fields chemical process that came into operations in the region in the last 3 years using a number of Industry 4.0 enablers.
In our facility we use advanced analytics, asset performance management, edge computing, remote monitoring, material movement management, digital twin, predictive analytics using APC, Robotic Process Automation, Wireless Instrumentation. All these are running on fully virtualised platform - in our words - a private cloud.
I am amazed and excited at the rate of technology advancements. We are a little careful though. We don’t chase technology for technology’s sake. We are very early adapters and users of Industry 4.0 only (r) only when technology provides a “value add” and presents economically viable and operationally feasible “use cases”.
My background:
I have 30 years of work experience. 17 of these in Operating companies in O&G and MMM having helped build 4 greenfield projects and transitioning into operating roles.
This is supplemented with 13 yrs experience with leading Automation suppliers like Honeywell and Invensys.