As the feed industry navigates the challenges and opportunities of automation and digitalization, ANDRITZ is committed to leading the way forward. The company’s strategic initiatives, embodied in the Metris Digital Platform, signal a future where technology and innovation drive growth, sustainability, and resilience. “The feed industry, historically more conservative when it comes to digital adoption, is now witnessing the lasting marks of digitalization, automation, and artificial intelligence,” Dr. Nazari notes.
Vice President of Automation & Digitalization
ANDRITZ
The feed industry is at the brink of a technological revolution, one that promises to redefine operations, enhance efficiency, and introduce an era of digitalization previously unseen in this sector. At the forefront of this transformative journey is ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel, a company that has not only recognized the potential of digital technologies but also positioned itself as a leader in driving innovation.
We sat down with Dr. Sohail Nazari, Vice President of Automation & Digitalization at ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel, to gain exclusive insights into how the company is steering the feed industry towards new opportunities.
THE DIGITALIZATION IMPERATIVE
The journey towards digital transformation is not just about keeping pace with technological advancements but is a strategic necessity for endurance and growth in an industry that is dynamic and volatile. “The feed industry, historically more conservative when it comes to digital adoption, is now witnessing the lasting marks of digitalization, automation, and artificial intelligence,” Dr. Nazari notes. He underscores the need for the industry to move beyond traditional methods, drawing inspiration from sectors such as pulp & paper, oil & gas, aerospace, and even mining & mineral processing, which have been quicker to embrace digital solutions. “Process automation is not new to our industry, but the extent and sophistication with which we now integrate these technologies into our operations have significantly evolved.”
PIONEERING WITH METRIS: A DIGITAL PLATFORM FOR THE FUTURE
ANDRITZ’s response to the digitalization challenge is Metris, an all-encompassing digital platform developed originally for the pulp and paper industry, now adapted to meet the unique needs of the feed sector.
“Metris represents our commitment to innovation and excellence, providing a suite of automation and digitalization solutions that address the critical challenges of maintenance, reliability, and plant operations,” explains Dr. Nazari.
With over 15 years of development, Metris is the result of continuous efforts to advance the process industry through digital technologies. “The motto of our campaign is NEVER STAND STILL. This is because we believe the feed industry should not stand still when it comes to adopting new digital technologies and should not wait. We want to be a pioneer in capturing the value these technologies offer to our industry.”
A TURNKEY APPROACH TO FEED PROCESSING
Underpinning ANDRITZ’s digitalization strategy is a turnkey approach that encompasses a comprehensive suite of control solutions. “Our aim is to offer a seamless, holistic solution that not only addresses current needs but also anticipates future challenges,” Nazari states. This approach is backed by a global team of over 2,200 engineers dedicated to automation and digitalization, continuously working towards the development & implementation of state-of-the-art solutions. “In 2019, ANDRITZ won the Disrupt mining competition for bringing a practical way to utilize artificial intelligence in mining industry, by 2023, out global automation and digitalization was recognized as the largest system integrator globally by System Integrator Giants Magazine. Just recently, we won the 2024 Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award in the category of disrupt.”
VISION 2027: THE ERA OF AUTONOMOUS FEED PLANTS
A significant milestone Dr. Nazari discusses is ANDRITZ’s ambition to achieve fully autonomous feed plant operations by 2027. “Imagine a feed plant where every decision, every operation, is optimized and controlled by advanced digital systems,” he envisions. While acknowledging the financial and technological hurdles in achieving Level 5 autonomy—where robots undertake equipment maintenance—Dr. Nazari is confident in reaching Level 4 autonomy. This level of automation will ensure decisions in the control room are made swiftly and accurately, thanks to a sophisticated digital infrastructure.
BOLD SOLUTIONS WITH BOLD ADVANTAGES
“Our customers have reported output increases ranging from 7% up to 16% while seeing a dramatic reduction in process deviations and abnormalities.” Dr. Nazari is quick to highlight the tangible benefits that the Metris Digital Platform offers to the industry, focusing on operational efficiency, resilience, and readiness. “Our digitalization suite is truly revolutionizing operations, providing a holistic, turnkey approach to feed processing and reducing variability in operation by 60%. Leveraging SMART Diagnosis technology, our customers have seen a reduction in maintenance costs and a significant improvement in production consistency and efficiency.”
On operational resiliency, Dr. Nazari explains the proactive measures ANDRITZ employs to safeguard operations against cyber threats. “Through OTORIO, ANDRITZ’s dedicated in-house provider, we ensure comprehensive protection for our customers’ operations, effectively mitigating digital risks to meet IEC 62443 standards. The result is an environment where our customers can focus on production, knowing their operations are safe.”
On the strides made in operational readiness, ANDRITZ showcases its leading and expert position by pioneering the use of digital twin technology in the feed industry. This move is more than a technological leap forward and introduces significant advantages. As Dr. Nazari notes, “ANDRITZ is bringing full-scale digital twin technology to enable virtual commissioning, which allows up to 90% of potential issues to be resolved ahead of on-site commissioning and provides users with a substantial competitive edge. Tasks that require mere minutes to assess within the simulator typically need an hour or more for evaluation in the field.”
CYBERSECURITY AT THE FOREFRONT
With technological advancements, inevitably, companies become increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats. Dr. Nazari underscores the paramount importance of cybersecurity in the digital transformation journey. “Cybersecurity has gone from an IT concern to a critical component of operational technology,” he asserts. Through strategic acquisitions and rigorous standards compliance, ANDRITZ ensures the highest level of protection for its digital and automation solutions.
THE SUSTAINABLE IMPACT
Dr. Nazari also touches on the sustainability aspect, reflecting on the role of digital technologies in promoting sustainability within the feed industry. “Decreasing energy usage is, of course, one of the goals of our solutions. The interesting part is that increasing the product and at the same decreasing energy consumption do not have to be mutually exclusive,” he explains, emphasizing that efficiency and productivity gains do not have to come at the expense of sustainability.
Building on this foundation, ANDRITZ has developed a unique patented technology that significantly decreases energy consumption in dryers, coolers, and conditioners by more than 17% while simultaneously increasing production by 16%. Expanding on the impact of this innovation, Dr. Nazari further elaborates, “Our digital solutions are designed not only for efficiency and productivity but also for reducing environmental impact. Our customers don’t need to choose one or the other. Our approach is truly holistic, addressing the industry trends and the needs of our customers, while offering comprehensive benefits. That’s the new benchmark ANDRITZ is setting.”
LOOKING AHEAD
As the feed industry navigates the challenges and opportunities of automation and digitalization, ANDRITZ is committed to leading the way forward. The company’s strategic initiatives, embodied in the Metris Digital Platform, signal a future where technology and innovation drive growth, sustainability, and resilience. Dr. Nazari concludes, “Our path is clear: to keep leading with state-of-the-art solutions, ensuring that we, our customers, and the industry, are never standing still. We see a future defined not just by the challenges we overcome, but by the opportunities we seize through innovation.”
About Dr. Sohail Nazari
Dr. Sohail Nazari currently serves as the Head of the Automation and Digitalization Business Unit and Global Vice President of the Feed and Biofuel Division at ANDRITZ.
Since 2006, Nazari has been a dedicated advocate and facilitator for introducing advanced digital technologies into various industries, including Automotive, Oil & Gas, Pulp & Paper, Mining & Mineral Processing, and Feed & Biofuels. His primary focus is helping operations achieve higher efficiency and productivity through digital transformation while also reducing their carbon footprint by decreasing energy consumption. Along this journey, he has successfully launched and commercialized multiple digitalization products and businesses, received numerous awards, been invited as a keynote speaker in various professional settings, and holds a patent.
Dr. Nazari earned his PhD from the University of Alberta, Canada, in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2013.
