Hertwich Engineering of Austria commissioned a batch homogenizing facility and a cooling station at DUBAL in the United Arab Emirates. The facility, which is designed for extra-fast heating of billets, is fully automated and regulated via measured air and metal temperatures. A reversing-air concept and regulation by flaps accelerates the heating by an estimated 20% and achieves improved temperature uniformity. This is the third homogenizing plant to be built by Hertwich Engineering within DUBAL’s aluminum-smelter complex.