Norda Stelo and Fives Announce a Strategic Partnership to Advance Robotic Solutions for the Aluminium Industry

Norda Stelo is pleased to announce the formation of a strategic partnership with Fives, a global industrial group recognized for designing and delivering process equipment and production lines for the aluminium industry. This collaboration represents an important milestone in the international deployment of Norda Stelo’s robotic solutions.

This partnership reflects a shared vision between Norda Stelo and Fives to accelerate the adoption of robotic and digital technologies to support aluminium producers with safer, smarter, and more efficient operations. By joining forces, both organizations strengthen their collective ability to help customers improve safety, operational performance, and process reliability, while supporting the ongoing modernization of aluminium smelters worldwide.

As part of this partnership, Fives ECL will integrate Norda Stelo’s advanced robotic solutions into its Anode Rodding Shops (ARS). These solutions can be seamlessly connected upstream and downstream with SOFIA (Smart On the Fly Inspection and Analysis), Fives’ digital solution designed to characterize anode butt process parameters and improve operational quality.

By combining Norda Stelo’s robotics expertise with Fives’ equipment, process technologies, and global project execution capabilities, this partnership enables a robust and scalable approach to automation in one of the most demanding areas of aluminium smelter operations.

Complementary Expertise Serving the Aluminium Industry

Norda Stelo has over three decades of experience in industrial robotics and automation, specializing in the development and integration of sophisticated robotic systems tailored to the unique requirements of aluminium operations. Norda Stelo’s proven performance in numerous aluminium facilities across Canada highlights its capability to provide robust, accurate, and dependable automation solutions, which are specifically engineered for the rigorous environments of anode rodding shops.

This know-how complements Fives’ long-standing expertise in equipment design, process technologies, and digital solutions for the aluminium industry, creating a strong foundation for joint value creation.

Under this partnership, Fives will promote, integrate, and support two of Norda Stelo’s flagship robotic solutions within its aluminium portfolio:

• Robotic anode stub cleaning: a fully automated system replacing manual stub cleaning with highprecision robotic tools. It allows to eliminate manual exposure to dust and vibration while improving cleaning quality and consistency.
• Robotic skimming solution: a fixedbase robotic system that optimizes molten metal skimming operations. It improves production performance and product quality while significantly reducing operator workload and safety risks.

Supporting International Deployment

Within the scope of this partnership, Fives acts as the exclusive commercial representative for Norda Stelo’s robotic anode butt cleaning and skimming solutions in markets outside of Canada. Fives is responsible for customer interface, commercial activities, and project execution, while Norda Stelo remains responsible for the robotic expertise, technical support, and continuous innovation behind the solutions.

This collaboration enables aluminium producers worldwide to benefit from a fully integrated offering, supported by Fives’ global presence and international service network.

About Norda Stelo

Norda Stelo is a Quebec-based consulting-engineering firm operating in Canada and internationally. It assists public and private organizations in carrying out complex projects related to infrastructure, transportation, natural resources, energy, and manufacturing. Its approach is based on asset sustainability, risk management, and the integration of digital solutions to support informed decision-making in the context of climate and industrial transition. The company has nearly 900 employees.

About Fives

Fives is an industrial engineering group founded in 1812 in France, designing and supplying machines, process equipment, and production lines for the world’s largest industrial companies. For more than 210 years, the Fives Group has been at the heart of industrial revolutions. From the first railway lines to the elevators of the Eiffel Tower and space exploration, Fives has always been at the forefront of the industry’s future. As a pioneer in decarbonization, the Group is a key partner in the energy transition of industry. Today, Fives can deliver both environmental and economic performance in 25 countries, meeting the specific needs of each local market through its more than 8,500 employees.

Within the Group’s Aluminum division, the teams specialize in the design and supply of process equipment and the management of complete installations for the carbon and electrolysis sectors of primary aluminum. They also offer high-performance solutions to treat emissions from the cement, minerals, waste-to-energy, and syngas industries, as well as lifting and handling equipment across various sectors.

The Aluminum division has approximately 900 employees in 9 countries, including France, Norway, Canada, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, India, South Africa, and Australia.