Montreal (Canada) - EPIQ Machinery, a world-class equipment manufacturer, continues its rapid growth. The company is to acquire the mining and metals activities of Alizent Canada and Alizent USA. Following this upcoming acquisition, a new entity will be created: EPIQ DIGITAL.

This highly strategic acquisition project will make it possible for EPIQ Machinery to enhance its service offering by providing a state-of-the-art digital operations management platform that better serves its clients in the aluminium sector, who are transitioning into Industry 4.0.

More powerful, efficient and sustainable

Pushing robotics and automation to an unprecedented level, the solution offered by EPIQ DIGITAL enables the connection of equipment and factory, allowing for real-time collection, reading and analysis of specific data. With the help of artificial intelligence (A.I.), it also allows for streamlined operational changes and improvements to be made right away. Moreover, this technology makes it possible to promote robotics and automation as well as integrate autonomous guided vehicles into operations: a workhorse in the industry.

By connecting global handling material equipment and solutions to factories, businesses benefit from an integrated ecosystem, which in turn greatly improves their efficiency. In addition to cutting down on costs, this ecosystem also improves their carbon footprint (by reducing their energy consumption) and increases their productivity (by improving the reliability of their industrial tools).

"There is great pressure to help decarbonize our industry and to enhance product quality and increase productivity. This acquisition project will both consolidate EPIQ Machinery's role as an industry leader and help the company reach its ambitious goals," stated EPIQ Machinery's CEO, Éloïse Harvey.

Artificial Intelligence is Key
Objectively, the software designed for primary and secondary aluminium production factories makes it possible to manage and optimize operations through artificial intelligence. This solution enables the set up of features that improve the productivity and flow of factory operations, including:

• Integrating high-value-added tools, such as robots, automated systems, auto guided vehicles, vision systems, geolocation, and many others;
• Standardizing bidirectional communication between different machines;
• Integrating predictive maintenance on equipment;
• Operating modules that manage molten metal crucibles, recycled aluminium, batch production, cutting, or shipping of finished products;

The digital platform makes it possible to meet the unique needs of certain factories through the tailor-made development of adapted modules.

A Great International powerhouse
At the heart of this transaction project is the vision of a Quebec company that thinks big and positions EPIQ Machinery as a well-rounded player in the global market. Although the software will continue to be available for sale as part of this project by EPIQ DIGITAL, the company intends to offer an integrated ecosystem that combines EPIQ Machinery's global material handling systems with its operations management system. Additionally, EPIQ Machinery intends to leverage the skills from its future digital transformation team to boost innovation in its equipment through the constant integration of new technologies. The equipment manufacturer will also provide EPIQ DIGITAL services to its other global customers in the heavy industry, more precisely in the pulp and paper sector.

The sale transaction of the Mining and Metals assets and activities of Alizent Canada and Alizent USA to EPIQ Machinery is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be finalized in the last quarter of 2024. Once the deal is sealed, the current Mining and Metals teams at Alizent will be integrated into those at EPIQ Machinery.