BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 13. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev inspected operations at the new casting and rolling complex of the Uzbekistan Metallurgical Plant in Bekabad, highlighting the need to integrate AI into the facility's centralized control system.
This was announced in a report published by the press service of the Uzbek president.
According to the report, in the course of the visit, Mirziyoyev also observed the plant's metal rolling process, which is managed from a single control center.
''AI technologies should be incorporated into the unified management system to further enhance the complex's stability and economic performance,'' the report says, citing Mirziyoyev's remarks.
Moreover, Mirziyoyev stressed the necessity of introducing AI technologies into the unified control system and further improving the stability and economic efficiency of the complex.
The $839 million casting and rolling complex, built on an 18-hectare site, is one of Uzbekistan's largest industrial projects aimed at meeting the country's growing demand for steel products. Construction began after Mirziyoyev laid the foundation stone during a visit to Bekabad on Aug. 29, 2018.
The project is expected to increase the plant's total annual production capacity to 2 million metric tons, including an additional 1.04 million tons of hot-rolled sheet steel, while expanding the workforce to 7,000 employees.
The facility incorporates technology developed by Italian engineering company Danieli, integrating the continuous steel casting unit with the entire production line under a single control platform for the first time in Uzbekistan. The upgrade has reduced the number of operators required to manage production from nine employees working across four to five control stations to just three specialists overseeing the process from a single control room.
According to the press service, the complex features safety and automation technologies not previously available in Central Asia. Its automated roll replacement system can change key rolling components in five to seven minutes without stopping production, compared with 30 to 40 minutes under the previous system.
Mirziyoyev also reviewed steel products manufactured at the facility and received a briefing on plans to develop a domestic value chain for hot-rolled sheet steel production.
The officials additionally presented measures aimed at regulating the circulation of reinforcing steel in Uzbekistan's construction sector, strengthening oversight of ferrous metal products used at construction sites, and reducing seismic risks through improved quality control.
The Uzbekistan Metallurgical Plant has undergone extensive modernization in recent years. According to official figures, its net profit increased from $14 million in 2017 to $23 million in 2025, reflecting broader efforts to expand domestic industrial production and reduce reliance on imported steel products.
