BALCO Builds Smarter Operations with Digital Control Towers
1st September 2026
Streamlining operations through five inter-connected control towers
Balconagar, 01 September 2026: Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), India’s iconic aluminium producer and unit of Vedanta Aluminium Metal Limited, has integrated five AI-enabled Control Towers across coal logistics, finished goods, ash management, internal vehicles and waste management, creating a connected digital ecosystem for smarter, more responsive and data-driven operations. The initiative also aligns with India’s broader ambition of building resilient and technology-enabled domestic manufacturing value chains.
The integrated architecture brings together GPS, IoT-enabled vehicle tracking, AI-led video telematics, geo-fencing and real-time analytics to provide end-to-end visibility across critical logistics processes, enabling informed decision-making and strengthening operational governance. Powered by Agentic AI, the Control Towers are designed to move beyond conventional monitoring systems by analysing operational data, identifying emerging patterns, recommending interventions and supporting timely decision-making. This enables BALCO to build greater predictability into its logistics operations while improving resource utilisation, process discipline and responsiveness across its manufacturing ecosystem.
The Coal Logistics Control Tower enables digital tracking and movement planning for coal transportation, improving traceability and coordination across the supply chain. The Finished Goods Control Tower supports seamless in-plant movement of finished products through digital Proof of Delivery, geo-fenced routing and traffic management. The Ash Management Control Tower provides real-time monitoring of ash movement and disposal routes, supporting better resource tracking and environmental compliance. The Waste Management Control Tower strengthens traceability and governance across the movement of waste materials, enabling closer monitoring of vehicle movements and adherence to defined protocols. Meanwhile, the Internal Vehicle Control Tower provides centralised monitoring of technical and utility vehicles operating within the plant premises, including Medium Tactical Vehicles (MTVs), Light Medium Tactical Vehicles (LTVs), forklifts, hydras, campers and buses. Together, these platforms bring diverse movement streams onto a common digital architecture, enabling BALCO to manage its logistics ecosystem with greater consistency and control.
The Control Tower ecosystem forms part of BALCO’s broader digitalisation strategy, which focuses on integrating technology across its manufacturing and logistics operations. By connecting data from vehicles, routes, movement processes and operational activities, the system creates a unified view of critical logistics functions and enables teams to identify deviations, analyse performance and respond with greater speed and precision.
The initiative further strengthens BALCO’s approach to technology-led operational governance by bringing critical logistics processes onto a common digital platform. With greater visibility across the movement of raw materials, finished products, internal vehicles and regulated waste, the Control Tower ecosystem supports improved accountability, resource optimisation and supply-chain resilience.
As the aluminium industry evolves towards increasingly connected and intelligent manufacturing environments, BALCO continues to invest in digital capabilities that combine industrial scale with advanced technologies enabling more integrated, responsive and future-ready operations.
About BALCO:
Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) is a subsidiary of Vedanta Limited, operating a 0.57 million tonne per annum aluminium smelter in Korba, Chhattisgarh. It is part of Vedanta’s Aluminium Business, a division of Vedanta Limited, which is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium, i.e., 2.42 million tonnes in FY25. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2nd in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2024 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow. For more information, please log on to
www.balcoindia.com
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Disclaimer:
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” – that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “should” or “will.” Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets including the London Metal Exchange, fluctuations in interest and or exchange rates and metal prices; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional, and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.
About Vedanta Limited:
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil
& Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver,
Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa, Namibia, and
Australia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building.
Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong
focus on health, safety, and environment. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is
focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. Under the aegis of Vedanta Cares, the
flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars have been set up as model anganwadis focused on
eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with
skill development. Vedanta and its group companies have been featured in Dow Jones
Sustainability Index 2020, and were conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020,
CII Environmental Best Practices Award 2020, CSR Health Impact Award 2020, CII National
Award 2020 for Excellence in Water Management, CII Digital Transformation Award 2020, ICSI
National Award 2020 for excellence in Corporate Governance, People First HR Excellence Award
2020, ‘Company with Great Managers 2020’ by People Business and certified as a Great Place
to Work 2021. Vedanta’s flagship Nand Ghar Project was identified as best CSR project by the
Government of Rajasthan. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the
National Stock Exchange in India and has ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit
www.vedantalimited.com
