Powering resilience in sugar production

Sugar production comes with enough pressure on its own: variable raw materials, rising energy costs, and tight maintenance windows. But for many producers, the stakes are even higher. Your customers rely on you for consistency, traceability, and on-time delivery.

 

That’s why more sugar companies are turning to ABB. With decades of hands-on work in the industry, we help producers automate key processes, reduce energy waste, and avoid downtime, without disrupting what already works. Our systems bring the visibility and control needed to keep operations stable and customer commitments on track.

 

It’s not about starting over. It’s about making your plant more resilient, shift by shift.

Tackling automation challenges in sugar production

Sugar producers face growing pressure to improve efficiency, meet environmental targets, and adapt to market fluctuations—all while maintaining consistent product quality. ABB helps overcome these challenges with integrated automation, energy-efficient solutions, and real-time process control tailored for sugar plants.

Energy consumption across the process

Evaporation, drying, and crystallization demand large amounts of thermal and electrical energy. Rising energy prices put profitability at risk, especially during peak production.

Seasonal load and equipment stress

Sugar production peaks during harvest season, pushing equipment to its limits. This often leads to unexpected failures and costly downtime during the most critical weeks.

Safety risks in harsh environments

High heat, dust, moisture, and moving equipment create operational hazards. Protecting workers and equipment requires built-for-purpose solutions.

How we can help you

Offering

Tailored offering for sugar manufacturing

Taking control of sugar plant emissions

Abb Ability™ System 800xA for Sugar

Digitalization of sugar plants can automate data collection about energy usage and carbon emission levels across the entire operations, helping managers identify improvement areas and act accordingly to reduce costs and emissions

LM80 laser level and position transmitter

Precise level control

The LM80 is a high performance laser transmitter that accurately measures level, distance and position over long ranges in extreme environments. It is a non-contact, level measuring instrument designed for granular solid materials and opaque liquids.

Cut energy use in pumps, centrifuges, and conveyors

High-efficiency drives and motors

ABB’s ACS880, ACS580, and ACS280 variable speed drives with IE3/IE4 motors minimize energy consumption in sugar processing. From pumps to conveyors, they deliver stable performance under harsh plant conditions, reducing operational costs and supporting sustainability goals.

Sugar plant automation and optimization

Smart, modern electrification systems

ABB Ability™ solutions combine ABB’s deep domain expertise with connectivity and software innovation to empower real-time, data-driven decisions for safer, smarter operations that maximize resource efficiency and contribute to a low-carbon future.

Digitalization of sugar manufacturing process

A digital sugar mill

Reduce cost, better manage the capacity of assets and realize improvements in the whole supply chain efficiency of a sugar mill

High-power applications

Drives built for the toughest sugar processes

Sugar production demands high power, from beet and cane shredding and milling to centrifuge peeling, slicing, and boiling. ABB’s ACS880-17 regenerative drives provide precise, efficient control while recovering energy, improving productivity, and lowering costs in energy-intensive sugar operations.

Motors built for sweet efficiency

Motors for continuous, energy-intensive sugar production

Sugar production demands motors that can handle nonstop, heavy-duty loads. ABB IEC low-voltage motors provide reliable, energy-efficient performance from cane crushing and juice extraction to crystallization, drying, and packaging. Designed for durability in harsh operating conditions, they keep processes consistent, efficient, and cost-effective across every stage of sugar production.

Resources

Solutions to boost sustainability, reliability and safety in sugar production

ABB sugar industry solutions enable farmers and processors to optimize the profitability, safety and sustainability of their operations.

Sugar factory automation and optimization

Sugar producers are striving to provide competitive products, boost profitability and grow their business.

ABB to ensure reliability for world’s third largest sugar producer

ABB Ability™ based technologies are key ingredients in new greenfield sugar mill and biomass power plant of Mitr Phol Group in Thailand

Santa Matilde sugar plant goes full steam ahead with variable speed drives

ABB drives and motors have enabled a sugar cane crushing plant to make a successful transition from steam to electric power, resulting in a payback time for the investment of about one year.

System 800xA automates processes at Dakhalia sugar mill in Egypt

ABB's System 800xA Extended Automation platform offers easy migration from previous systems, evolution capability as system needs change, and compatibility with all leading communication protocols

ABB Ability™ solutions for leading Thai sugar manufacturer

How world’s second-largest sugar exporter uses digital technology to provide greater convenience, higher efficiency, reduced costs at TRR sugar plants

Northern European sugar producer refines processes with ABB’s Ability System 800xA Upgrade

Critical knowledge retention and increased batch production capability after SattLine conversion

Throughput increase by 25% and plant availability improvement by 15%

Siemens DCS migration to ABB's System 800xA at Baramati Agro

ABB in action