Many Russian aluminum producers sit in an awkward position: their legacy ingot lines still run and can cover basic orders, but when higher-end customers demand stricter hydrogen limits, tighter inclusion grades, and detailed batch traceability, the old lines struggle. That’s when an integrated ingot casting solution starts to look attractive — but is it really worth it?

Before you commit, consider three key decisions:

1. What level of customer do you want in 3–5 years?
   Are you content with standard-grade markets, or do you intend to enter higher value supply chains?

2. Are current quality issues occasional or structural?
   Are hydrogen and inclusion out-of-spec events rare “bad luck” cases, or do you see large, unexplained fluctuations over time?

3. Can you realistically run a “premium line + standard line” model?
   Using a new line for high-end orders and the old line for standard products is often healthier than forcing one line to serve all markets.

If you answer “yes” to the first and third questions, an integrated solution stops being a luxury and becomes a prerequisite for higher-tier customers. With vendors like Wuxi Wondery Industry Equipment, an integrated ingot casting solution typically bundles the 9 m ingot casting machine, in-line degassing and filtration box under one design and a unified control and data system — a more solid base for a “premium line”.

Once the new line is stable and the legacy line continues to serve regular orders, you’ll see that the old line is not useless — it simply needs a different role, matched to a different class of customers.