Sujeet Kumar Singh, Founder, HSESkillEdge, discusses the evolution of a technology-enabled safety ecosystem, backed by visible leadership, which is changing the way cement manufacturers are perceiving safety norms.

Preventable incidents continue to occur in cement plants that have invested heavily in safety systems and PPE. Sujeet Kumar Singh, Founder of HSESkillEdge, lists down complacency, normalisation of deviations and a compliance mindset as part of the challenge. In this interview, he maps the full spectrum of digital safety technologies that are currently transforming risk management within cement plants.

How is the definition of safety in the cement industry evolving from regulatory compliance to a strategic driver of operational excellence?
From an Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) perspective, safety in the cement industry has transformed from a compliance-driven function focused on accident prevention into a strategic, risk-based management system that protects people while driving operational excellence and supporting ‘Net Carbon Zero’ goals.
Modern cement plants are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI), industrial internet of things (IIoT), virtual reality (VR), training simulators, geofencing, geotagging, GPS-enabled vehicle safety systems, wearable technologies, drones, robotics and predictive analytics to proactively identify hazards, monitor critical risks, and improve worker health and safety. AI-powered video analytics detect unsafe acts and PPE non-compliance in real time and generate audio alarm, while wearable devices monitor fatigue, heat stress and physiological parameters.
Predictive maintenance minimises the risk of catastrophic equipment failures, and drones and robotic inspection systems eliminate the need for personnel to enter hazardous areas such as kilns, silos, preheaters and confined spaces. Advanced AI-based process optimisation enhances combustion efficiency, reduces dust and greenhouse gas emissions, improves energy efficiency and lowers workers’ exposure to hazardous pollutants.
By integrating digital technologies with strong safety leadership, occupational health management, and a proactive safety culture, the cement industry is creating safer, healthier and more sustainable workplaces that enhance operational reliability while accelerating the journey toward ‘Zero Harm and Net Carbon Zero’.

With increasing automation and digitalisation, how can cement companies ensure that technology strengthens rather than replaces a strong safety culture?
Increasing automation and digitalisation should strengthen, not replace, a strong safety culture. Technologies such as AI, IIoT, wearable devices, drones, and digital Permit-to-Work systems help identify hazards, predict failures, and reduce worker exposure to risks. However, sustainable safety performance depends on a top-down commitment through Visible Felt Leadership (VFL) and a bottom-up approach that actively engages employees in hazard identification, risk assessment, and continuous improvement.
By integrating advanced technologies with strong leadership, workforce participation, competency development and human oversight, cement companies can build a resilient safety culture that supports Zero Harm, operational excellence, and Net Carbon Zero.

Which emerging technologies-from IoT and AI to digital permit-to-work systems-are creating the biggest impact on risk prevention in cement plants?
Advanced digital technologies enable proactive hazard identification and predictive risk management, significantly reducing worker exposure to hazardous environments while improving compliance with Permit-to-Work (PTW), Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), and other critical risk controls. They provide early detection of equipment failures, fires, and occupational health hazards through continuous monitoring, while robotics, drones, and remote inspection systems make maintenance safer by minimising human intervention in high-risk areas.
By reducing human error, enhancing emergency response, and improving asset reliability and operational efficiency, these technologies accelerate the cement industry’s journey toward Zero Harm, Operational Excellence, Industry 4.0, and Net Carbon Zero.

Technology Key Safety Benefits
AI Computer Vision Detects PPE non-compliance, unsafe acts, restricted area access, housekeeping issues, and vehicle–pedestrian interactions in real time and generates audio alert.
AI Thermal Imaging Identifies burner instability, electrical hotspots, overheated bearings, clinker cooler failures, and early fire risks before catastrophic failures occur.
IIoT Smart Sensors Continuously monitor dust, toxic gases, oxygen, vibration, temperature, and structural health for early hazard detection and predictive maintenance.
Confined Space Gas Telemetry Enables remote gas monitoring and lone-worker protection, reducing confined space entry risks.
Preheater Cyclone Blockage Radiography & AI Analytics Detects and predicts cyclone blockages without opening equipment, minimising exposure to hazardous conditions.
Robotics & Remote Inspection Robots, crawler systems, and drones perform inspections and maintenance in kilns, silos, stacks, roofs, and mines, eliminating work at height and confined space entry.
Smart LOTO Digitally verifies energy isolation using RFID and electronic authorisation, preventing accidental energisation.
Digital Permit-to-Work (PTW) Digitises permit approval, photo verification, gas testing, and SIMOPS control, improving compliance and reducing human error.
Smart Wearables Monitor heat stress, fatigue, falls, and worker health, enabling rapid emergency response.
GPS, Geofencing & AI Driver Monitoring Prevent over speeding, unsafe driving behaviour, and vehicle collisions in plants and mines.
Clinker Cooler & Conveyor Machine Vision Detects damaged grate plates, hot clinker accumulation, belt misalignment, tears, and spillage for safer operations.
AI Acoustic Monitoring & Predictive Analytics Predict equipment failures through sound pattern analysis and condition monitoring, preventing unexpected breakdowns.
Digital Twin, AR & VR Improve safety through virtual training, remote maintenance assistance, and simulation of hazardous scenarios.
Smart Fire Detection & Fiber Optic Heat Detection Provides early detection of fire, smoke, and overheating in coal mills, cable galleries, and conveyors.
Integrated Command Center & AI Risk Analytics Offers centralised real-time safety monitoring, predictive risk assessment, faster incident reporting, and integrated ESG/OH&S performance dashboards.

Despite significant investments in safety systems and PPE, why do preventable incidents still occur, and what fundamental shift is needed?
Despite significant investments in safety systems, PPE and digital technologies, preventable incidents continue to occur because most are driven by human factors, weak safety culture, and inconsistent implementation of critical risk controls rather than the absence of procedures or equipment. Common causes include complacency, normalisation of deviations, inadequate supervision, poor risk perception, ineffective communication, production pressure and failure to learn from near misses.
The fundamental shift required is from compliance-based safety to a culture of ownership and operational discipline, where Visible Felt Leadership (top-down commitment) is combined with active workforce participation (bottom-up engagement). Safety should become a core organisational value, supported by predictive technologies, continuous learning and accountability, so that every employee proactively identifies, reports and controls risks, before they lead to incidents, enabling the journey toward Zero Harm.

How can cement companies build a safety culture where contractors, frontline workers and leadership share equal ownership of safety outcomes?
Cement companies can build a shared safety culture by making safety a collective responsibility rather than a management function. This requires a top-down approach through Visible Felt Leadership (VFL), where leaders demonstrate commitment by regularly engaging with frontline teams, and a bottom-up approach that empowers employees and contractors to identify hazards, stop unsafe work, report near misses and participate in risk assessments.
Contractors should be held to the same safety standards, competency requirements, and performance expectations as permanent employees through robust onboarding, digital contractor management, and continuous training.
By fostering trust, open communication, recognition of safe behaviours, and accountability at every level, supported by digital tools such as AI, IIoT and digital PTW systems, cement companies can create a culture where everyone owns safety, every task is performed safely, and every incident is preventable, driving the journey toward Zero Harm.

As alternative fuels, waste co-processing and decarbonisation reshape cement manufacturing, what new safety challenges should the industry prepare for?
As cement plants adopt alternative fuels, waste co-processing and decarbonisation technologies, they face new safety challenges, including fire and dust explosion risks, toxic and flammable gas exposure, biohazards, preheater blockages, hot material blowouts and process instability. Managing these evolving risks requires advanced engineering controls, AI, IIoT sensors, thermal imaging, smart gas monitoring, robotics and predictive analytics, supported by ATEX-compliant designs, automated fire protection, enhanced PPE, competency-based training and robust process safety management.

Emerging Challenge Key Risks Technology & Safety Controls
Alternative Fuels (AFR) and Waste Co-processing Fire, spontaneous combustion, dust explosions, unstable combustion, process upsets AI thermal imaging, explosion-proof (ATEX) design, automated fire suppression, deflagration venting, continuous temperature monitoring
Toxic Chemical and Biological Hazards Exposure to H2S, NH3, CH4, corrosive gases, pathogens, chemical splashes, oxygen deficiency Smart multi-gas wearables, forced ventilation, gas telemetry, biological PPE, chemical-resistant PPE, health surveillance
Preheater Blockages and Hot Material Hazards Cyclone build-up, hot material blowback (>800°C), refractory failures, structural damage Remote hydro-robots, AI blockage prediction, radiography, thermal imaging, predictive monitoring, Smart LOTO
Engineering and Operational Controls Explosion, fire, structural failures, unsafe maintenance ATEX-compliant equipment, negative-pressure ventilation, blast walls, explosion vents, infrared monitoring, automated suppression systems
Advanced PPE and Competency Heat stress, burns, toxic exposure, biohazards Aluminised heat suits, chemical-resistant PPE, PAPR respirators, cut-resistant gloves, competency-based training and emergency preparedness

What will distinguish the safest cement plants of the future from those that simply meet compliance requirements?
The safest cement plants of the future will move beyond reactive compliance to predictive, technology-enabled safety ecosystems that prevent incidents before they occur. Industry leaders will eliminate worker exposure to high-risk tasks through automation, robotics, drones, and AI, while using predictive analytics, AI-enabled vision systems, connected smart PPE, digital LOTO and real-time health and environmental monitoring to proactively manage risks.
Safety will extend beyond the plant through contractor and logistics safety integration, ensuring the same high standards across the entire value chain. By combining advanced technologies with strong leadership and a proactive safety culture, future-ready cement plants will achieve Zero Harm, operational excellence and sustainable manufacturing.

Gautam Sinha, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Process Industries, ABB India, on the changing role of automation from a productivity tool to a cohesive operating ecosystem.

The conversation around automation in cement has shifted. It is no longer about replacing manual tasks or improving line efficiency. It is about building plants that learn, adapt and self-optimise in real time. In this interview, Gautam Sinha, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Process Industries, ABB India, explains how predictive intelligence is solving problems that have resisted the industry for decades. He underscores the importance of cybersecurity, electrification and carbon capture as components of a single transformation that the cement industry can no longer afford to sequence.

How is automation evolving from a productivity tool to a strategic enabler of sustainability, resilience and profitability in the cement industry?
The cement industry is witnessing a shift where automation is no longer viewed solely as a productivity tool, but as a strategic enabler of sustainability, resilience, and profitability. By integrating various operational areas and leveraging advanced technologies, companies are better equipped to address key industry challenges. This integration allows for the promotion of higher usage of alternative and renewable energy sources and the real-time optimisation of asset performance, which are crucial for sustainability.
Digitalisation and automation are key to reaching environmental sustainability targets, not just by reducing emissions but also by optimising energy consumption and management. This creates immediate benefits for operating costs and margins, enabling new business models for high-tech, low-CO2 cements. For example, advanced process control (APC) solutions can improve SO2 emissions control while reducing hydrate consumption, directly impacting both environmental performance and profitability.
Furthermore, predictive asset models can help cement plants manage operations remotely, ensuring business continuity. By predicting asset failures and optimising maintenance schedules, automation minimises downtime and reduces one of the biggest costs in cement plants, thereby boosting profitability.

As cement plants accelerate digital transformation, which technologies do you believe will deliver the next breakthrough in operational performance?
As cement plants accelerate their digital transformation, several technologies are poised to deliver the next breakthrough in operational performance. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are at the forefront of this transformation. These technologies enable advanced data analytics and smart optimisation, from raw materials to dispatch, which is a game-changer for many cement producers. To fully leverage these insights, robust data management systems like Knowledge Manager (KM) solutions, are essential, as they consolidate plant-wide data to connect equipment, processes, and personnel to an unprecedented. This unified intelligence creates a single source of truth, making the concept of a highly efficient, autonomous plant an achievable reality.
The concept of an autonomous plant is becoming a reality through the use of digital and automation technologies that connect equipment, processes, and people to an unprecedented degree. By learning from a plant’s historical energy usage and production schedules, these forecasting tools deliver accurate predictions that help plants reduce peak demand charges on electricity bills. Technologies such as ABB Ability™ Knowledge Manager and Expert Optimiser are already helping cement plant owners achieve business results and meet decarbonisation targets. For example, ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer for cement helps to optimise operations and reduce energy consumption.
Significant developments are also emerging from technologies that enable process electrification, fundamentally changing how cement is produced. Innovations in electrically powered heating solutions for high-temperature processes like clinkerisation, and the use of electric plasma to replace fossil fuels in calcination, offer pathways to production with lower emissions. When combined with essential technologies like Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS), these electrification strategies are a critical part of the plan for the future of the cement industry.

With AI becoming integral to industrial operations, how do you see predictive intelligence reshaping process control, quality assurance and energy optimisation in cement manufacturing?
AI-powered solutions gather data from multiple sources like smart sensors and databases to enable algorithms to evolve and improve their predictions. In process control, AI is moving traditional Advanced Process Control (APC) solutions towards adaptive APC. While traditional APC addresses thermal efficiency and fuel switching, AI-driven analytics will enable automatic re-modeling and tuning, optimising additional variables and allowing systems to operate at peak performance. In the future, AI systems will interact with control system history data to learn from patterns, recommend optimal parameters, and even write new setpoints directly to the control system.
For quality assurance, AI is solving longstanding challenges like cement quality prediction. Traditionally, cement strength is measured after 28 days, which is too late for process corrections. ABB is leveraging ML with data-driven soft sensors to predict 28-day strength on the day of sampling, allowing for immediate process adjustments and reducing the need to ‘overdeliver’ on product specifications. In energy optimisation, AI-based anomaly detection can learn a plant’s “normal” energy usage patterns and use adaptive setpoints to detect unusual behavior. By triggering alerts on energy consumption deviations, operators no longer need to set manual setpoints or deal with notification overload. The system can also learn from a plant’s energy
usage and production schedules to deliver accurate forecasts, helping to reduce peak demand charges on electricity bills.

Cybersecurity is becoming inseparable from automation; how should cement manufacturers strengthen digital resilience while expanding connected operations?
As automation and digitalisation become more integrated into cement manufacturing, building
strong digital resilience is crucial. To achieve this
while expanding connected operations, cement manufacturers should adopt a proactive and AI-driven approach to cybersecurity.
Strengthening digital resilience involves several key strategies. Manufacturers can leverage AI-powered analytics solutions to continuously monitor, diagnose, and resolve security issues, which helps in safeguarding personnel, protecting assets, and preserving the company’s reputation. Given the unpredictable and evolving nature of both technology and cyber threats, it is essential to periodically review and update security strategies. This includes conducting simulations for various threat scenarios, such as a major ransomware attack, to test the robustness of the defense systems. Furthermore, data analytics can be employed to run “what-if” scenarios, allowing plants to anticipate potential vulnerabilities and fortify their digital infrastructure accordingly. This forward-thinking, analytical approach enables cement producers to not only connect their operations but also secure them effectively against the dynamic landscape of cyber threats.

What will define the ‘cement plant of the future,’ and what role will companies like ABB play in enabling that transformation?
The cement plant of the future is defined by the seamless integration of digitalisation, automation, electrification, and decarbonisation. Operating as a highly connected, increasingly autonomous ecosystem, it relies on real-time data integration, digital twins, and remote monitoring to run processes on “autopilot”. Crucially, the future plant is deeply sustainable—minimising its carbon footprint through the adoption of alternative fuels, electrified high-temperature processes, and carbon capture technologies.
ABB plays a pivotal role in this transformation by providing the essential automation, digital infrastructure, and electrification technologies. Through tools like ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer and Knowledge Manager, ABB uses AI, neural networks, and model predictive control to stabilise kiln operations, optimise energy consumption, and maximise alternative fuel usage. Additionally, ABB secures these highly connected environments with proactive, AI-driven cybersecurity, while pioneering sustainable innovations like Electric Arc Calcination to help manufacturers transition to net-zero, highly resilient digital operations.

• Kanika Mathur

Rizwan Sabjan, Head of Sales & Proposals, and Ramakrishna Nuti, Global Sales Manager -Automation Technologies, Fuller Technologies Cement India, discuss cement laboratory automation.

India’s cement industry is on a strong growth path, driven by infrastructure projects and urban housing demand, with the market expected to grow at over 10 per cent CAGR through 2030. Over the next five years, the sector will reshape the nation by powering mega-corridors, smart cities, and expanding urban centers, while adopting green cement and alternative fuels and waste-heat recovery systems to cut emissions.
The cement manufacturing sector faces mounting pressure from rising demand for high-quality cement products and increasingly stringent environmental regulations. To remain competitive, organisations must enhance productivity, ensure regulatory compliance, and reduce operational costs, all without compromising product quality. These challenges are further intensified by skills shortages, stricter safety requirements, and the need to manage more complex and demanding operating conditions.

The Challenges of Going Green
The cement manufacturing process has evolved significantly as the industry strives to improve cost efficiency and environmental performance. The growing use of alternative fuels and supplementary cementitious materials introduces variability that directly impacts product quality, requiring continuous monitoring and adjustment through precise, agile quality control systems. At the same time, increasing market demand for specialised products places greater emphasis on maintaining tight process control across all stages of production.
To fully capitalise on these opportunities, quality control systems must respond rapidly and effectively to changing conditions. Their ability to deliver timely, accurate insights is critical, often determining whether a plant can maintain competitiveness or risks losing market share.

Automated Laboratory Solutions
Fortunately, the capability of quality control systems has grown immensely in recent years. Where previously plants relied on the skills of their laboratory team, today automated laboratory solutions can achieve optimum consistency in representative sampling, better solid sample preparation and accurate analysis through fast, automated systems. As one can see below there has been tremendous growth in QCX/RoboLabs® in recent years.
Fuller has been a pioneer in this field. With our Lab Automation Solution, cement plants can say goodbye to inconsistencies in quality and excess operational costs, such as a daily variation in power and fuel consumption. They are no longer held back by the skills shortage, or unable to take on the challenge of greener production for fear of undermining quality.
QCX/RoboLab® is a quantum leap in quality control for the cement industry, delivering consistency throughout quality control operations.
The QCX/RoboLab® laboratory concept, which utilises an industrial robot for sample handling allows for very flexible laboratory layouts and a high sample throughput.
Lab Automation speeds up every aspect of quality control operations, from sampling / sample collection to accurate pellet preparation for analysis, and especially when it comes to taking control actions to achieve a desired target with QCX/BlendExpert™ (Raw Mix Control). Plus, by eliminating the potential for manual errors, precision is significantly increased. And the laboratory becomes a much safer environment, with fewer operators and a far reduced risk to health and safety. The advanced, user-friendly software can be tailored to your specific cement production needs, including special fuels, and supports continuous 24/7 operations.

Benefits of QCX® Lab Automation System
Enhance quality control
Achieve consistent, reliable results through automated sampling, preparation, and analysis—eliminating human errors and variability.
Reduce fuel and energy consumption Improve raw material consistency to optimise preheater and kiln performance, leading to lower fuel usage and energy costs.
Ensure a safe and healthy work environment
Minimise exposure to hazardous tasks by automating processes and maintaining clean, dust-free laboratory and sample preparation areas.
Strengthen competitive advantage
Deliver superior product quality by leveraging best-in-class technology and advanced process control systems.
Extend equipment lifespan
Stabilise operations to reduce mechanical stress and wear, increasing the durability and reliability of plant machinery.
Simplify compliance and management
Meet quality standards with ease while supporting continuous improvement through automated reporting and data-driven insights.

Productivity Quality Savings Safety
Fast and accurate results with consistency in operational behavior 24/7/365 Uniformity in quality control with sound chemistry that doesn’t compromise on safety Reduced number of unplanned stoppages with precise chemistry recipe  2 × 350 TPH