Technology

Paradigm shift in RMC safety

Published

8 years ago

November 30, 2017

admin

Challenges of creating a safe environment in "ready mix industry" is compounded by the interlinked but distinct environment. RDC Concrete believe that the challenges are catalyst in creating safe working spaces.

Life is the invaluable gift given to us. For centuries, we survived on instinct and many of our forefathers perished as instinct is not always right and even if it is right, it is many times too late to react. This has now been recognised and form safety systems and audit have been put in place for many decades now. Developed world is far advanced in implementing safety systems and processes. In India, we are far behind. More specifically, construction is not known for complying with safety measures. Although wearing helmets and safety shoes are now compulsory, one can look at any site and we will find a large number of people working there bare-headed and in slippers.

Ready mix concrete (RMC) is not exactly construction industry but is inseparably linked with it. There are variety of hazards involved during the processes of receiving the raw materials, processing it in a plant (plant safety), transporting it on the road (road safety) and delivering the finish product at the customer construction site (site safety). At customer’s site, it is poured in to formwork manually or by pumping to a required height reaching up to 400 m. Challenges in creating a safe environment in ready-mix industry is thus compounded by the interlinked but three distinct environments. In RDC, the challenges are the catalyst in creating safe working spaces. While it is difficult to compute deaths in RMC industry in percentage terms; based on the data presented, it is quite obvious that "Falls" and "Road Accidents" constitutes the main element of deaths in this industry. Road accidents frequently occur because the transit mixer carrying RMC while rotating it in a drum is an additional hazard on the road. Falls occur because of working at height while pouring concrete at higher levels. These are the primary challenges that need to be addressed in this industry. RDC concrete has had zero fatality in the last many years.

Delivering concrete is basically a three step process 1) Manufacturing it at batching plant 2)carrying it to the customer site using transit mixer 3) Pumping and levelling it in to the desired shuttering. All these processes have their own safety, environmental and health impacts. To mitigate these hazards and impact, we trust that our systems shall be fool-proofed. In journey to achieve this aim we implemented many best practices in our plants, in transit mixers and at delivery sites also. Some of amongst them are:

Design safety: First and foremost important is the planning for safe operations, while making layout selection of equipment and building safety features during construction of RMC plant. Plant layout has to be good to avoid criss-crossing of vehicles and smooth flow with minimum reversing of any vehicle. Hence special attention is required during construction of RMC plant of all equipment suppliers, user and safety expert.

During construction stage all safety provisions in plant should be provided like barricading of moving parts like belt conveyor, blower, compressor, isolation lock out tag out during maintenance, containment of diesel storage, barricading of water tank pits, locking arrangement for silo ladder to avoid unauthorised access, fire extinguishers, water sprinkling system to prevent dust during aggregate unloading, bag filters for silos to contain cement/fly ash dust during unloading, RCCBs to prevent electrocution, fire extinguishers for different applications, proper covering of all electrical panels, adequate earthing and lightening arrestors, first aid box, PPEs, fall arrestor, etc.

Training: Training to staff and workers is one of the main aspects for improving safety compliance as attrition rate is very high among plant workers, drivers and pump gang. Display of safety provisions, SOP posters, assembly points, etc. should be done adequately in plant.

Health check: To ensure the good health of employee and workers routines check on blood pressure, sugar, eye sight and BMI, etc. are to be regularly carried out in the plant using portable BP/BMI machines or organising camp at plant. Employee’s annual health check is also should be done as per company policy to detect any warning signs.

Safety in plant operations
A-Type Lock: This is mechanical interlocking between the main operating panel and plant mixer’s gate, using two special lock having only one common key. As there is only one key operator can either keep the panel on or keep the mixer open, that means when the main panel is on no one can open mixer gate and when the mixer gate will open no one can start the mixer panel. This will completely eliminate chances of accidents during mixer maintenance, whenever people are inside the mixer for chipping or repairs.

Silo top PRV cover: Pressure release valves (PRV) are installed on silo top, which gets open in case of sudden increase in pressure inside silo during material filling. We must ensure that this safety item is procured from reputed parties and regularly cleaned to avoid dust accumulation, which hinders spring mechanism to function.

Flushing of Bulker during unloading: Due to faulty bulker design, all material like cement or fly ash is not getting unloaded in to silo by blowing at normal pressure of 0.9bar and driver resort to pressuring bulker by closing outlet and suddenly releasing it to flush out last left out material in bulker. This is leading to opening of PRV and discharging material in surrounding atmosphere creating pollution and nuisance for neighbors. To control this we created a handy cover over PRV to contain this emitted dust and transfer it to dust collector at bottom. The design is in-house made and created with very low cost, using spare/ used chemical drums, but giving excellent result in dust control.

Calibration from Ground floor: Earlier in plants, employees were risking their life by climbing on mixer top for calibration of cement hopper, this activity is now made risk free by extending cables from the cement hopper till ground floors, with platform hanging on it. This arrangement facilitate employees to do the calibration from ground floor itself, thus avoiding the hazard of falling from height.

Lifeline and grabber: Plant people have to regularly climb on vertical ladder of silo for many jobs Like, PRV checking, stock measurement, etc. All silo’s vertical ladders are now equipped with lifeline and grabber system, this eliminate the risk of falling from silo height. In case of person slip from ladder the grabber will get locked on lifeline and hold the person in its position. Alternatively scaffold staircase should be installed in silo for safe climbing with all silos interconnected at top.

Safety during transportation
To ensure the safety in transportation of concrete, all the aspects of road safety need to be covered. Concrete carrying trucks have agitator drum to delay onset of hardening process of concrete. This drum revolution of 3RPM, shifts concrete on one side leading to shifting of centre of gravity, which keep on changing at curve roads. At high speed at road turning, combined effect of tilting of drum and moment of inertia may lead to toppling of concrete trucks. Many instances of concrete truck toppling reported in various cities due to this reason. Hence training to driver is of utmost importance because driving a concrete truck is a different ball game than an ordinary truck.

To avoid road accident and toppling of trucks due to over speeding, speed limit for transit mixer has to be kept 40 km/hr, and it is to be made sure by installing speed governors in TM, which will not allow driver to increase speed beyond limit set in speed governor. GPS are being installed in trucks to get alert for over-speeding and also voice alert for drivers. Immediate SMS is also going to the truck owner, plant in-charge and safety officer of the organisation. Drivers are being rewarded for safe driving and with minimum violations. It additionally prompts for wearing seat belt also once vehicle is started.

On road, drivers have to deal with various unseen factors that can affect their driving and they have to be fully trained to handle such factors. Training on defensive driving should be given to improve their driving skills and reducing their driving risks by anticipating situations and making safe well-informed decisions.

Driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs is one of the major causes of all road accidents. Alcohol checking should be done for drivers before leaving and coming back to the plant and educate to them about the life threatening consequences of having alcohol during driving. Engagement programme by involving drivers family helps in improving behavior change were quite successful. A poster showing family and message saying "your family is waiting for you at home is fixed in all transit mixers and form that points onwards we observed a considerable reduction in rash driving cases. To improve the safety condition of transit mixer and safety of driver all the transit mixer should be well maintained and equipped with side guard, front guard, reflective stickers, condition of brakes, reverse horn and side mirrors. Drivers have to ensure that safety inspection of TM is done regularly and pictorial checklist is maintained. Drivers should be in full PPE during driving and on site. All the road safety rules need to be followed such as seatbelt, road signs, maintain safe distance, etc. One experienced driver can be entrusted the job of checking condition of all trucks by driving it for certain distance helps in identifying issues while driving.

Safety during pumping operations
Placing of concrete at site is done by various means like pumping, tower crane, builder’s hoist, etc. and it has to be ensured that all the safety rules are followed. During pumping of concrete, safe site condition needs to be ensured by proper inspection of site before placement of pump at safe location. Soil and ground condition where concrete pump need to be placed, should be properly levelled and clear accessibility of trucks to the concrete pump maintained. Pipe line should not be very old or with leakage as pumping pressure in pipeline is very high and deteriorated pipeline can leads to major accident. Magnetic thickness gauge should be used to check thickness of pipe and pipes with lesser thickness than desired should be discarded. Scaffolding condition of slab needs to be check before start of pipe line laying, which should be dependent of the scaffold supporting the pipeline to avoid transmission of jerk to the main slab scaffold. Bamboo scaffolding must be avoided proper interconnection is not possible as compared to steel scaffold which has locks and pins to ensure good connection.

Pipe lifting clamp: Site gang were struggling from long time to carry concrete pipes. As per earlier practice, two persons used to lift pipes facing each other, but after using this holding clamp, both person can now walk in forward direction. Pump gang should use proper PPEs required for the job like hard helmet, safety shoe, reflective jacket, safety harness and goggles. Training should be given to them about all possible hazards and their mitigation plan. Pump supervisor must be made responsible during shifting and laying of pipeline safely.

Pump should be maintained with necessary safety features and no bypassing should be allowed. Regular inspection by equipment manufacturer helps in detecting the bypassing of any safety feature. The concrete pump operator should be well trained in the operation of the pump and should be made accountable for the safety in and around the pump. He also ensures the placing crew and the ready-mix driver are observing safe practices for a successful concrete placement. Concrete pumping is the most efficient way to place concrete and if all safety concerns are addressed before, during, and after a placement, the chance for accidents will be minimized.

Barricade around slab is normally missing during concrete operations and it should be brought to the notice of contractor and installed. Slab openings left uncovered at lower floors with poor lighting also pose serious danger to the pipeline gang during pipe shifting operation. Lift shaft should be avoided for pipeline laying if intermediate platforms are not made for proper pipeline laying. No overhead crane should work just above the pump and truck position to avoid falling of any object due to loose material and serious damage.

Remote indicator for Pump at site: On the site when pump placed at ground floor and delivery going on at some elevated floor, gang supervisor many time need to come to the edge of shuttering to instruct pump operator, this involves high risk of falling from height. To eliminate this we developed remote signalling system for pump operator. Gang supervisor is using handheld remote control to give signal to pump operator to start or stop the pump without risking his life.

Hazards reporting: Hazards reporting is the key in plant safety, and we should make the best use of available technologies. Plant staff can use their smartphone to report hazards with a photograph in the Google forms and the same is instantly get shared with other plants for information and action. Almost all reports can be in Google forms or on Google Drive, which can save a lot of time, and thus help in immediate action to attend to safety issue.

The article is authored by Anil Kumar Banchhor, MD & CEO of RDC Concrete since June 2016. Earlier he was CEO- Concrete Business of ACC Limited and also worked in Tata Consulting Engineers. He is a civil engineer with PG Diploma in Business management having 30 years of experience in construction, consultancy and Ready mix concrete. He worked with several construction and consultancy assignments in India and abroad. He is a panel member of the codal committee of BIS (Bureau of Indian standards) and was council member of "Indian Roads Congress" in 2006.

Concrete

Redefining Efficiency with Digitalisation

Published

4 days ago

February 20, 2026

admin

Professor Procyon Mukherjee discusses how as the cement industry accelerates its shift towards digitalisation, data-driven technologies are becoming the mainstay of sustainability and control across the value chain.

The cement industry, long perceived as traditional and resistant to change, is undergoing a profound transformation driven by digital technologies. As global infrastructure demand grows alongside increasing pressure to decarbonise and improve productivity, cement manufacturers are adopting data-centric tools to enhance performance across the value chain. Nowhere is this shift more impactful than in grinding, which is the energy-intensive final stage of cement production, and in the materials that make grinding more efficient: grinding media and grinding aids.

The imperative for digitalisation
Cement production accounts for roughly 7 per cent to 8 per cent of global CO2 emissions, largely due to the energy intensity of clinker production and grinding processes. Digital solutions, such as AI-driven process controls and digital twins, are helping plants improve stability, cut fuel use and reduce emissions while maintaining consistent product quality. In one deployment alongside ABB’s process controls at a Heidelberg plant in Czechia, AI tools cut fuel use by 4 per cent and emissions by 2 per cent, while also improving operational stability.
Digitalisation in cement manufacturing encompasses a suite of technologies, broadly termed as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), AI and machine learning, predictive analytics, cloud-based platforms, advanced process control and digital twins, each playing a role in optimising various stages of production from quarrying to despatch.

Grinding: The crucible of efficiency and cost
Of all the stages in cement production, grinding is among the most energy-intensive, historically consuming large amounts of electricity and representing a significant portion of plant operating costs. As a result, optimising grinding operations has become central to digital transformation strategies.
Modern digital systems are transforming grinding mills from mechanical workhorses into intelligent, interconnected assets. Sensors throughout the mill measure parameters such as mill load, vibration, mill speed, particle size distribution, and power consumption. This real-time data, fed into machine learning and advanced process control (APC) systems, can dynamically adjust operating conditions to maintain optimal throughput and energy usage.
For example, advanced grinding systems now predict inefficient conditions, such as impending mill overload, by continuously analysing acoustic and vibration signatures. The system can then proactively adjust clinker feed rates and grinding media distribution to sustain optimal conditions, reducing energy consumption and improving consistency.

Digital twins: Seeing grinding in the virtual world
One of the most transformative digital tools applied in cement grinding is the digital twin, which a real-time virtual replica of physical equipment and processes. By integrating sensor data and
process models, digital twins enable engineers to simulate process variations and run ‘what-if’
scenarios without disrupting actual production. These simulations support decisions on variables such as grinding media charge, mill speed and classifier settings, allowing optimisation of energy use and product fineness.
Digital twins have been used to optimise kilns and grinding circuits in plants worldwide, reducing unplanned downtime and allowing predictive maintenance to extend the life of expensive grinding assets.

Grinding media and grinding aids in a digital era
While digital technologies improve control and prediction, materials science innovations in grinding media and grinding aids have become equally crucial for achieving performance gains.
Grinding media, which comprise the balls or cylinders inside mills, directly influence the efficiency of clinker comminution. Traditionally composed of high-chrome cast iron or forged steel, grinding media account for nearly a quarter of global grinding media consumption by application, with efficiency improvements translating directly to lower energy intensity.
Recent advancements include ceramic and hybrid media that combine hardness and toughness to reduce wear and energy losses. For example, manufacturers such as Sanxin New Materials in China and Tosoh Corporation in Japan have developed sub-nano and zirconia media with exceptional wear resistance. Other innovations include smart media embedded with sensors to monitor wear, temperature, and impact forces in real time, enabling predictive maintenance and optimal media replacement scheduling. These digitally-enabled media solutions can increase grinding efficiency by as much as 15 per cent.
Complementing grinding media are grinding aids, which are chemical additives that improve mill throughput and reduce energy consumption by altering the surface properties of particles, trapping air, and preventing re-agglomeration. Technology leaders like SIKA AG and GCP Applied Technologies have invested in tailored grinding aids compatible with AI-driven dosing platforms that automatically adjust additive concentrations based on real-time mill conditions. Trials in South America reported throughput improvements nearing 19 per cent when integrating such digital assistive dosing with process control systems.
The integration of grinding media data and digital dosing of grinding aids moves the mill closer to a self-optimising system, where AI not only predicts media wear or energy losses but prescribes optimal interventions through automated dosing and operational adjustments.

Global case studies in digital adoption
Several cement companies around the world exemplify digital transformation in practice.
Heidelberg Materials has deployed digital twin technologies across global plants, achieving up to 15 per cent increases in production efficiency and 20 per cent reductions in energy consumption by leveraging real-time analytics and predictive algorithms.
Holcim’s Siggenthal plant in Switzerland piloted AI controllers that autonomously adjusted kiln operations, boosting throughput while reducing specific energy consumption and emissions.
Cemex, through its AI and predictive maintenance initiatives, improved kiln availability and reduced maintenance costs by predicting failures before they occurred. Global efforts also include AI process optimisation initiatives to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact.

Challenges and the road ahead
Despite these advances, digitalisation in cement grinding faces challenges. Legacy equipment may lack sensor readiness, requiring retrofits and edge-cloud connectivity upgrades. Data governance and integration across plants and systems remains a barrier for many mid-tier producers. Yet, digital transformation statistics show momentum: more than half of cement companies have implemented IoT sensors for equipment monitoring, and digital twin adoption is growing rapidly as part of broader Industry 4.0 strategies.
Furthermore, as digital systems mature, they increasingly support sustainability goals: reduced energy use, optimised media consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions. By embedding intelligence into grinding circuits and material inputs like grinding aids, cement manufacturers can strike a balance between efficiency and environmental stewardship.
Conclusion
Digitalisation is not merely an add-on to cement manufacturing. It is reshaping the competitive and sustainability landscape of an industry often perceived as inertia-bound. With grinding representing a nexus of energy intensity and cost, digital technologies from sensor networks and predictive analytics to digital twins offer new levers of control. When paired with innovations in grinding media and grinding aids, particularly those with embedded digital capabilities, plants can achieve unprecedented gains in efficiency, predictability and performance.
For global cement producers aiming to reduce costs and carbon footprints simultaneously, the future belongs to those who harness digital intelligence not just to monitor operations, but to optimise and evolve them continuously.

About the author:
Professor Procyon Mukherjee, ex-CPO Lafarge-Holcim India, ex-President Hindalco, ex-VP Supply Chain Novelis Europe, has been an industry leader in logistics, procurement, operations and supply chain management. His career spans 38 years starting from Philips, Alcan Inc (Indian Aluminum Company), Hindalco, Novelis and Holcim. He authored the book, ‘The Search for Value in Supply Chains’. He serves now as Visiting Professor in SP Jain Global, SIOM and as the Adjunct Professor at SBUP. He advises leading Global Firms including Consulting firms on SCM and Industrial Leadership and is a subject matter expert in aluminum and cement. An Alumnus of IIM Calcutta and Jadavpur University, he has completed the LH Senior Leadership Programme at IVEY Academy at Western University, Canada.

Concrete

Digital Pathways for Sustainable Manufacturing

Published

4 days ago

February 20, 2026

admin

Dr Y Chandri Naidu, Chief Technology Officer, Nextcem Consulting highlights how digital technologies are enabling Indian cement plants to improve efficiency, reduce emissions, and transition toward sustainable, low-carbon manufacturing.

Cement manufacturing is inherently resource- and energy-intensive due to high-temperature clinkerisation and extensive material handling and grinding operations. In India, where cement demand continues to grow in line with infrastructure development, producers must balance capacity expansion with sustainability commitments. Energy costs constitute a major share of operating expenditure, while process-related carbon dioxide emissions from limestone calcination remain unavoidable.
Traditional optimisation approaches, which are largely dependent on operator experience, static control logic and offline laboratory analysis, have reached their practical limits. This is especially evident when higher levels of alternative fuel and raw materials (AFR) are introduced or when raw material variability increases.
Digital technologies provide a systematic pathway to manage this complexity by enabling
real-time monitoring, predictive optimisation and integrated decision-making across cement manufacturing operations.
Digital cement manufacturing is enabled through a layered architecture integrating operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT). At the base are plant instrumentation, analysers, and automation systems, which generate continuous process data. This data is contextualised and analysed using advanced analytics and AI platforms, enabling predictive and prescriptive insights for operators and management.

Digital optimisation of energy efficiency

Thermal energy optimisation
The kiln and calciner system accounts for approximately 60 per cent to 65 per cent of total energy consumption in an integrated cement plant. Digital optimisation focuses on reducing specific thermal energy consumption (STEC) while maintaining clinker quality and operational stability.
Advanced Process Control (APC) stabilises critical parameters such as burning zone temperature, oxygen concentration, kiln feed rate and calciner residence time. By minimising process variability, APC reduces the need for conservative over-firing. Artificial intelligence further enhances optimisation by learning nonlinear relationships between raw mix chemistry, AFR characteristics, flame dynamics and heat consumption.
Digital twins of kiln systems allow engineers to simulate operational scenarios such as increased AFR substitution, altered burner momentum or changes in raw mix burnability without operational risk. Indian cement plants adopting these solutions typically report STEC reductions in the range of 2 per cent to 5 per cent.
Electrical energy optimisation
Electrical energy consumption in cement plants is dominated by grinding systems, fans and material transport equipment. Machine learning–based optimisation continuously adjusts mill parameters such as separator speed, grinding pressure and feed rate to minimise specific power consumption while maintaining product fineness.
Predictive maintenance analytics identify inefficiencies caused by wear, fouling or imbalance in fans and motors. Plants implementing plant-wide electrical energy optimisation typically achieve
3 per cent to 7 per cent reduction in specific power consumption, contributing to both cost savings and indirect CO2 reduction.

Digital enablement of AFR
AFR challenges in the Indian context: Indian cement plants increasingly utilise biomass, refuse-derived fuel (RDF), plastic waste and industrial by-products. However, variability in calorific value, moisture, particle size, chlorine and sulphur content introduces combustion instability, build-up formation and emission risks.
Digital AFR management: Digital platforms integrate real-time AFR quality data from online analysers with historical kiln performance data. Machine learning models predict combustion behaviour, flame stability and emission trends for different AFR combinations. Based on these predictions, fuel feed distribution, primary and secondary air ratios, and burner momentum are dynamically adjusted to ensure stable kiln operation. Digitally enabled AFR management in cement plants will result in increased thermal substitution rates by 5-15 percentage points, reduced fossil fuel dependency, and improved kiln stability.

Digital resource and raw material optimisation
Raw mix control: Raw material variability directly affects kiln operation and clinker quality. AI-driven raw mix optimisation systems continuously adjust feed proportions to maintain target chemical parameters such as Lime Saturation Factor (LSF), Silica Modulus (SM), and Alumina Modulus (AM). This reduces corrective material usage and improves kiln thermal efficiency.
Clinker factor reduction: Reducing clinker factor through supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as fly ash, slag and calcined clay is a key decarbonisation lever. Digital models simulate blended cement performance, enabling optimisation of SCM proportions while maintaining strength and durability requirements.

Challenges and strategies for digital adoption
Key challenges in Indian cement plants include data quality limitations due to legacy instrumentation, resistance to algorithm-based decision-making, integration complexity across multiple OEM systems, and site-specific variability in raw materials and fuels.
Successful digital transformation requires strengthening the data foundation, prioritising high-impact use cases such as kiln APC and energy optimisation, adopting a human-in-the-loop approach, and deploying modular, scalable digital platforms with cybersecurity by design.

Future Outlook
Future digital cement plants will evolve toward autonomous optimisation, real-time carbon intensity tracking, and integration with emerging decarbonisation technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS). Digital platforms will also support ESG reporting and regulatory compliance.
Digital pathways offer a practical and scalable solution for sustainable cement manufacturing in India. By optimising energy consumption, enabling higher AFR substitution and improving resource efficiency, digital technologies deliver measurable environmental and economic benefits. With appropriate data infrastructure, organisational alignment and phased implementation, digital transformation will remain central to the Indian cement industry’s low-carbon transition.

About the author:
Dr Y Chandri Naidu is a cement industry professional with 30+ years of experience in process optimisation, quality control and quality assistance, energy conservation and sustainable manufacturing, across leading organisations including NCB, Ramco, Prism, Ultratech, HIL, NCL and Vedanta. He is known for guiding teams, developing innovative plant solutions and promoting environmentally responsible cement production. He is also passionate about mentoring professionals and advancing durable, resource efficient technologies for future of construction materials.

Concrete

Turning Downtime into Actionable Intelligence

Published

4 days ago

February 19, 2026

admin

Stoppage Insights instantly identifies root causes and maps their full operational impact.

In cement, mining and minerals processing operations, every unplanned stoppage equals lost production and reduced profitability. Yet identifying what caused a stoppage remains frustratingly complex. A single motor failure can trigger cascading interlocks and alarm floods, burying the root cause under layers of secondary events. Operators and maintenance teams waste valuable time tracing event chains when they should be solving problems. Until now.
Our latest innovation to our ECS Process Control Solution(1) eliminates this complexity. Stoppage Insights, available with the combined updates to our ECS/ControlCenter™ (ECS) software and ACESYS programming library, transforms stoppage events into clear, actionable intelligence. The system automatically identifies the root cause of every stoppage – whether triggered by alarms, interlocks, or operator actions – and maps all affected equipment. Operators can click any stopped motor’s faceplate to view what caused the shutdown instantly. The Stoppage UI provides a complete record of all stoppages with drill-down capabilities, replacing manual investigation with immediate answers.

Understanding root cause in Stoppage Insights
In Stoppage Insights, ‘root cause’ refers to the first alarm, interlock, or operator action detected by the control system. While this may not reveal the underlying mechanical, electrical or process failure that a maintenance team may later discover, it provides an actionable starting point for rapid troubleshooting and response. And this is where Stoppage Insights steps ahead of traditional first-out alarm systems (ISA 18.2). In this older type of system, the first alarm is identified in a group. This is useful, but limited, as it doesn’t show the complete cascade of events, distinguish between operator-initiated and alarm-triggered stoppages, or map downstream impacts. In contrast, Stoppage Insights provides complete transparency:

Comprehensive capture: Records both regular operator stops and alarm-triggered shutdowns.
Complete impact visibility: Maps all affected equipment automatically.
Contextual clarity: Eliminates manual tracing through alarm floods, saving critical response time.

David Campain, Global Product Manager for Process Control Systems, says, “Stoppage Insights takes fault analysis to the next level. Operators and maintenance engineers no longer need to trace complex event chains. They see the root cause clearly and can respond quickly.”

Driving results
1.Driving results for operations teams
Stoppage Insights maximises clarity to minimise downtime, enabling operators to:
• Rapidly identify root causes to shorten recovery time.
• View initiating events and all affected units in one intuitive interface.
• Access complete records of both planned and unplanned stoppages

Driving results for maintenance and reliability teams
Stoppage Insights helps prioritise work based on evidence, not guesswork:
• Access structured stoppage data for reliability programmes.
• Replace manual logging with automated, exportable records for CMMS, ERP or MES.(2)
• Identify recurring issues and target preventive maintenance effectively.
A future-proof and cybersecure foundation
Our Stoppage Insights feature is built on the latest (version 9) update to our ACESYS advanced programming library. This industry-leading solution lies at the heart of the ECS process control system. Its structured approach enables fast engineering and consistent control logic across hardware platforms from Siemens, Schneider, Rockwell, and others.
In addition to powering Stoppage Insights, ACESYS v9 positions the ECS system for open, interoperable architectures and future-proof automation. The same structured data used by Stoppage Insights supports AI-driven process control, providing the foundation for machine learning models and advanced analytics.
The latest releases also respond to the growing risk of cyberattacks on industrial operational technology (OT) infrastructure, delivering robust cybersecurity. The latest ECS software update (version 9.2) is certified to IEC 62443-4-1 international cybersecurity standards, protecting your process operations and reducing system vulnerability.

What’s available now and what’s coming next?
The ECS/ControlCenter 9.2 and ACESYS 9 updates, featuring Stoppage Insights, are available now for:

Greenfield projects.
ECS system upgrades.
Brownfield replacement of competitor systems.
Stoppage Insights will also soon integrate with our ECS/UptimeGo downtime analysis software. Stoppage records, including root cause identification and affected equipment, will flow seamlessly into UptimeGo for advanced analytics, trending and long-term reliability reporting. This integration creates a complete ecosystem for managing and improving plant uptime.

(1) The ECS Process Control Solution for cement, mining and minerals processing combines proven control strategies with modern automation architecture to optimise plant performance, reduce downtime and support operational excellence.
(2) CMMS refers to computerised maintenance management systems; ERP, to enterprise resource planning; and MES to manufacturing execution systems.