Connect with us

Concrete

What does efficiency look like at cement plant’s loading bay?

Published

on

Shares

The expansion of Indian cement industry over the last two decades has been remarkable and the prospects for demand and growth are exceptional. While the industry is focusing on modernisation and sustainability; one area that needs a bit more focus is the packing, loading and dispatch operations. Many plants still operate a semi or even wholly manual packing and loading process and the use of non-laminated HDPE bags is widespread.

Of course, it doesn?? have to be this way. The technology exists to totally modernise the packing, loading and dispatch process. It is already being used in factories around the world. Automation is giving cement plants an opportunity to eliminate bottlenecks in the loading bay. Increase the throughput in the packing plant and, in short, get more high-quality product out to customers. That is the potential of an efficient cement dispatch unit.

FLSmidth has been operating in India for a very long time. We know the market very well and we have had a lot of success here, but we??e also faced some challenges. The biggest of these is the lack of uniformity among empty bag manufacturers and the variation in truck dimensions. Automated truck loaders are typically designed to work within the scope of the dimensions provided by manufacturers, but they rely on those dimensions staying within the established range.

We are big believers in building solutions ??not products. Providing great technology is not enough. It has to work for you, now. So having talked with our Indian cement plant customers, we set about developing a more flexible automatic truck loading equipment.

Indian trucks are a thing of beauty ??not homogeny. Lengths range from 6 to 14 m. Internal widths vary from 2 to 2.5 m. Some have high fixed lateral sides that cannot be removed. All of this poses an interesting challenge to automated truck loading. Add to that the fact that customers wish to keep the same straight bag loading pattern used with manual loading to avoid extra unloading costs. And then the difficulties that come with the (currently extensive) use of HDPE non-laminated bags, which do not typically work so well with automated loading machines as the more internationally used paper and WPP glued valve bags.

Increasing efficiency in packaging and loading operations

In practice, an efficient dispatch operation comprises:

  • A degree of automation that allows you to significantly optimise human intervention and create a safer and more productive working conditions.

  • Optimisation of every piece of equipment in terms of output, weighing accuracy and reliability, reducing both the downtime required for maintenance and the number of spare parts needed.

  • Reduced dust emissions and a cleaner working environment and bag quality.

  • Optimum bag handling to ensure product is protected.

  • Ability to satisfy market demand, both in terms of quantity and the preferred means of delivery ??i.e. truck or rail ??with flexibility built in.

  • Best possible configuration of the loading plant and packing area for the utmost safety, productivity and flexibility.

Intelligent bag loading technology

Using the traditional top bag-loading principle, the CARICATECH??forms the bag layer above the truck and then transfers the layer onto the truck platform. What differentiates the CARICATECH??is that bag layers are formed on a special roller bed and then picked up and positioned on the truck by forks. With the CARICATECH SB model, the loading pattern is adjusted to the truck dimensions automatically to match with manual loading pattern.

Setting loading parameters is easy and intuitive. It is possible to make changes to the loading parameters in real time. But the biggest benefit is the diversity of automatic loading capabilities. It?? possible to handle different bag sizes, pattern configurations (interlocked or not, Fig 1), and loading modes (flat and/or pyramidal loading) with a different number of bags per layer, layer by layer, completely automatically.

The CARICATECH??model for loading interlocked or straight bag layers has already been implemented, where loading bay space is limited and therefore needs to be highly efficient to avoid a bottleneck. This design version can handle up to 3300 bags per hour and is flexible enough to cope with a range of bag types and truck dimensions in use. The loading operation is now completely automated and is controlled remotely with cameras and monitors to supervise, avoiding the need to put an operator in a high-risk condition.

This technology has the ability to revolutionise truck loading in India, enabling higher capacities and faster loading operations than ever before. Moreover, the CARICATECH??is future-proof and will be equally efficient ??in fact, more efficient ??if the market moves away from HDPE non-laminated bags.

For more details:

Ashish Kumar Srivastava

Email: Ashishkumar.Srivastava@Flsmidth.com

Vikesh Singh

Email: Vikesh.Singh@flsmidth.com

Satyender Sehgal

Email: Satyender.sehgal@flsmidth.com

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Concrete

Molecor Renews OCS Europe Certification Across Spanish Plants

Certification reinforces commitment to preventing microplastic pollution

Published

on

By

Shares

Molecor has renewed its OCS Europe certification for another year across all its production facilities in Spain under the Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) voluntary initiative, reaffirming its commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. The renewal underlines the company’s continued focus on preventing the unintentional release of plastic particles during manufacturing, with particular attention to safeguarding marine ecosystems from microplastic pollution.

All Molecor plants in Spain have been compliant with OCS Europe standards for several years, implementing best practices designed to avoid pellet loss and the release of plastic particles during the production of PVC pipes and fittings. The OCS-based management system enables the company to maintain strict operational controls while aligning with evolving regulatory expectations on microplastic prevention.

The renewed certification also positions Molecor ahead of newly published European regulations. The company’s practices are aligned with Regulation (EU) 2025/2365, recently adopted by the European Parliament, which sets out requirements to prevent pellet loss and reduce microplastic pollution across industrial operations.

Extending its sustainability commitment beyond its own operations, Molecor is actively engaging its wider value chain by informing suppliers and customers of its participation in the OCS programme and encouraging responsible microplastic management practices. Through these efforts, the company contributes directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14 ‘Life below water’, reinforcing its role as a responsible industrial manufacturer committed to environmental stewardship and long-term sustainability.

Continue Reading

Concrete

Coforge Launches AI-Led Data Cosmos Analytics Platform

New cloud-native platform targets enterprise data modernisation and GenAI adoption

Published

on

By

Shares

Coforge Limited has recently announced the launch of Coforge Data Cosmos, an AI-enabled, cloud-native data engineering and advanced analytics platform aimed at helping enterprises convert fragmented data environments into intelligent, high-performance data ecosystems. The platform strengthens Coforge’s technology stack by introducing a foundational innovation layer that supports cloud-native, domain-specific solutions built on reusable blueprints, proprietary IP, accelerators, agentic components and industry-aligned capabilities.

Data Cosmos is designed to address persistent enterprise challenges such as data fragmentation, legacy modernisation, high operational costs, limited self-service analytics, lack of unified governance and the complexity of GenAI adoption. The platform is structured around five technology portfolios—Supernova, Nebula, Hypernova, Pulsar and Quasar—covering the full data transformation lifecycle, from legacy-to-cloud migration and governance to cloud-native data platforms, autonomous DataOps and scaled GenAI orchestration.

To accelerate speed-to-value, Coforge has introduced the Data Cosmos Toolkit, comprising over 55 IPs and accelerators and 38 AI agents powered by the Data Cosmos Engine. The platform also enables Galaxy solutions, which combine industry-specific data models with the core technology stack to deliver tailored solutions across sectors including BFS, insurance, travel, transportation and hospitality, healthcare, public sector and retail.

“With Data Cosmos, we are setting a new benchmark for how enterprises convert data complexity into competitive advantage,” said Deepak Manjarekar, Global Head – Data HBU, Coforge. “Our objective is to provide clients with a fast, adaptive and AI-ready data foundation from day one.”

Supported by a strong ecosystem of cloud and technology partners, Data Cosmos operates across multi-cloud and hybrid environments and is already being deployed in large-scale transformation programmes for global clients.

Continue Reading

Concrete

India, Sweden Launch Seven Low-Carbon Steel, Cement Projects

Joint studies to cut industrial emissions under LeadIT

Published

on

By

Shares

India and Sweden have announced seven joint projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the steel and cement sectors, with funding support from India’s Department of Science and Technology and the Swedish Energy Agency.

The initiatives, launched under the LeadIT Industry Transition Partnership, bring together major Indian companies including Tata Steel, JK Cement, Ambuja Cements, Jindal Steel and Power, and Prism Johnson, alongside Swedish technology firms such as Cemvision, Kanthal and Swerim. Leading Indian academic institutions, including IIT Bombay, IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIT Bhubaneswar and IIT Hyderabad, are also participating.

The projects will undertake pre-pilot feasibility studies on a range of low-carbon technologies. These include the use of hydrogen in steel rotary kilns, recycling steel slag for green cement production, and applying artificial intelligence to optimise concrete mix designs. Other studies will explore converting blast furnace carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide for reuse and assessing electric heating solutions for steelmaking.

India’s steel sector currently accounts for about 10–12 per cent of the country’s carbon emissions, while cement contributes nearly 6 per cent. Globally, heavy industry is responsible for roughly one-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions and consumes around one-third of total energy.

The collaboration aims to develop scalable, low-carbon industrial technologies that can support India’s net-zero emissions target by 2070. As part of the programme, Tata Steel and Cemvision will examine methods to convert steel slag into construction materials, creating a circular value chain for industrial byproducts.

Continue Reading

Trending News