Concrete

Cement grinding capacity expansion

Published

5 years ago

July 1, 2021

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Split location of a plant is an accepted concept. It is an easy route to add capacities where market exists. Shreekant Datar, who has wide experience of handling projects in multinational companies, shares details of one such case.

ABC Cement is a 10-year old cement manufacturing company. The plant started with a clinkering capacity of 1 MTPA, i.e., around 3,000 MT per day. Over the years, as the demand for cement grew, the plant has undertaken upgradation work in phases every year, and after all debottlenecking, the plant has stabilised with a clinker production capacity of 4,000 MT per day. This amounts to an excess clinker availability of 1,000 MT per day. All other plant capacities have reached their peak levels and finding a proper time for maintenance of equipment to ensure availability, has become a problem for the management. The management is forced to curtail the production to avoid overproduction of clinker as storage is a big limitation. The top management team has been mulling over an idea of investing some capital to enhance the capacities as market is growing at 8 to 10 per cent per annum. The management also thinks that this expansion will help in:

retaining their market share as other players in the region are trying to take a slice of market, and
maintaining cost effectiveness and competitiveness.

The existing cement plant has no space for expansion and management has thought to put up a plant away from clinkering unit. Questions that arose was, ??here do we put up this unit?? Since it required a thorough study before taking any further decision and a project team was made and they were given the task of formulating this plant project. The team consisted of personnel from technical, financial, legal and marketing department. The technical person heading it was the most senior and had back up experience of installing a project.

How did the project team work?

They prepared a project charter which was somewhat like this:

Objective: To enhance cement grinding capacity and liquidate 1000 MT of excess clinker
Project steps
Find a suitable location
List down all the necessary statutory requirements of government to be filled in.

Hire a consultant to understand and arrive at the overall requirements of project like technology selection, working out area requirements, capital cost involved, operating costs, logistics cost and finally the financial feasibility

Two teams were formed in which one worked on technical proposal and second on the location and market perspective.

Main equipment

Technical concept

The proposed plant should be a grinding unit with packing facility. It should be for making blended cement like fly ash based PPC or slag-based cement. Clinker to be handled by road by trucks. The cement despatch to be handled by road. The control systems shall be PLC/DCS based and remote control, with lowest manpower is possible.

The technology available for grinding is:

Closed circuit ball mill system
A vertical roller mill system
A combined roller press and ball mill system

Required capacity is 1,550 TPD or 5.11 LTPA. (0.5 million TPA). After a lot of deliberation with consultant and internal team, it was decided to adopt a 75 TPH roll press + ball mill system technology. The advantages seen with this were a good and consistent surface (Blaine) generation, which the market valued and flexibility to use either fly ash or other additives in future.

Plant layout: In line process equipment and storage with provision for similar second line

Total plant area required: About 20 acres

Overall timeframe for project

1. Land procurement ??six months

2. Statutory approvals ??10 months after land procurement

3. Engineering ??three months after statutory approval

4. Procurement and delivery ??eight months after first critical order

5. Detailed engineering and construction ??eight months after two months of critical equipment ordering

6. Commissioning ??one month

Total ??30 months from start of land procurement. It was noted that this can be shortened by about six months if land procurement is expedited and some engineering work is done before necessary statutory clearances are obtained.

Location finalisation

To begin with, a brainstorming was carried out and it was zeroed on following characteristics:

1) The location should be close to our market place

2) The location should be within 500 km distance from main plant

3) Should have land availability at a reasonable price

4) Should have infrastructure like roads, railway, electricity source, water source, a reasonably big town for housing the operating personnel

5) Availability of trucks for final product transfer

6) The location should be close to an additives source

Considering the above factors, a land parcel of 22 acres was available close to a power plant and clinkering unit. This was a private agricultural land.

Land procurement

The land team verified following land characteristics

1. There are no man settlements or natural waterbodies with in arial radius of 2.0 km

2. The nearest highway is within 5 km of location

3. The railway station is with in 10 km

4. Airport is within 100 km

5. Electrical substation for power sourcing is within 5 km range

6. Water source(borewell) is available in the finalised land

7. An inhabitable township is within 30 to 50 km radius. This would help in housing the families of staff working in the area.

8. The political situation and people?? attitude towards Industry was assessed

9. The land parcels have no encumbrances and are free of any litigation. All the documents of the land lineage for 20 years were checked. Wherever mutations were pending they were done quickly with the help of Gram Panchayat and Tehsil office.

The team did a wonderful job of developing good relationship with influential and in power people and manged to procure land with reasonable price and applied for conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural category with local district authorities. After winning confidence of local Gram Panchayat officials and the influential persons in the area, NA was obtained with in six months, i.e. a saving of four months in execution time.

Statutory clearances

The following were essential ones for starting the project

1. Register project with the district Industrial Development Corporation

2. Apply for environmental clearance from MOEF (essential for clinker grinding)

3. Engage environmental consultants to establish the TOR and furnish for EC

4. Meetings were held with the concerned officials and EC was obtained six months period

5. Application was made to State pollution control board and consent to establish a plant was obtained in three months. Hence a saving of one more month in execution.

6. Application was made to Electricity Board for getting power connection. All clearances were available and the liaison team developed good relationships. The board agreed to provide connection with in six months. They also agreed to provide construction power from a nearby agricultural line.

7. Other local clearances like those from Gram Panchayat were obtained along with above activities.

8. Further clearances necessary like factories inspectorate, electrical inspectorate, town planning, etc. were listed, scheduled and completed very religiously

Procurement and Engineering

Tenders were prepared with the help of engineering consultants and floated to prospective vendors in a month after obtaining the consent to establish with efforts by engineering team. Important conditions in the tender were:

The battery limits for supply, engineering deliverable were very critically set to ensure that there are no grey areas and miss outs
The core equipment load data and GA drawings will be furnished within two months
Complete system engineering and layout with in battery limit to be done by suppliers
The engineering data furnishing and deliveries were fully aligned with project execution requirements and payment terms were purely based on these outputs.

Separate tender committee was formed under existing purchase department and equipment ordering was done quickly in three months??time from getting the Consent to Establish from pollution control board.
In due course, contracts were made and agencies for execution of civil, mechanical and E&I work were released after some engineering outputs were received.

Project management

A core team of six persons (project manager, planner, process engineering, mechanical engineering, drawing and design and E&I engineering)
Review of drawings was made by sitting together by above team as a conference and a quick review and progress of drawings was made possible.
Whole project execution plan was made using project planning software like MS project and monitored closely by above team. Alarms were incorporated in way of Flags and milestones. This would act as an early warning system for both time and cost matters.
Regular visits were undertaken to debottleneck and expedite consultant?? drawing output.

The floor areas of multi-storeyed building were critically examined and areas were optimised, which lead to a saving 5 per cent cost of such buildings in normal course
All statutory requirements of factories Inspectorate with respect to safety,

Site management

A team of dedicated engineers with experience in construction work as well as operation was made and placed at site under an able project leader who had a record of executing five such projects
The team made following arrangements before moving to site:

1. Locate a good hotel and make arrangements for stay

2. A local conveyance agency engaged for necessary vehicles

3. Doctors were identified

4. Good houses were identified for staff to stay

5. A bachelor?? accommodation with mess was tied up to begin with

6. Container offices were arranged for site work

7. Genset agency was hired for site power

8. Internet facility was tied up with a service provider

The team made SOP?? for ensuring timely and correct inputs to contractor?? to ensure deliverance of a good quality in defined time limits based on their past experience and following are some of the important matters they incorporated.

1. Strict discipline to be followed to ensure only latest drawing is issued and used at site by exercising control to withdraw old drawings and stamp them as superseded. Give a regular communication to contractors and engineers as soon as a new version has been received. In some projects new drawings have been issued after construction was done which lead to serious re-working.

2. The area cleaning and grading was done based on the contour survey to optimise excavation and fillings. The plant lay out was suitably adjusted to ensure water flow out in natural slope direction. Slightly hilly area was not erased but some structures requiring elevation, like in case of clinker unloading tippler was placed there. Plant roads were laid and worked up to WBM level to ensure easy movement of vehicles during execution of project. Temporary drains were created to ensure no water logging during rains. Cross over pipes were laid in pre-defined way to ensure passage of cables during the construction.

3. The foundation designs were reviewed and corrected, based on the strata actually observed during excavations. This helped in reducing depths of certain structures like clinker silos

4. Areas for storage of equipment, steel fabrication, contractor?? office were so planned and established so that there is least interference in peak project period. It also helped in keeping project site neat and clean.

5. Discipline was inculcated to remove dirt and scrap on daily/weekly basis

6. Labour colonies were constructed using ready made structures and allocated to contractors for their labour housing just outside the plant area. Water and electricity arrangements were made but limits on consumption were laid and recovery made from contractors. This helped in reducing labour turnover in holidays and keep them in a healthy spirit.

7. Strict adherence to QAP?? for all construction activities and front release for next work was done very religiously to ensure smooth continuity and reduce re-working and time loss to minimum.

8. Payments were done to contractor on the bases of % work completed against plan and not only on random quantities presented. This was based on microplanning on weekly basis with contractors and regular monitoring to keep the project on course as desired.

9. Monthly meetings with contractor?? project head from their main offices were held at site and problems were troubleshot to achieve the rate of progress and be on the defined time course.

Commissioning

The operations team was inducted about four months before the commissioning so that hey get familiarised with the plan, documentation and also were encouraged to come out with suggestion for convenience and unhindered operability.
The pre-commissioning checklists were prepared by the commissioning team and religiously implemented to ensure a plant run at: ONE GO
After the team worked so hard and dedication the plant got commissioned and went on production stream with in four weeks of commissioning. Least problems were faced due strict quality adherence at each stage and extensive pre-commissioning checks.
In this period, consent to operate was applied for with Pollution Control Board and same was obtained in time to declare commercial production.

Hence it can be concluded that with a great team, planning and dedication, it was possible to complete half a MTPA capcity cement grinding unit in 26 months from the idea was frozen by top management team. Some of the points enumerated above may be of use to some one planning a project and I am sure; it can be improved further. There is always a scope for improvement.

Shreekant Datar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shreekant Datar is a mechanical engineer with 37 years experience in the cement industry. Out of which, he has 20 plus years experience in projects with organisations like ACC, UltraTech Cement and Indiabulls. He has international exposure of projects in Nigeria in the capacity as project management consultant. Presently, he is a freelance consultant on cement projects. He can be reached at: datarsv12@gmail.com.

Concrete

ABB Extends Drive Lifespan at ACC Cement Plant Without Production Shutdown

Published

8 hours ago

November 12, 2026

admin

ABB reconditions 25 drives at ACC’s Jamul cement plant, avoiding 16 tonnes of CO₂ emissions while improving reliability through predictive maintenance.
Chhattisgarh

ABB has signed a multi-year Motion OneCare service agreement with ACC Limited, part of the Adani Group, to modernise ageing industrial drives at its Jamul cement plant in Chhattisgarh, improving operational reliability while avoiding approximately 16 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions without disrupting production.

Announced on 27 October 2026, the agreement combines scheduled drive reconditioning, digital condition monitoring and energy appraisals to extend equipment lifespan, improve plant uptime and optimise maintenance costs. The initiative marks a shift from conventional equipment replacement towards a more resource-efficient approach to industrial asset management.

The first phase, completed in April 2026, involved the on-site reconditioning of 25 ABB ACS800 variable speed drives without a major plant shutdown. By retaining the existing cabinets and restoring the drive modules rather than replacing entire panels, ABB helped ACC preserve capital investment, minimise material consumption and avoid approximately 16 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

A second phase, covering an additional 25 ACS800 drive modules, is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026. The programme is designed to improve long-term equipment reliability while allowing maintenance activities to be aligned with the plant’s operational schedules.

The ACS800 drives, installed at Jamul in 2010, had delivered more than a decade of near-continuous service in demanding cement manufacturing conditions. However, ageing electrical components and changing fault patterns had begun to affect their ability to meet the plant’s reliability requirements.

Rather than opting for complete equipment replacement, ACC engaged ABB’s certified engineers to conduct a comprehensive asset health assessment. The evaluation found that the existing cabinets and enclosures remained structurally sound, making targeted reconditioning a technically viable and cost-effective alternative to full replacement.

Drawing on nearly two decades of experience with ACC’s equipment and operating requirements, ABB developed a maintenance framework tailored to the plant’s shutdown windows, budget cycles and production priorities.

The Motion OneCare agreement incorporates planned equipment restoration, condition-based monitoring and energy assessments, enabling ACC to adopt a more systematic approach to maintaining critical electrical infrastructure.

As part of the programme, ACC has implemented ABB Ability™ Digital Powertrain Insights to monitor drive performance and identify emerging operational issues before they result in equipment failures.

The digital platform provides continuous visibility into parameters such as temperature, current, vibration and fault patterns. These insights allow maintenance teams to detect early signs of equipment deterioration, schedule interventions more effectively and reduce the likelihood of unexpected downtime.

Amit Gupta, Local Division Manager, Motion Services, ABB India, said: “We know what unchecked wear costs over time: a small inefficiency that eats away at ROI for years. At Jamul, the evidence pointed clearly to assets with productive life still in them.”

“Our job was to restore them properly and give the team the tools to stay ahead of the next problem. At ABB, we don’t just fix what fails. We want to protect what works.”

The initiative also demonstrates the growing relevance of circular economy principles in cement manufacturing, where extending the service life of existing industrial equipment can reduce capital expenditure, material consumption and the environmental impact associated with manufacturing replacement components.

According to ABB, drive reconditioning can reduce lifecycle emissions by 50 to 80 per cent compared with complete equipment replacement. By preserving functional components and restoring critical modules, the process helps retain the economic and material value of existing industrial assets.

The addition of energy appraisals in subsequent phases will further expand the programme beyond equipment restoration, enabling ACC to assess drive performance, identify energy-saving opportunities and improve operating efficiency.

For cement manufacturers, variable speed drives play an important role in controlling motors and optimising energy consumption across production processes. Maintaining their reliability and efficiency is essential for minimising operational disruptions and managing electricity costs.

Vinod Bahety, CEO – Cement Business, Adani Group, said: “Moving from reactive firefighting to a structured maintenance plan was exactly what this operation needed. That kind of peace of mind doesn’t come easily. It comes from a partner that understands how your business runs.”

“We didn’t need a full system overhaul; we needed expert support, actionable insights, and a plan we could execute around our schedule. That’s what we got.”

The project supports ACC’s broader strategy to improve manufacturing efficiency through digital transformation, preventive maintenance and sustainable asset management.

ACC, a subsidiary of Ambuja Cements and part of the Adani Group, operates 20 cement manufacturing facilities and 119 ready-mix concrete plants across India. The company has been advancing initiatives focused on renewable energy, circular economy practices and technology-driven operational improvements.

Alongside Ambuja Cements, ACC is part of a large-scale building materials business committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, with near-term and net-zero targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

The Jamul initiative aligns with these sustainability objectives by demonstrating how equipment life extension and digital monitoring can contribute to resource efficiency without requiring large-scale replacement of existing infrastructure.

ABB, a global technology company specialising in electrification and automation, brings more than 140 years of industrial expertise and employs approximately 110,000 people worldwide. Its Motion Services business supports industrial customers through equipment maintenance, modernisation, digital monitoring and lifecycle management solutions.

The agreement also reflects a wider shift in industrial maintenance practices, with manufacturers increasingly adopting predictive technologies to improve equipment availability, manage costs and reduce unplanned shutdowns.

With 25 drives already reconditioned and another 25 scheduled for restoration, ABB’s collaboration with ACC illustrates how targeted modernisation, digital monitoring and circular maintenance practices can extend the operational life of critical equipment while supporting more efficient and sustainable cement production.

Concrete

ABB Drives Digital Transformation at TCI MAX Cement Plant in J&K

Published

8 hours ago

November 12, 2026

admin

ABB deploys advanced process control at TCI MAX’s Srinagar cement plant to improve clinker quality, energy efficiency and sustainable manufacturing.

Kashmir

ABB has deployed its advanced process control technology at TCI MAX Cement’s Srinagar facility in Jammu and Kashmir, marking the region’s first reported implementation of advanced process control (APC) in cement manufacturing and strengthening efforts towards more efficient, digitally enabled production.

Announced on 5 November 2026, the deployment of ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer at the facility, operated by Trumboo Industries Pvt. Ltd., aims to improve process stability, clinker quality, energy efficiency and overall plant productivity. The implementation forms part of TCI MAX’s strategy to modernise its manufacturing operations through automation and digital technologies.

Following the integration of ABB’s advanced process control solution and supporting IT infrastructure, TCI MAX has reported improvements in operational productivity, product quality and sustainability-related performance indicators. The technology focuses on optimising the cement pyro process, a critical stage of production involving high-temperature processing and clinker formation.

Waseem Ahmed Trumboo, Director, Trumboo Industries Pvt. Ltd., said: “Introducing advanced process control at TCI MAX is an important step in how we are evolving our operations. Our focus is on improving the stability and efficiency of our processes while maintaining consistent clinker quality. We have been encouraged by the performance of the solution during commissioning and by the support from the ABB team, and we look forward to realizing its full potential.”

ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer combines advanced process control, model predictive control (MPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) to continuously monitor and optimise manufacturing operations. By analysing process conditions, predicting operational behaviour and automatically adjusting key parameters, the system enables more consistent production while reducing process variability.

In cement manufacturing, maintaining stable pyro-processing conditions is essential for achieving uniform clinker quality and optimising thermal energy consumption. Fluctuations in operating parameters can affect fuel efficiency, production output and product consistency.

The deployment is designed to address these challenges through real-time process optimisation, helping operators maintain more stable kiln operations while improving the utilisation of fuel, electricity and raw materials.

Kapil Agarwal, Senior Vice President and Local Division Manager, Process Industries Division, ABB India, said: “Cement producers are increasingly looking to adopt digital technologies to achieve greater consistency and efficiency while addressing their sustainability priorities. ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer brings advanced process control and deep cement process expertise together to help operators make their processes more stable and efficient. We are pleased to support TCI MAX as it takes this important step in its digital transformation.”

The technology also supports sustainability objectives by optimising fuel consumption, improving electrical energy efficiency and minimising process waste. More stable operations can contribute to lower energy intensity and reduced emissions associated with cement production.

For TCI MAX, the investment represents a move towards data-driven manufacturing, where automated control systems complement operator expertise to improve production performance and operational reliability.

The implementation is particularly significant for Jammu and Kashmir’s cement industry, as it introduces advanced process optimisation technology to a regional manufacturing facility. Its deployment could demonstrate the potential for wider adoption of digital automation across cement plants seeking to modernise their operations.

The project builds on ABB’s experience in delivering advanced process control solutions to cement manufacturers worldwide. Through the integration of industrial automation, predictive technologies and process engineering expertise, the company supports manufacturers in improving resource efficiency and maintaining consistent production quality.

As cement producers face increasing pressure to manage energy costs, improve productivity and reduce their environmental footprint, technologies such as AI-enabled process control and predictive optimisation are becoming important components of plant modernisation strategies.

ABB’s Expert Optimizer provides a platform for addressing these priorities by enabling automated adjustments based on changing process conditions, reducing reliance on manual intervention and supporting more efficient plant operation.

ABB, a global technology company specialising in electrification and automation, has more than 140 years of industrial experience and approximately 110,000 employees worldwide. Its Automation business employs around 26,000 people and provides technologies and services across process, hybrid and maritime industries.

The TCI MAX deployment reinforces ABB’s growing role in the digital transformation of cement manufacturing in India, where improving process efficiency and reducing energy consumption remain critical to the industry’s long-term sustainability.

With the advanced process control system now implemented at its Srinagar facility, TCI MAX aims to build on the initial operational improvements and further optimise production efficiency, clinker consistency and environmental performance.

Concrete

Ramco Cements’ Hard Worker Wins Eight Awards at ‘Love of Advertising Awards 2026’

Published

9 hours ago

November 12, 2026

admin

Ramco Cements’ Hard Worker brand wins eight awards for excellence in advertising, packaging and brand identity at the Love of Advertising Awards 2026.

Hyderabad

The Ramco Cements Limited’s construction chemicals brand, Hard Worker, has secured eight awards at the Love of Advertising Awards 2026, recognising its creative excellence across television, digital advertising, packaging design and brand identity.

Organised by the Advertising Club of Trivandrum, the awards were presented at a ceremony held at The Leela Raviz, Kovalam, on 24 October 2026. The recognition highlights Hard Worker’s integrated marketing strategy and its efforts to establish a distinctive presence in India’s competitive construction chemicals market.

The eight awards span multiple creative categories, reflecting the brand’s approach to combining product-focused communication with engaging storytelling, humour and innovative design. Through its campaigns, Hard Worker has sought to simplify technical product benefits and make construction chemicals more accessible and relatable to consumers and construction professionals.

Built around the philosophy of “Hard-working products for hardworking people”, the brand focuses on communicating practical product advantages through memorable advertising narratives while maintaining a consistent identity across different marketing platforms.

Its campaigns for Ramco Hard Worker Eco Plaster and Tile Fix have been central to this approach. The Eco Plaster campaign highlights water conservation through the product’s self-curing properties, positioning it as a solution that supports more efficient construction practices. Meanwhile, Tile Fix promotes specialised tile-fixing solutions by presenting their practical benefits through relatable situations and creative storytelling.

Beyond advertising, Hard Worker has invested in distinctive packaging and brand identity development to improve product recognition and maintain consistency across customer touchpoints. This integrated approach has helped the brand differentiate itself in a category where marketing communication has traditionally focused on technical specifications and functional performance.

A V Dharmakrishnan, CEO, Ramco Cements, said, “Winning eight awards at the Love of Advertising Awards is a proud moment for Ramco Cements and the Hard Worker team. We believe that building a strong brand requires not only quality products but also the ability to communicate their value in a compelling and differentiated manner. Hard Worker’s journey reflects our commitment to combining product performance with innovative marketing to create meaningful connections with our customers and strengthen our presence in the construction chemicals market.”

The recognition comes as building materials manufacturers increasingly focus on brand differentiation, product awareness and customer engagement to strengthen their position in the construction chemicals segment.

By using humour and storytelling to explain product applications and benefits, Hard Worker aims to bridge the communication gap between technical construction solutions and the practical requirements of contractors, applicators and end-users.

Balaji K. Moorthy, Executive Director – Marketing, Ramco Cements, said, “Hard Worker was conceived to bring a fresh perspective to the construction chemicals category, where product communication has traditionally been functional and technical. Our endeavour has been to break through the clutter with distinctive ideas, humour and storytelling, while keeping the product proposition at the heart of every campaign. The recognition across TV and digital advertising, packaging design and brand identity design demonstrates our integrated approach to building the brand. These eight awards are an encouraging recognition of the creative thinking and collaborative effort behind Hard Worker’s marketing initiatives.”

The awards add to Hard Worker’s growing portfolio of creative recognitions and reinforce Ramco Cements’ emphasis on integrating product innovation with strategic marketing.

The brand’s communication initiatives also reflect a wider shift in the construction materials industry, where manufacturers are increasingly adopting consumer-focused marketing strategies to improve product understanding and strengthen relationships with construction professionals.

With its portfolio of construction chemicals, Hard Worker aims to address evolving requirements for durability, application efficiency and construction quality. Its marketing efforts seek to complement these product attributes by building stronger awareness and encouraging the adoption of specialised construction solutions.

Ramco Cements, one of India’s established cement manufacturers, operates across cement and allied building solutions. Through Hard Worker, the company is expanding its presence in the construction chemicals segment with products designed to enhance performance, quality and durability in modern construction applications.

The latest recognition strengthens Hard Worker’s brand visibility and underscores the growing importance of creative communication in promoting technical building materials. Ramco Cements intends to continue combining product development with distinctive marketing initiatives to support the brand’s growth in India’s construction chemicals market.