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Digitalisation drives productivity in cement production

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Cement producers are adopting Industry 4.0 across the flowsheet, taking advantage of digital solutions not only to support equipment availability, but also to reduce fuel consumption, increase production, improve product quality and save energy.

??igital technologies are having a major impact on cement production. Leading cement producers are embracing digitalisation as a critical enabler of productivity.??/strong>

Rather than slowing the pace of digital adoption, COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on just how important digital solutions are for the cement industry. When it becomes difficult or even impossible to be at site, the value of digitalisation becomes even more apparent.

For decades, we have worked on creating innovative solutions, enabling our customers to increase productivity and resolve challenges. Today we continue that journey into the area of digitalization and data-based optimisation.

A strong foundation for your digitalization journey: the process control platform

Do you worry about your plant reliability? Sustainability? Cybersecurity? Finding skilled operators? Our latest ECS/ControlCenter v8.4 Process Control Software Platform helps provide peace of mind on all these issues and more. With complete lifecycle support and third-party system integration, ECS/ControlCenter v8.4 provides a strong foundation for your digitalization journey.

With more than 1500 active process and product control

installations in the cement industry, the ECS/ControlCenter Platform is a trusted process control solution for cement businesses around the world. It is also a key component of our growing portfolio of digital solutions and services, which we call ENABLR.

In combination with our ECS/ACESYS??Control Library, the ECS/ControlCenter Software Platform is the digital heart of your operation: an advanced, reliable, adaptable and secure software platform that provides the foundation to control anything from machinery to full plants. It enables your business to get the most out of both your equipment and your operators, while simultaneously supporting greater sustainability and future productivity improvement.

Driving growth through productivity and reducing environmental footprint ??Artificial Intelligence

We have launched new cognitive technologies and functions in ECS/ProcessExpert v8.5 that contribute to greater sustainability. For the first time, we??e incorporated the capability to use non-symbolic artificial intelligence (AI) technologies based on machine learning and deep learning algorithms. These technologies create their own understanding of a process by finding patterns in the raw process data ??and then use that understanding to solve problems.

Meanwhile, the new PXP DataBooks module aims to bridge the gap between automation engineers and data scientists by enabling your data scientists to integrate their existing machine learning and deep learning algorithms into the PXP applications and control strategies.

We??e now also better able to demonstrate the sustainability advantage that intelligent process control technologies, such as PXP, bring to cement operations. The PXP Insights analytics module automatically converts operational benefits into meaningful environmental KPIs, for example, CO2 footprint benchmarks. These KPIs are then visualized using pre-defined dashboards that are delivered with the solution. The solution also calculates and compares the KPIs when the system was in operation and when it wasn’t. In doing so, we can clearly show how PXP enables more sustainable operations.

Driving sustainable productivity with ECS/ProcessExpert software and MissionZero:

Improving energy efficiency not only lowers operating costs. By reducing the amount of electricity and fuels used, it also helps to reduce the environmental impact of your operations.

Intelligent process control solutions, such as the ECS/ProcessExpert platform, stabilize and optimize your processes, enabling you to achieve up to 100% alternative fuels, reduce emissions by more than 5% and increase production up to 6% ??whilst maintaining product quality.

This directly aligns with and supports our MissionZero ambitions to operate zero-emissions cement plants and manage zero-emissions mining processes by 2030.

Realtime operations intelligence, data-driven decision making

Without accurate data and the digital systems needed to identify non-performing areas of your operations, productivity will suffer and personnel will lack the insights needed to make improvements. FLSmidth provides a suite of data management systems focused on transforming your process and quality data into actionable insights to increase throughput, reduce plant downtime, improve the quality of your decisions, foster collaboration and much more.

ECS/PlantDataManagement is an information system that transforms your process and quality data into real-time operations intelligence. Part of our ENABLR portfolio of digital solutions, ECS/PlantDataManagement automatically generates online Key Performance Indicators, supporting the decision-making process and promoting collaboration.

ECS/UptimeGo is a downtime analysis solution to help plant staff to identify the issues that interrupt operations and to prevent unwanted future downtime. Part of our ENABLR portfolio of digital solutions, ECS/UptimeGo calculates the economic value of downtime, allowing plant staff to focus on finding the root causes of the problems that impact plant productivity.

SiteConnect??Mobile Insights App connects you to critical asset performance and health data ??anywhere and at any time, in real-time. Part of our ENABLR portfolio of digital solutions, SiteConnect empowers asset management, shortening response time to unplanned events and enabling optimum productivity.

Turning Big Data into actionable insights ??predictive/preventive maintenance

Data alone can?? support process improvements ??but data combined with analytics can help you to spot trends and identify issues before they escalate: the foundation of a predictive maintenance strategy. Predictive maintenance aims to avoid unplanned downtime by taking timely action to address maintenance issues. This requires sensors attached to all critical machines to monitor conditions such as vibration, temperature and pressure ??also known as online condition monitoring. The data from these sensors is collected through Field Agent and can also be connected to FLSmidth?? 24/7 Global Remote Service Centre for expert analysis.

Analytics-driven predictive maintenance is a key driver of digital transformation within the cement industry ??and a sure-fire way to boost equipment availability and cut costs.

The cement industry is on the path to digital transformation ??are you keeping up?

Areas such as remote monitoring and diagnosis, predictive maintenance, and process optimisation are at the heart of the cement industry?? digital transformation journey, and the benefits ??ranging from increased uptime and improved throughput to safety, cost savings and environmental gains ??are evident. Looking ahead, we anticipate that those cement producers who are early adopters of digital technologies will be empowered, finding new ways to drive efficiency and deliver sustainable productivity, while those who lag behind may find it a struggle to compete on all fronts


About the Author: Rizwan Sabjan,Head of Regional Sales Enablement ??Digital Business, FLSmidth

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Concrete

Wonder Cement appoints Mahesh Singh as VP Corporate Brand Communication 

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Singh brings 20+ years of brand and marketing experience, and will lead integrated corporate brand communication initiatives at Wonder Cement 

New Delhi

Wonder Cement, a leading cement manufacturer, has appointed Mahesh Singh as Vice President – Corporate Brand Communication. In his new role, he will oversee corporate brand strategy and communication, including digital and performance marketing, public relations, trade, events, exhibitions, sports and experiential marketing. 

Singh brings over two decades of experience across marketing and communications, with roles spanning the automotive industry, agencies and entrepreneurship. He spent more than a decade with Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, working across integrated communication, media, digital, retail and consumer engagement. His stint also included helping build the company’s digital marketing capabilities. 

He moved to dentsu X India as Vice President – Strategy & Planning, working across categories such as automotive, auto components, electric vehicles, FMCG, consumer electronics, BFSI, apparel and brand consulting. His responsibilities included media and marketing strategy, product launches, content, performance marketing and consumer activations. 

Singh subsequently took an entrepreneurial route with Radiant Brands before joining Shriram Ltd (SPR Autotech) as Head – Marketing & Communications. There, his remit included brand and corporate strategy, communications, PR and ORM, retail identity, loyalty programmes and events. 

At Wonder Cement, Singh will be responsible for bringing together the company’s corporate brand communication initiatives across digital, performance marketing, PR, trade, sports and experiential platforms. The role will focus on creating an integrated approach to communication across consumers, trade partners and other key stakeholders. 

The appointment brings to Wonder Cement a marketer whose career has spanned the brand, agency and entrepreneurial sides of the communications ecosystem. 

Wonder Cement, part of the RK Group, is a cement manufacturer with roots in Rajasthan and a focus on quality, trust and transparency. The company has grown to six manufacturing plants, and a cement capacity of 21.5 MTPA. With more than 2,000 employees and a network of over 5,000 dealers, its operations span manufacturing, distribution and customer engagement, with a focus on consistent product quality and efficient execution. 

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Concrete

JSW Cement commissions additional 1 MTPA grinding unit at Nagaur

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With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA, 
Mumbai

JSW Cement, one of India’s leading green cement producers and part of the diversified JSW Group, today announced the successful commissioning of an additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit at Nagaur, Rajasthan. The commissioning marks another significant milestone in the Company’s growth strategy.

With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA, while its total clinker manufacturing capacity, including clinker capacity at its joint venture, JSW Cement FZC, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

JSW Cement had commenced operations in North India in March 2026 with the Nagaur Integrated Plant, comprising a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit. With the commissioning of the additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit, the plant’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 3.50 MTPA, enhancing the company’s ability to cater to the growing cement demand across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Region (NCR). The expansion has been funded through a strategic mix of equity and long-term debt.

During the quarter ended 30th September 2026, JSW Cement has also commissioned the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) at the Nagaur Integrated Plant.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, said: “The commissioning of additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity at Nagaur is a key strategic priority for us and will accelerate JSW Cement’s expansion into North India. We look forward to servicing the growing needs of the region and contributing to the economic growth of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR area. I am delighted to share that the company has commissioned this grinding unit within the expected timeline, showcasing our project execution capabilities. Further, the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) are expected to substantially reduce our production costs going forward.”

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Concrete

UltraTech becomes first Indian cement firm to cross 2 GW green energy

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UltraTech Cement has crossed 2 GW of captive green energy capacity, with renewables and waste heat recovery meeting 48 per cent of its power needs.

Mumbai

UltraTech Cement Limited has surpassed 2 GW of installed green energy capacity for captive use, becoming the first cement company in India to achieve the milestone. The Aditya Birla Group company commissioned 116.55 MW of wind capacity at its Inter-State Transmission System-connected wind-solar hybrid project in Barmer, Rajasthan, along with 10 MW of Waste Heat Recovery System capacity at Sarlanagar Cement Works in Karnataka.

With these additions, UltraTech’s cumulative installed green energy capacity has reached 2,024 MW. This includes 1,580 MW of renewable energy capacity and 444 MW of waste heat recovery capacity, together meeting around 48 per cent of the company’s current power requirements.

The company said the milestone reflects the progress of its long-term energy transition strategy. In FY27 so far, nearly one-third of UltraTech’s 76 manufacturing units in India have maintained green energy utilisation above 50 per cent of their electricity requirements, while five units have crossed 95 per cent.

K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited, said, “Crossing the 2 GW green energy milestone is the result of a strategy we have pursued consistently over the past decade. Cement is an energy-intensive, hard-to-abate sector, and showing that reliability and growth can go hand in hand with a rapid shift to green energy sets a benchmark for the industry. With nearly half of our power needs now met through green energy, we are significantly less exposed to fossil fuel supply constraints and power price volatility. As we scale up renewables, waste heat recovery and battery storage across our operations, we are building an energy foundation for stable, long-term growth.”

UltraTech commissioned 430 MW of green energy capacity in FY26 and continues to expand its renewable energy and waste heat recovery portfolio.

The company is also progressively integrating Battery Energy Storage Systems across its operations to improve renewable energy utilisation and supply reliability.

In 2025, UltraTech operationalised what it described as India’s first on-site hybrid round-the-clock renewable energy project at Sewagram Cement Works in Gujarat. The project combines solar, wind and battery storage.

As part of its decarbonisation strategy, UltraTech said it has not invested in new captive thermal power capacity for either greenfield projects or brownfield expansions at its integrated units for more than a decade.

The company said its expanding green energy portfolio is helping reduce dependence on conventional grid electricity and fossil fuel-based power, while lowering exposure to fluctuations in coal and electricity prices.

UltraTech aims to increase green energy’s share in its total power mix to 85 per cent by 2030. As a member of RE100, it has also committed to meeting 100 per cent of its electricity requirement through renewable sources by 2050.

UltraTech Cement, the cement flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, has a total grey cement capacity of 210.1 MTPA and white cement and putty capacity of 3.5 MTPA. The company is also a signatory to the GCCA Climate Ambition 2050 and has committed to the GCCA Net Zero Concrete roadmap.

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