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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Kanika Mathur

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cement manufacturing runs on rotating equipment, and every one of those assets is connected to the same bottom line. The plants seeing the biggest gains today are the ones that stopped treating lubrication as a line-item cost and started treating it as a plant-wide reliability strategy.

For India’s cement plants, the economics of operations come down to two variables: energy consumption and equipment uptime. Both are directly influenced by lubrication – not just at a single point in the plant, but across multiple critical systems running simultaneously, every day. Most lubrication conversations in cement manufacturing begin and end with the gearbox. That focus is understandable – gearboxes are among the most demanding and most expensive assets to maintain. But limiting the lubrication conversation to one asset type means leaving real savings on the table. The plants that are reducing total cost of ownership most effectively are those looking at lubrication strategy across the whole plant, not just the most visible application.

The Gearbox
Conventional mineral-based gear oils under high-load, high-temperature conditions can shear, lose viscosity, and force early change-outs – with oil changes at every 2,000 hours adding up in labour, downtime, and lost production over the life of the asset. Mobil SHC™ 600 Series synthetic lubricants are engineered for exactly these conditions. They can reduce energy consumption in gearboxes and circulating systems by up to 3.6 per cent*, extend oil life by up to six times versus conventional oil, and are approved by Siemens AG for use in Flender gearboxes. In one documented instance at a cement plant in Tamil Nadu, switching to Mobil SHC™ 632 delivered a 1 per cent increase in energy efficiency, a 3°C reduction in gearbox temperature, an oil drain interval extended by four times, and annual savings of INR 4,76,772**.
That result alone makes the case for better fluid selection. But it is only part of the story.

The Compressor: Where the Bigger Opportunity Often Sits
Compressors are as operationally critical as gearboxes in a cement plant – and typically receive far less lubrication attention. Running continuously under high load cycles, with lubricant exposed to sustained heat and oxidation, compressors on conventional oils often degrade faster than their scheduled drain intervals suggest. The result is increased maintenance frequency, elevated running temperatures, and higher total lubricant consumption than necessary.
Mobil Rarus SHC™ 1020 Series is formulated for exactly this environment. Recognised by more than 20 global compressor builders, it delivers up to 8,000 hours of oil life – significantly reducing change-out frequency and the associated downtime, labour, and disposal costs that conventional compressor oils generate.
The results from Indian cement plant operations are documented. In one instance, a cement sector facility operating 23 screw compressors reduced lubricant consumption from 10-12 litres per compressor to 5-7 litres, achieving annual savings of approximately INR 4,96,000**. In another, a cement manufacturer extended oil drain intervals by two times, lowered running temperature by approximately 10°C, and achieved annual savings of INR 4,86,747**.
The pattern across both operations is consistent: extended drain intervals, lower consumption, and measurable cost reduction – driven by a single product decision.

One Strategy Across the Plant
Gearboxes and compressors are only two examples. The same principle extends across a cement plant’s rotating equipment, mixer roll bearings, roll neck bearings, plastic calenders, and centrifuge applications all place similar demands on lubrication. Mobil SHC™ 600 Series spans seven viscosity grades, from ISO VG 32 to ISO VG 1000, giving plants the flexibility to match the right grade to the right application across this range of equipment, rather than defaulting to a single product for every use case.

The Bigger Picture
Energy and downtime are two of the largest controllable costs in cement plant operations, and lubrication is one of the few decisions that influences both directly. As demonstrated across the gearbox and compressor examples above, the right lubricant, matched to the right application and supported by field engineering services, can measurably reduce energy consumption, extend oil drain intervals, and lower maintenance costs.
For cement plants evaluating lubrication as part of a broader efficiency strategy, these results offer a starting point rather than an endpoint. Mobil SHC™ 600 Series and Mobil Rarus SHC™ 1020 Series are both engineered for the demanding conditions cement plants operate under daily, and the field results documented here reflect what that engineering can deliver in practice.
Fill with Mobil™. Fill with Confidence.

For more information, visit www.mobil.in/business

*Energy efficiency relates solely to the performance of Mobil SHC 600 when compared to conventional (mineral) reference oils of the same viscosity grade in circulating and gear applications. The technology used allows up to 3.6 per cent efficiency compared to the reference when tested in a worm gearbox under controlled conditions. Efficiency improvements will vary based on operating conditions and application.
**This Proof of Performance is based on the experience of individual customers. Actual results may vary depending on the type of equipment used, its maintenance, operating conditions, environmental factors, and the lubricants previously used, among other variables. Exxon Mobil Corporation has numerous affiliates, many with names that include ExxonMobil, Exxon, Esso, and Mobil. For convenience and simplicity, those terms, and references to “corporation,” “company,” “ExxonMobil,” “EM,” and other similar terms are used for convenience and may refer to one or more specific affiliates or affiliate groups.
For more information, visit www.mobil.in/business