Concrete

A Common Control Platform

Published

3 years ago

April 12, 2023

admin

Combining the old and new production lines on a common FLSmidth ECS/ControlCenter™ Platform at Arghakhanchi Cement, Nepal.

Having experienced the benefits of the latest FLSmidth ECS/ControlCenter™ control software on its newest production line, Arghakhanchi Cement was convinced of the need to upgrade the obsolete and fault-prone software on its existing line 1. With both lines now controlled from a common platform, productivity has increased and knowledge sharing between operators has improved.

AN OBSOLETE CONTROL SYSTEM CAUSES PROBLEMS
Production line 1 at Arghakhanchi Cement in Nepal was experiencing an increasing amount of unplanned downtime, caused by an obsolete control system. It was resulting in a loss of production. But the issue came to a head when production line 2 was commissioned with the latest FLSmidth ECS/ControlCenter™ process control software. process control software. This really highlighted the benefits of a modern state-of-the-art control for achieving reliable productivity.
“When production line 2 was commissioned with ECS/ControlCenter v8, the benefits were evident. With easier fault tracing, advanced trending and reporting features, it is much easier to achieve stable operation, as operators can easily understand and fix potential issues,” explained Krishna Pandey, General Manager – Plant, Arghakhanchi Cement.
The old system was engineered without any standardisation, which meant only specific engineers knew how to troubleshoot and maintain the system.
“A great advantage of ECS/ControlCenter v8 is that everything is based on a standard system, so learning how to operate the system and extract information is simple and intuitive. This applies to everything from troubleshooting to configuring process analytics using trend and reporting tools, and even back-up and restore functions,”said Pandey.
“As a result, operators began to ask for a similar control system to replace the old system on production line 1,” he concluded.

INSTALLATION AND COMMISSIONING
To upgrade the obsolete control system in as cost-efficient a way as possible, much of the existing hardware, with complete I/Os and panels was retained and re-used. This not only made lasting use of the customer’s previous investment; it also has a sustainability advantage. The amount of waste generated and new
materials used is reduced – a key pillar of the circular economy.
PLCs and communication cards had to be replaced, as did the entire PLC programming code. To do so, FLSmidth employed several proven engineering and processing tools to ensure consistent and uniform structure in the PLC programmes.
For commissioning, FLSmidth ECS/ControlCenter v8 includes a device simulation mode that allows the operation of the entire plant to be simulated and tested as per process requirements. This helps to ensure smooth and quick commissioning, allowing any problems to be identified and solved, without impacting the real-world operations of the plant.

NEW AND OLD LINES: A COMMON FLSMIDTH CONTROL PLATFORM
As one example of the benefits of the new system, “all interlocks can be seen and bypassed by every authorised user, directly from the faceplate, most often from the engineering system,” explained Pandey. “It means the new system is very easy to operate and – most importantly – we avoid the plant tripping, as operators can take action very quickly. Before, it was very difficult to know the interlocks and impossible to bypass them from the faceplate, as each bypass required reprogramming of the PLC system,” he added.
The upgrade of production line 1 is another example of the benefits gained by customers using FLSmidth ECS/ControlCenter v8. It is also a demonstration of FLSmidth skills and expertise to suggest the optimum upgrade strategy, even for obsolete and third-party supplied PLC hardware.
“From a control and logistics point of view, we wanted to have one central control room for both lines,” said Pandey. “The new system from FLSmidth gives us more flexibility with process control, more powerful control capabilities over both lines and excellent reporting capabilities.”

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Concrete

Nuvoco Vistas Reports Record Q2 EBITDA, Expands Capacity to 35 MTPA

Cement Major Nuvoco Posts Rs 3.71 bn EBITDA in Q2 FY26

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2025

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Nuvoco Vistas Corp. Ltd., one of India’s leading building materials companies, has reported its highest-ever second-quarter consolidated EBITDA of Rs 3.71 billion for Q2 FY26, reflecting an 8% year-on-year revenue growth to Rs 24.58 billion. Cement sales volume stood at 4.3 MMT during the quarter, driven by robust demand and a rising share of premium products, which reached an all-time high of 44%.

The company continued its deleveraging journey, reducing like-to-like net debt by Rs 10.09 billion year-on-year to Rs 34.92 billion. Commenting on the performance, Jayakumar Krishnaswamy, Managing Director, said, “Despite macro headwinds, disciplined execution and focus on premiumisation helped us achieve record performance. We remain confident in our structural growth trajectory.”

Nuvoco’s capacity expansion plans remain on track, with refurbishment of the Vadraj Cement facility progressing towards operationalisation by Q3 FY27. In addition, the company’s 4 MTPA phased expansion in eastern India, expected between December 2025 and March 2027, will raise its total cement capacity to 35 MTPA by FY27.

Reinforcing its sustainability credentials, Nuvoco continues to lead the sector with one of the lowest carbon emission intensities at 453.8 kg CO? per tonne of cementitious material.

Concrete

Jindal Stainless to Invest $150 Mn in Odisha Metal Recovery Plant

New Jajpur facility to double metal recovery capacity and cut emissions

Published

3 weeks ago

October 17, 2025

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Jindal Stainless Limited has announced an investment of $150 million to build and operate a new wet milling plant in Jajpur, Odisha, aimed at doubling its capacity to recover metal from industrial waste. The project is being developed in partnership with Harsco Environmental under a 15-year agreement.

The facility will enable the recovery of valuable metals from slag and other waste materials, significantly improving resource efficiency and reducing environmental impact. The initiative aligns with Jindal Stainless’s sustainability roadmap, which focuses on circular economy practices and low-carbon operations.

In financial year 2025, the company reduced its carbon footprint by about 14 per cent through key decarbonisation initiatives, including commissioning India’s first green hydrogen plant for stainless steel production and setting up the country’s largest captive solar energy plant within a single industrial campus in Odisha.

Shares of Jindal Stainless rose 1.8 per cent to Rs 789.4 per share following the announcement, extending a 5 per cent gain over the past month.

Concrete

Vedanta gets CCI Approval for Rs 17,000 MnJaiprakash buyout

Acquisition marks Vedanta’s expansion into cement, real estate, and infra

Published

3 weeks ago

October 17, 2025

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Vedanta Limited has received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to acquire Jaiprakash Associates Limited (JAL) for approximately Rs 17,000 million under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) process. The move marks Vedanta’s strategic expansion beyond its core mining and metals portfolio into cement, real estate, and infrastructure sectors.

Once the flagship of the Jaypee Group, JAL has faced severe financial distress with creditors’ claims exceeding Rs 59,000 million. Vedanta emerged as the preferred bidder in a competitive auction, outbidding the Adani Group with an overall offer of Rs 17,000 million, equivalent to Rs 12,505 million in net present value terms. The payment structure involves an upfront settlement of around Rs 3,800 million, followed by annual instalments of Rs 2,500–3,000 million over five years.

The National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL), which acquired the group’s stressed loans from a State Bank of India-led consortium, now leads the creditor committee. Lenders are expected to take a haircut of around 71 per cent based on Vedanta’s offer. Despite approvals for other bidders, Vedanta’s proposal stood out as the most viable resolution plan, paving the way for the company’s diversification into new business verticals.