Krishnaraj Sreedharan, Head of Customer Service, Flender India, talks about latest innovations and modernisation of their product lines to help improve cement processes.

Tell us about the role of geared drives in cement plant machinery.
The manufacturing of cement involves an elaborate process, starting from the mining of necessary mineral resources to the processing of these minerals to obtain the final products with desired physical and chemical properties. In this process, rotary geared drive systems
play a crucial role in powering heavy-duty critical equipment that operates under harsh conditions and heavy loads. These systems are utilised for various applications such as crushing, grinding, melting, mixing and conveying.

Tell us about the portfolio of drive products that you offer to the cement industry.
Flender provides a wide range of mechanical power transmission products that are extensively used to drive various types of rotary equipment in the cement industry. Our product portfolio is primarily divided into gear units, couplings and drive systems. This comprehensive range includes standard catalog series products, application-specific standardised products and highly engineered products tailored to meet the specific requirements of individual projects.

As machinery in cement plants is advancing with time, how do you accommodate the change in drive components for the betterment of functionality in cement plants?
Over the years, as the cement manufacturing process and equipment have advanced, Flender has continuously invested in innovative product designs and the modernisation of existing product lines. We are committed to improving the energy efficiency and environmental friendliness of our products and manufacturing processes, while adhering to the highest quality standards and global sustainability goals.

How can Flender products and services help cement manufacturers achieve better productivity and energy efficiency?
The outstanding feature of Flender products has always been their high operational reliability, which ensures maximum equipment availability and delivers optimal output. With over a century of experience serving the industry and leveraging our extensive application knowledge pool, we have optimised our drive solutions to minimise transmission losses. Our wide range of products and sizes allows us to closely match the technical requirements of various applications, eliminating the risk of drive underutilisation. Our customer service team excels in providing comprehensive support, including reengineering, multi-brand retrofit, and repair services. We recognise the significance of optimising output and extending the operational life of equipment for our valued customers.

Which machinery of the cement plant is the most challenging and how do you overcome the challenge?
One of the most crucial and demanding drive applications in cement manufacturing is the pre and post clinkerisation grinding process, which involves high energy consumption and heavy impact loads. When it comes to grinding mill applications like Vertical Roller Mills, Tube Mills or High-Pressure Grinding Roll Mills, Flender drive solutions guarantee optimal equipment availability. Our proactive preventive maintenance measures, along with offline and online condition monitoring systems (CMS), effectively prevent unscheduled equipment downtime and facilitate utilisation of residual life of the drive components. These systems also provide plant operators with real-time information about the operational condition of the drive, enabling them to plan maintenance activities well in advance.

How often do you service and audit your installations at the cement plant?
Flender drive solutions for critical applications are equipped with factory-fitted CMS or can be easily adapted to accommodate monitoring equipment available at the installation site. At our Chennai plant location, we have established a remote condition monitoring hub that is connected to a significant number of our mill drive installations. Our dedicated team of experts provides real-time monitoring support, collects and analyses drive condition data and offers valuable insights and consultation to site maintenance teams. By leveraging proactive information, we assist in maximising equipment uptime and utilisation. Through our standard and customised maintenance programmes, we offer our customers a wide range of service solutions tailored to their specific operational needs. This enables us to effectively assist our customers in maintaining the largest global installed base of our products in the cement industry.

Tell us about the upcoming innovations from Flender that would be beneficial for cement plants?
Flender’s latest innovation introduces a product line of standard gear units that showcases a completely new design, surpassing the limitations of conventional gear engineering and manufacturing. This breakthrough is accompanied by a state-of-the-art advanced monitoring system, which is far superior to other solutions currently available in the industry.