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Our gears and drives are accurately aligned

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Piyush Joshi, Associate Vice President – Systems and Technical Cell, Wonder Cement, talks about the pivotal role of advanced gears, drives and motors in optimising the efficiency and reliability of their cement manufacturing plant.

How do advancements in gear technology impact the efficiency and performance of cement manufacturing processes?
Advancements in gear technology have significantly enhanced the efficiency and performance of cement manufacturing processes at Wonder Cement. Modern gears, crafted from high-strength alloys and featuring advanced surface treatments, offer superior durability and wear resistance. This results in reduced friction and energy loss, allowing for more efficient power transmission. Precision engineering and innovative designs enable gears to handle higher loads with greater reliability, minimising downtime and maintenance costs. By integrating these state-of-the-art gear systems, Wonder Cement achieves optimal operational performance, ensuring that our production lines run smoothly and efficiently. The improved efficiency not only lowers energy consumption but also contributes to a more sustainable manufacturing process, aligning with our commitment to environmental stewardship and operational excellence. The incorporation of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), represents a significant innovation in the cement industry. At Wonder Cement, these state-of-the-art tools have been instrumental in optimising operations, reducing energy consumption and enhancing overall productivity.

What are the most common types of drives used in cement plants, and how do they contribute to operational reliability?
At Wonder Cement, the most common types of drives used in our cement plants are variable frequency drives (VFDs) and gear drives. VFDs are integral for their ability to precisely control motor speed and torque, optimising the performance of various equipment such as conveyors, crushers, and grinders. This control enhances energy efficiency and ensures that machinery operates within optimal parameters, reducing wear and tear. Gear drives, known for their robustness, provide the necessary torque multiplication to handle heavy loads typical in cement production. Their design prioritises durability and reliability, minimising downtime and maintenance needs.
By employing these advanced drives, Wonder Cement achieves exceptional operational reliability, ensuring consistent production, meeting targets, and maintaining high-quality standards. This focus on reliable drives is crucial for sustaining our competitive edge and operational excellence in the demanding cement manufacturing environment.

Explain the role of motors and their specifications in cement production.
In cement production, motors are crucial as they drive key processes such as raw material handling, crushing, grinding and kiln rotation. The performance and efficiency of these motors directly influence the plant’s overall productivity. High-efficiency motors reduce energy consumption and operational costs, enabling the plant to operate sustainability and economically. Motor specifications, such as power rating, efficiency class and thermal management capabilities, are essential for ensuring consistent and reliable operation under demanding conditions.
We prioritise motors with high power density and superior thermal properties to maintain optimal performance, even in harsh environments. By selecting motors that meet these stringent specifications, we enhance the efficiency, reliability, and longevity of our equipment, ensuring that our cement production processes run smoothly and efficiently, ultimately contributing to our commitment to quality and operational excellence.

How do you ensure the longevity and durability of gears in the harsh conditions typical of cement manufacturing?
Ensuring the longevity and durability of gears in the harsh conditions of cement manufacturing is a priority for us. We utilise high-strength alloy gears and apply advanced surface treatments to enhance their wear and corrosion resistance. Our maintenance strategy includes regular lubrication with high-quality lubricants and adherence to strict preventive maintenance schedules.
We have adopted the total lubrication concept for maintaining world class lubrication practices. Routine inspections help identify potential issues early, allowing for timely interventions. We also invest in advanced gear monitoring systems that continuously track performance and wear, enabling predictive maintenance. This proactive approach not only extends the lifespan of our gears but also minimises downtime and maintenance costs, ensuring uninterrupted and efficient plant operations. Through these comprehensive measures, we uphold the reliability and durability of our gears, maintaining optimal performance even in the most demanding environments.

What are the key factors to consider when selecting drives and motors for different stages of the cement production process?
When selecting drives and motors for different stages of the cement production process at Wonder Cement, several key factors must be considered to ensure optimal performance and efficiency. Firstly, load requirements are crucial – motors and drives must be capable of handling the specific loads of each stage, from raw material extraction to final grinding. The operating environment is another critical factor, as equipment must withstand harsh conditions like high temperatures and dust.
Energy efficiency is paramount to reduce operational costs and environmental impact. Compatibility with existing systems ensures seamless integration and smooth operations. Additionally, maintenance needs should be evaluated to minimise downtime and prolong equipment lifespan. Lastly, reliability and durability are essential to ensure continuous production without frequent breakdowns. By meticulously assessing these factors, Wonder Cement ensures that each drive and motor selection supports robust, efficient and reliable cement manufacturing processes.

How does the maintenance of gears, drives, and motors affect the uptime and productivity of a cement plant?
The maintenance of gears, drives and motors is pivotal to maximising uptime and productivity in our cement plant. Regular maintenance ensures that these critical components operate efficiently, preventing unexpected breakdowns that can halt production and cause costly delays. By implementing a proactive maintenance strategy, including predictive maintenance techniques, we can identify potential issues before they escalate, allowing for timely repairs and replacements. This approach minimises unscheduled downtime, enhances the reliability of our equipment, and extends its lifespan. Consequently, our cement plant maintains a high level of operational efficiency, consistently meeting production targets and maintaining product quality. Ultimately, meticulous maintenance of gears, drives, and motors is integral to sustaining the seamless and productive operations that define Wonder Cement’s commitment to excellence.

What are the challenges faced in integration of modern motors into existing cement manufacturing infrastructure?
Integrating modern motors into existing cement manufacturing infrastructure presents several challenges. Compatibility with older systems, space constraints, and the need for extensive rewiring are significant issues. Modern motors often require different control systems and may not fit into the existing space configurations. Moreover, the integration process can disrupt ongoing operations, leading to potential downtime and production losses. However, the benefits of modern motors, including improved efficiency and performance, outweigh these challenges.
We address these challenges through careful planning, meticulous execution and thorough testing, ensuring a seamless transition that minimises disruption and maximises the long-term benefits of the upgraded infrastructure.

How important is the alignment and synchronisation of gears and drives in ensuring the smooth operation of cement production equipment?
The alignment and synchronisation of gears and drives are paramount in ensuring the smooth operation of cement production equipment. Proper alignment ensures that power is transmitted efficiently, minimising energy loss and reducing wear on components. Synchronisation guarantees that all moving parts work together harmoniously, preventing issues such as vibration and premature failure.
We prioritise precision alignment and synchronisation to maintain the reliability and efficiency of our production processes. Our gears and drives are accurately aligned and synchronised, and we are able to minimise downtime, maximise productivity and uphold the highest standards of operational excellence.

What role does predictive maintenance play in managing the performance and lifespan of gears, drives and motor?
Predictive maintenance plays a crucial role in managing the performance and lifespan of gears, drives, and motors in the cement industry. By leveraging advanced monitoring technologies and data analytics, Wonder Cement predicts potential failures and schedule maintenance proactively. This approach helps to minimise unexpected downtime, reduce maintenance costs, and optimise the overall productivity of our cement plants. With predictive maintenance, we can detect issues before they escalate, allowing us to address them efficiently and effectively, thus ensuring that our gears, drives, and motors operate at their peak performance levels for extended periods, ultimately enhancing the lifespan of these critical components.
In conclusion, gears, drives and motors are the backbone of Wonder Cement’s manufacturing process. Through continuous advancements, meticulous selection, and proactive maintenance, we ensure that our operations run smoothly, efficiently and reliably, meeting the demands of the modern cement industry.

– Kanika Mathur

Concrete

The primary high-power applications are fans and mills

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Alex Nazareth, Whole-time Director and CEO, Innomotics India, explains how plants can achieve both cost competitiveness and sustainability by lowering emissions, reducing downtime and planning for significant power savings.

As one of the most energy-intensive industries, cement manufacturing faces growing pressure to optimise power consumption, reduce emissions and improve operational reliability. Technology providers like Innomotics India are enabling this transformation by combining advanced motors, AI-driven digital solutions and intelligent monitoring systems that enhance process stability and reduce energy costs. From severe duty motors built for extreme kiln environments to DigiMine AI solutions that optimise pyro and mill operations, Alex Nazareth, Whole-time Director and CEO, Innomotics India, explains how the company is helping cement plants achieve measurable energy savings while moving closer to their sustainability goals.

How does your Energy Performance Contracting model typically reduce power consumption in cement plants—e.g., MWh saved?
Our artificial intelligence-based DigiMine AI Pyro and Mill solutions developed specifically for the cement industry, supports our customers in improving their process stability, productivity and process efficiency. In Pyro, this is achieved by optimising fuel consumption (Coal / AFR), reducing Specific Heat Consumption and reduction in emissions (CO2, SOx and NOx) through continuous monitoring of thermodynamics in pyro and recommending set-points of crucial parameters in advance for maintaining stable operations.
Within the mill, this is achieved by improving throughput, reduce energy / power consumption and maintaining stable operations on a continuous basis. Our ROI-based value proposition captures the project KPIs like reduction of coal usage, increase of AFR, reduction of specific heat consumption (Kcal / Kg), reduction of specific power consumption (KWH / tonne), reduction of emissions, etc., by a specific percentage. This gives clarity to our customers to understand the investment vis-à-vis savings and estimate the recovery time of their investment, which typically is achieved within one year of DigiMine AI Pyro and Mill solutions implementation.

What role do digitalisation and motor monitoring play in overall plant energy optimisation?
Motors are being used extensively in cement production, and their monitoring play crucial role in ensuring continuous operation of applications. The monitoring system can automatically generate alerts for any anomaly / abnormalities in motor parameters, which allows plant team to take corrective actions and avoid any major equipment damage and breakdown. The alerts help maintenance team to plan maintenance schedule and related activity efficiently. Centralised and organised data gives overview to the engineers for day-to-day activities. Cement is amongst the top energy intensive industries in comparison to other industries. Hence, it becomes critically important to optimise efficiency, productivity and up-time of plant equipment. Motor monitoring and digitalisation plays a vital role in it. Monitoring and control of multiple applications and areas
within the plant or multiple plants becomes possible with digitalisation.
Digitalisation adds a layer on top of OT systems, bringing machine and process data onto a single interface. This solves the challenges such as system silo, different communications protocol, databases and most importantly, creates a common definition and measurement to plant KPIs. Relevant stakeholders, such as engineers, head of departments and plant heads, can see accurate information, analyse it and make better decisions with appropriate timing. In doing so, plant teams can take proactive actions before machine breakdown, enable better coordination during maintenance activities while improving operational efficiency and productivity.
Further using latest technologies like Artificial Intelligence can even assist operators in running their plant with minimal requirement of human intervention, which allows operators to utilise their time in focusing on more critical topics like analysing data to identify further improvements in operation.

Which of your high-efficiency IEC low-voltage motors deliver the best energy savings for cement mills or fans?
Innomotics India offers a range of IEC-compliant low-voltage motors engineered to deliver superior performance and energy savings, particularly for applications such as cement mills, large fans, and blowers. Innomotics has the complete range of IE4 motors from 0.37kW to 1000kW to meet the demands of cement industry. The IE5 range is also available for specific requirements.

Can safe area motors operate safely and efficiently in cement kiln environments?
Yes, safe area motors are designed to operate reliably in these environments without the risk of overheating. These motors have ingress protection that prevents dust, moisture ingress and can withstand mechanical stress. These motors are available in IE3 / IE4 efficiency classes thereby ensuring lower energy consumption during continuous operation. These motors comply with relevant Indian as well as international standards.

How do your SD Severe Duty motors contribute to lower emissions and lower cost in heavy duty cement applications?
Severe duty motors enhances energy efficiency and durability in demanding cement applications, directly contributing to lower emissions and operational costs. With high-efficiency ratings (such as IE3 or better), they reduce power consumption, minimising CO2 output from energy use. Their robust design handles extreme heat, dust and vibration—common in cement environments—ensuring reliable performance and fewer energy losses.
These motors also lower the total cost of ownership by reducing downtime, maintenance and replacement frequency. Their extended service life and minimal performance degradation help cement plants meet sustainability targets, comply with emissions regulations and improve overall energy management—all while keeping production consistent and cost-effective.

What pump, fan or compressor drive upgrades have shown approximately 60 per cent energy savings in industrial settings and can be replicated in cement plants?
In the cement industry, the primary high-power applications are fans and mills. Among these, fans have the greatest potential for energy savings. Examples, the pre-heater fan, bag house fan, and cooler fans. When there are variations in airflow or the need to maintain a constant pressure in a process, using a variable speed drive (VSD) system is a more effective option for starting and controlling these fans. This adaptive approach can lead to significant energy savings. For instance, vanes and dampers can remain open while the variable frequency drive and motor system manage airflow regulation efficiently.

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Concrete

We conduct regular internal energy audits

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Shaping the future of low-carbon cement production involves integrating renewables, digitalisation and innovative technologies. Uma Suryam, SVP and Head Manufacturing – Northern Region, Nuvoco Vistas, gives us a detailed account of how.

In an industry where energy consumption can account for a significant portion of operating costs, cement manufacturers are under increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices without compromising efficiency. Nuvoco Vistas has taken a decisive step in this direction, leveraging digitalisation, renewable energy and innovative technologies to drive energy efficiency across its operations. In this exclusive conversation, Uma Suryam, SVP and Head Manufacturing – Northern Region, Nuvoco Vistas, shares its approach to energy management, challenges of modernising brownfield plants and its long-term roadmap to align efficiency with India’s net-zero vision.

How has your company improved energy efficiency over the past five years?
Over the past five years, we have prioritised energy conservation by enhancing operational efficiency and scaling up renewable energy adoption. Through strategic fuel mix optimisation, deployment of cleaner technologies, and greater integration of renewables, we have steadily reduced our environmental footprint while meeting energy needs sustainably.
Technological upgrades across our plants have further strengthened efficiency. These include advanced process control systems, enhanced trend analysis, grinding media optimisation and the integration of solar-powered utilities. Importantly, grid integration at our key plants has delivered significant cost savings and streamlined energy management.
A notable milestone has been the expansion of our solar power capacity and Waste Heat Recovery Systems (WHRS). Our solar power capacity has grown from 1.5 MW in FY 2021–22 to 5.5 MW, while our WHRS capacity has increased from 44.7 MW to 49 MW, underscoring our commitment to sustainable energy solutions.

What technologies or practices have shown the highest energy-saving potential in cement production?
One of our most significant achievements in advancing energy efficiency has been the successful commissioning of a 132 KV Grid Integration Project, which unified three of our major manufacturing units under a single power network. This milestone, enabled by a dedicated transmission line and a state-of-the-art Line-In Line-Out (LILO) substation, has transformed our energy management and operational capabilities.
With this integration, we have substantially reduced our contract demand, eliminated power disruptions, and enhanced operational continuity. Supported by an optical fibre network for real-time communication and automation, this project stands as a testament to our innovation-led manufacturing excellence and underscores Nuvoco’s vision of building a safer, smarter, and sustainable world.

What role does digitalisation play in achieving energy efficiency in your operations?
Digitalisation plays a transformative role in driving energy efficiency across our operations. At Nuvoco, we are leveraging cutting-edge technologies and advanced digital tools to enhance productivity, optimise energy consumption and strengthen our commitment to sustainability and employee safety.
We are developing AI-enabled dashboards to optimise WHRS and kiln operations, ensuring maximum efficiency. Additionally, our advanced AI models evaluate multiple operational parameters — including fuel pricing, moisture content and energy output — to identify the most cost-effective fuel combinations in real time. These initiatives are enabling data-driven decision-making, improving operational excellence and reducing our environmental footprint.

What is your long-term strategy for aligning energy efficiency with decarbonisation goals?
As part of India’s climate action agenda, the cement sector has laid out a clear decarbonisation roadmap to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2070. At Nuvoco, we view this as both a responsibility and an opportunity to redefine the future of sustainable construction. Our long-term strategy focuses on aligning energy efficiency with decarbonisation goals by embracing innovative technologies, alternative raw materials and renewable energy solutions.
We are making strategic investments to scale up solar power installations and enhance our renewable energy mix significantly by 2028. These initiatives are a key part of our broader vision to reduce Scope 2 emissions and strengthen our contribution to India’s net-zero journey, while continuing to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions to our customers.

How do you measure and benchmark energy performance across different plants?
We adopt a comprehensive approach to measure and benchmark energy performance across our plants. Key metrics include Specific Heat Consumption (kCal/kg of clinker) and Specific Power Consumption (kWh/tonne of cement), which are continuously tracked against Best Available Technology (BAT) benchmarks, industry peers and global standards such as the WBCSD-CSI and CII benchmarks.
To ensure consistency and drive improvements, we conduct regular internal energy audits, leverage real-time dashboards and implement robust KPI tracking systems. These tools enable us to compare performance across plants effectively, identify optimisation opportunities and set actionable targets for energy efficiency and sustainability.

What are the key challenges in adopting energy-efficient equipment in brownfield cement plants?
Adopting energy-efficient technologies in brownfield cement plants presents a unique set of challenges due to the constraints of working within existing infrastructure. Firstly, the high capital expenditure and relatively long payback periods often require careful evaluation before investments are made. Additionally, integrating new technologies with legacy equipment can be complex, requiring significant customisation to ensure seamless compatibility and performance.
Another major challenge is minimising production disruptions during installation. Since brownfield plants are already operational, upgrades must be planned meticulously to avoid affecting output. In many cases, space constraints in older facilities add to the difficulty of accommodating advanced equipment without compromising existing layouts.
At Nuvoco, we address these challenges through a phased implementation approach, detailed project planning and by fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration across our plants. This helps us balance operational continuity with our commitment to driving energy efficiency and sustainability.

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Concrete

Enlight Metals Supplies 3,200 Tonne of Steel for Navi Mumbai Airport

The airport is set to become Asia’s largest air connectivity hub.

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Enlight Metals has supplied 3,200 metric tonne of steel for the newly inaugurated Navi Mumbai International Airport, marking a major contribution to one of India’s largest infrastructure projects and reinforcing the company’s commitment to supporting national development.

The Navi Mumbai International Airport, developed under a Public-Private Partnership led by the Adani Group, was inaugurated today by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The airport is set to become Asia’s largest air connectivity hub, enhancing regional connectivity, boosting economic growth, and expanding trade opportunities. Prime Minister Modi described the project as a “glimpse of Viksit Bharat,” highlighting its transformative impact on infrastructure and development in the region.

“The supply of 3,200 metric tonne of steel for this key project aligns with our focus on supporting critical infrastructure development through reliable and timely metal sourcing. Enlight Metals is committed to enhancing transparency and efficiency in the steel supply chain, contributing to projects integral to India’s growth objectives,” said Vedant Goel, Director, Enlight Metals.

Enlight Metals has implemented technology-driven solutions to strengthen supply chain efficiency, ensuring consistent availability of construction materials for large-scale projects nationwide. Its contribution to the Navi Mumbai International Airport underscores the company’s growing role in supporting India’s infrastructure development initiatives.

This milestone reflects Enlight Metals’ ongoing engagement in delivering quality materials and timely services for major national projects, further cementing its position as a reliable partner in India’s infrastructure sector

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