Uma Suryam, SVP & Head Manufacturing – Northern Region, Nuvoco Vistas, shares details about how automation is helping the company make a shift towards an efficient and sustainable ecosystem.
As India’s cement sector embraces digital transformation, automation is emerging as the cornerstone of future-ready manufacturing. Uma Suryam, SVP & Head – Manufacturing, Northern Region, Nuvoco Vistas, sheds light on how the company is driving intelligent operations, improving energy efficiency and preparing for a data-led future.
What are the key drivers behind the adoption of automation in cement manufacturing today?
Automation in cement manufacturing is being increasingly adopted to meet rising demand due to rapid urbanisation, which drives large scale infrastructure development. To keep pace, manufacturers are embracing automation and digital technologies to streamline operations, reduce manual intervention and ensure consistent product quality.
At Nuvoco, we are strengthening our automation capabilities by adopting advanced technologies and digital solutions that optimise processes, boost operational efficiency and elevate customer experience. Our approach integrates structured innovation, robust quality management, and a comprehensive digital transformation framework—enabling us to stay agile, competitive, and sustainable in a dynamic marketplace
How is automation improving process efficiency and reducing operational costs?
We are continuously investing in automation and process excellence to enhance efficiency and reduce costs across our operations. The roll-out of plant automation at select sites is setting the stage for an Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled smart factory environment, where real-time data and connected systems help optimise production and decision-making.
We have also introduced Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in our Shared Services Centre to fast-track routine processes such as freight bill settlements, significantly reducing manual effort and processing time. To further strengthen supply chain efficiency, the Master Data Repository Management (MDRM) tool ensures improved inventory accuracy, eliminates duplicate stock, and provides better visibility to reallocate excess materials across locations.
Complementing these initiatives, our Integrated Business Planning (IBP) solution by SAP has transformed demand and supply forecasting, enabling inventory planning aligned with demand cycles and ensuring adherence to our Goto market strategies (GTM).
Together, these digital interventions are streamlining end to end operations—optimising resources, minimising wastage, improving cost competitiveness and ultimately creating greater value for customers.
How does automation support energy optimisation and emissions control?
Automation is a key enabler of building safer, smarter and sustainable energy management systems at Nuvoco. A major milestone in this journey was the commissioning of our Grid Integration Project, which connected three of our geographically isolated cement plants through a common transmission line, creating a unified power network and setting a new benchmark for energy optimisation in the industry.
The project, anchored by a Line-In Line-Out (LILO) substation at our cement plant and supported by an optical fibre network, enables real-time communication and automated energy distribution across the cluster. This has significantly reduced contract demand, eliminated power disruptions, enhanced operational flexibility and delivered substantial savings on fixed energy charges.
By minimising energy wastage and optimising power usage, automation directly contributes to lower greenhouse gas emissions, making our operations more environmentally responsible while ensuring safer and more reliable plant performance.
What kind of data infrastructure is needed to enable effective automation?
Effective automation in relies on a strong and secure data infrastructure that enables seamless, real-time connectivity across the plant. Smart sensors and PLCs integrated into key machinery—such as kilns, crushers, and packing units—collect live performance and process data, which is then analysed through a centralised control room or cloud-based platform to enable timely, data-driven decision-making. Equally important are strong cybersecurity protocols that safeguard operational systems and sensitive production data from disruptions or breaches, ensuring plant safety and uninterrupted performance.
We are advancing towards a more data-intelligent manufacturing ecosystem with initiatives such as an AI-enabled dashboard to optimise waste heat recovery systems and kiln operations, enhancing energy efficiency. Additionally, we are developing advanced AI models that identify the most cost-effective fuel combinations by factoring in variables like moisture content, pricing and other operational parameters. These initiatives are laying the foundation for next-generation, data-driven decision-making, driving operational excellence and sustainable performance at scale.
In parallel, recognising the growing cyber threat landscape, we have strengthened our digital security framework by deploying next-generation firewalls, endpoint protection, enhanced network segmentation and implementing multi-factor authentication across all applications—ensuring that our digital infrastructure remains as resilient as our physical operations.
What is your roadmap for scaling automation across the organisation in the next five years?
Over the next five years, the company will focus on automating critical processes especially in production and quality control to drive operational excellence. AI will be integrated to support real-time, data-driven decision-making across functions. Additionally, the organisation is evaluating next-generation digital platforms to simplify and integrate its IT landscape.
As part of this evolving roadmap, there is also a continued emphasis on building a digitally capable workforce to stay aligned with emerging technologies.
These efforts reflect a broader shift towards a connected, future-ready manufacturing ecosystem where people, processes and systems are increasingly integrated to respond with agility to changing business dynamics.
