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Application of Load Cells in Cement Plants

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Rakesh Valeja, Managing Director, Thames Side Sensors India, highlights how advanced load cell technology enhances accuracy, process efficiency and legal compliance across every stage of cement production.

Load cells are electronic sensors that convert force or weight into an electrical signal. In cement plants, they provide the backbone for accurate measurement across the entire value chain – from quarrying limestone to dispatching finished cement – enabling inventory control, process automation, quality assurance, safety and legal-for-trade weighing.
The most widely used form in heavy industry weighing is the strain gauge load cell, which measures deformation of a small elastic element and converts that strain into a stable millivolt output proportional to load. Strain gauge load cells are rugged, reliable and available in compression, tension (S type) and shear/bending forms to suit different application, mounting and environmental needs.
Thames Side Sensors, with over 40 years of expertise, designs and manufactures precision load cells and weighing electronics for industries like cement, process weighing, and automation. Produced in Barcelona with stringent quality control, its products—ranging from 300g to 1,000 tonnes—ensure accuracy, durability, and global reliability. With warehouses in Mumbai and the UK, and certifications like ATEX, OIML, IP68, and IP69K, Thames Side provides trusted, high-performance solutions for diverse industrial weighing applications.

Load cells: From limestone to cement
Load cells are used at every stage, as part of weighing systems, during conversion of limestone to cement. Limestone undergoes a multi-stage transformation before becoming cement. The journey begins at open-pit mines, where drilling and controlled blasting techniques are used to extract the raw limestone. Once recovered, the material is transported to crushing units that reduce it to manageable fragments. These crushed particles are then combined with other essential ingredients such as clay and milled into a fine, homogenous powder. This raw mix is fed into a rotary kiln and subjected to intense heat, typically exceeding 1400°C, which initiates chemical reactions that form solid nodules known as clinker.
After cooling, the clinker is finely ground together with a small proportion of additives such as gypsum, fly ash, calcined clay, granulated blast furnace slag, iron ore, manganese oxide, tricalcium aluminate etc., resulting in the finished cement product ready for packaging and distribution.

Quarry and limestone handling (mining, haulage and stockpiles)
Truck scales (or the weighbridges) at the quarry use large compression or double ended shear beam load cells installed under the deck to capture the vehicle plus load. These cells must tolerate impact, shock and wide temperature swings; Thames Side Sensor’s rugged compression load cell models such as the T34 and T35 family are suitable for robust static weighbridges installations. These load cells are available in both – analogue and digital versions.
Under hopper load cells provide real time feed rate and mass flow control to crushers and conveyors; shear/bending beam cells with IP68 protection and overload stops are recommended. Thames Side single ended shear beam/bending solutions work well in this role.
For intermediate inventory control, a combination of weighbridge and belt weighers is common. Rugged Compression load cells and Robust bending beam models from Thames Side Sensors ensure long service life in dusty quarry environments.
Continuous mass flow on long conveyors is monitored by idler mounted instrumentation and Belt scales that often use Thames Side Sensors’ Bending Beam T66, Shear Beam T85 or S type (T60/T61) load cells. These load cells are specifically designed for conveyor and batching plant duties and offer the sensitivity and sealing needed for accurate dynamic measurements.

Raw material dosing and batch plant (crushing, grinding, blending)
High-accuracy weighing systems, including load cells on hoppers and feeders, play a critical role in maintaining blend precision and process stability.
Accurate batching of limestone, clay and additives is done with hopper or bin weighing systems. Vessel/silo weighing with multiple load cells provides static inventory and batch control; Thames Side supplies legal-for-trade approved silo, tank and hopper weighing load cells along with mounting assemblies designed for this purpose.
For controlled dosing into ball mills and raw mix blenders, Single point T12 or Bending beam T66 load cells deliver precise weight measurement for weigh feeder applications.
Loss in weight or weigh belt controls using single ended shear beam T85 or bending beam cells T66 ensure steady throughput to the ball mill and protect downstream process stability.

Kiln feed, clinker handling and kiln support systems
Accuracy in kiln feed is vital for kiln stability and fuel efficiency. Loss in weight feeders and weigh feeders typically use bending beam or single point load cells; Thames Side load cell model T66 and T12 are suitable for both the dosing accuracy and industrial sealing required.
For the clinker transfer bunkers and hot material handling robust load cells are required with appropriate thermal isolation and protective housings; Thames Side’s silo and hopper weighing solutions include Rugged Compression column T34 load cells with its mounting assemblies and instrumentation tailored for bulk solids monitoring in challenging environments. The T34 cells are available in 10t to 1000t capacities.

Cement finish milling, storage silos and load out
Cement finish milling reduces cooled clinker and additives to a fine powder, with precise grinding and gypsum addition to control setting time. Accurate feeders and load cell equipped hoppers ensure consistent mill feed and uniform product quality. Finished cement is stored in silos monitored by Bin Level Measuring Systems for inventory control and dispatch planning. Loadout operations use silo discharge controls, bulk tanker filling systems, and legal-for-trade approved weighbridges to ensure correct quantities for customers.
Thames Side Sensors offers complete silo/tank/hopper weighing solutions designed for bulk storage measurement and communication with plant control systems.
For the cement mill and final blending stage, precise small hopper weighing enables consistent cement fineness and additive dosing. Static vehicle weighbridges at despatch use heavy duty compression load cells (e.g., T34/T35) selected for long term reliability and trade accuracy, allowing accurate ticketing for commercial dispatch.

Packing, bagging and palletising
Bagging lines fill and seal cement into sacks using highspeed gravimetric or volumetric fillers that prioritise accuracy and throughput. Load cell equipped fillers and platform scales ensure each bag meets target weight and maintains tight tolerances for quality control. Automated palletisers and case packers then arrange filled bags onto pallets for secure storage and transport, with checkweighers and inline scales providing final verification. Integrated data capture from the weighing systems feeds traceability, production reporting, and despatch reconciliation.
Highspeed bagging and valve type packers
require fast, repeatable weight measurement at the filling nozzle or weigh platform. Thames Side Sensors’ bending beam load cell model T66 is explicitly recommended for batching and cement packer applications where speed and resolution matter.
Big bag (FIBC) filling machines suspend the bag from load cells during fill; S type or specially designed suspended weighing cells are ideal. Thames Side S beam T60/T61 and Single ended Shear Beam T85 load cells are designed for suspended tank/vessel and big bag filling duties and are a practical standard for plant spares and maintenance.

Transit, despatch and legal-for-trade approved weighing Transit and despatch operations rely on legal-for-trade approved weighbridges to provide legally valid mass measurements for customer deliveries and revenue reconciliation. Weighbridge systems, calibrated and certified to local metrology standards, ensure accuracy and defensible transaction records.
Complementary checks use bulk tanker scales, on-board systems and batch tickets to cross-verify loads before release. Integrated weighing data is linked to ERP and dispatch systems for invoicing, inventory control and audit trails.
For legal for trade transactions at dispatch, the weighing system must meet regulatory approvals and be mounted with heavy duty compression
load cells. Thames Side’s heavier compression load cell families like the T34/T35 meet the structural and environmental requirements for weighbridge installations.

Instrumentation, integration and environmental considerations
Accurate load cell measurement requires properly matched transmitters, junction boxes and controllers with protocols for PLC/DCS/SCADA integration. Thames Side’s weighing systems include instrumentation options compatible with common industrial protocols to integrate silo inventory and despatch data into plant systems.
Dust, moisture, corrosive atmospheres and vibration demand high-IP rated welded load cells with robust cable sealing and protective mounts. Thames Side’s product families cited above are designed and specified for industrial bulk solids environments and include suitable sealing and mounting assemblies.

Conclusion
Strain gauge load cells are the measurement of backbone across a cement plant’s entire lifecycle. Standardising on proven load cell families such as Thames Side’s Bending Beam T66, Shear Beam T85, Single Point T12 for feeders, conveyors and bagging and T34 compression load cells for heavy weighbridge and silo support simplifies spares, commissioning and maintenance while delivering the accuracy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Rakesh Valeja, Managing Director, Thames Side Sensors India, holds over 35 years in India’s weighing and automation industry and is known for his ethical leadership and strategic acumen.

Concrete

FORNNAX Appoints Dieter Jerschl as Sales Partner for Central Europe

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FORNNAX TECHNOLOGY has appointed industry veteran Dieter Jerschl as its new sales partner in Germany to strengthen its presence across Central Europe. The partnership aims to accelerate the adoption of FORNNAX’s high-capacity, sustainable recycling solutions while building long-term regional capabilities.

FORNNAX TECHNOLOGY, one of the leading advanced recycling equipment manufacturers, has announced the appointment of a new sales partner in Germany as part of its strategic expansion into Central Europe. The company has entered into a collaborative agreement with Mr. Dieter Jerschl, a seasoned industry professional with over 20 years of experience in the shredding and recycling sector, to represent and promote FORNNAX’s solutions across key European markets.

Mr. Jerschl brings extensive expertise from his work with renowned companies such as BHS, Eldan, Vecoplan, and others. Over the course of his career, he has successfully led the deployment of both single machines and complete turnkey installations for a wide range of applications, including tyre recycling, cable recycling, municipal solid waste, e-waste, and industrial waste processing.

Speaking about the partnership, Mr. Jerschl said,
“I’ve known FORNNAX for over a decade and have followed their growth closely. What attracted me to this collaboration is their state-of-the-art & high-capacity technology, it is powerful, sustainable, and economically viable. There is great potential to introduce FORNNAX’s innovative systems to more markets across Europe, and I am excited to be part of that journey.”

The partnership will primarily focus on Central Europe, including Germany, Austria, and neighbouring countries, with the flexibility to extend the geographical scope based on project requirements and mutual agreement. The collaboration is structured to evolve over time, with performance-driven expansion and ongoing strategic discussions with FORNNAX’s management. The immediate priority is to build a strong project pipeline and enhance FORNNAX’s brand presence across the region.

FORNNAX’s portfolio of high-performance shredding and pre-processing solutions is well aligned with Europe’s growing demand for sustainable and efficient waste treatment technologies. By partnering with Mr. Jerschl—who brings deep market insight and established industry relationships—FORNNAX aims to accelerate adoption of its solutions and participate in upcoming recycling projects across the region.

As part of the partnership, Mr. Jerschl will also deliver value-added services, including equipment installation, maintenance, and spare parts support through a dedicated technical team. This local service capability is expected to ensure faster project execution, minimise downtime, and enhance overall customer experience.

Commenting on the long-term vision, Mr. Jerschl added,
“We are committed to increasing market awareness and establishing new reference projects across the region. My goal is not only to generate business but to lay the foundation for long-term growth. Ideally, we aim to establish a dedicated FORNNAX legal entity or operational site in Germany over the next five to ten years.”

For FORNNAX, this partnership aligns closely with its global strategy of expanding into key markets through strong regional representation. The company believes that local partnerships are critical for navigating complex market dynamics and delivering solutions tailored to region-specific waste management challenges.

“We see tremendous potential in the Central European market,” said Mr. Jignesh Kundaria, Director and CEO of FORNNAX.
“Partnering with someone as experienced and well-established as Mr. Jerschl gives us a strong foothold and allows us to better serve our customers. This marks a major milestone in our efforts to promote reliable, efficient and future-ready recycling solutions globally,” he added.

This collaboration further strengthens FORNNAX’s commitment to environmental stewardship, innovation, and sustainable waste management, supporting the transition toward a greener and more circular future.

 

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Concrete

Budget 2026–27 infra thrust and CCUS outlay to lift cement sector outlook

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Higher capex, city-led growth and CCUS funding improve demand visibility and decarbonisation prospects for cement

Mumbai

Cement manufacturers have welcomed the Union Budget 2026–27’s strong infrastructure thrust, with public capital expenditure increased to Rs 12.2 trillion, saying it reinforces infrastructure as the central engine of economic growth and strengthens medium-term prospects for the cement sector. In a statement, the Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) has welcomed the Union budget 2026-27 for reinforcing the ambitions for the nation’s growth balancing the aspirations of the people through inclusivity inspired by the vision of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, for a Viksit Bharat by 2047 and Atmanirbharta.

The budget underscores India’s steady economic trajectory over the past 12 years, marked by fiscal discipline, sustained growth and moderate inflation, and offers strong demand visibility for infrastructure linked sectors such as cement.

The Budget’s strong infrastructure push, with public capital expenditure rising from Rs 11.2 trillion in fiscal year 2025–26 to Rs 12.2 trillion in fiscal year 2026–27, recognises infrastructure as the primary anchor for economic growth creating positive prospects for the Indian cement industry and improving long term visibility for the cement sector. The emphasis on Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities with populations above 5 lakh and the creation of City Economic Regions (CERs) with an allocation of Rs 50 billion per CER over five years, should accelerate construction activity across housing, transport and urban services, supporting broad based cement consumption.

Logistics and connectivity measures announced in the budget are particularly significant for the cement industry. The announcement of new dedicated freight corridors, the operationalisation of 20 additional National Waterways over the next five years, the launch of the Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme to raise the modal share of waterways and coastal shipping from 6 per cent to 12 per cent by 2047, and the development of ship repair ecosystems should enhance multimodal freight efficiency, reduce logistics costs and improve the sector’s carbon footprint. The announcement of seven high speed rail corridors as growth corridors can be expected to further stimulate regional development and construction demand.

Commenting on the budget, Parth Jindal, President, Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA), said, “As India advances towards a Viksit Bharat, the three kartavya articulated in the Union Budget provide a clear context for the Nation’s growth and aspirations, combining economic momentum with capacity building and inclusive progress. The Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) appreciates the Union Budget 2026-27 for the continued emphasis on manufacturing competitiveness, urban development and infrastructure modernisation, supported by over 350 reforms spanning GST simplification, labour codes, quality control rationalisation and coordinated deregulation with States. These reforms, alongside the Budget’s focus on Youth Power and domestic manufacturing capacity under Atmanirbharta, stand to strengthen the investment environment for capital intensive sectors such as Cement. The Union Budget 2026-27 reflects the Government’s focus on infrastructure led development emerging as a structural pillar of India’s growth strategy.”

He added, “The Rs 200 billion CCUS outlay for various sectors, including Cement, fundamentally alters the decarbonisation landscape for India’s emissions intensive industries. CCUS is a significant enabler for large scale decarbonisation of industries such as Cement and this intervention directly addresses the technology and cost requirements of the Cement sector in context. The Cement Industry, fully aligned with the Government of India’s Net Zero commitment by 2070, views this support as critical to enabling the adoption and scale up of CCUS technologies while continuing to meet the Country’s long term infrastructure needs.”

Dr Raghavpat Singhania, Vice President, CMA, said, “The government’s sustained infrastructure push supports employment, regional development and stronger local supply chains. Cement manufacturing clusters act as economic anchors across regions, generating livelihoods in construction, logistics and allied sectors. The budget’s focus on inclusive growth, execution and system level enablers creates a supportive environment for responsible and efficient expansion offering opportunities for economic growth and lending momentum to the cement sector. The increase in public capex to Rs 12.2 trillion, the focus on Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, and the creation of City Economic Regions stand to strengthen the growth of the cement sector. We welcome the budget’s emphasis on tourism, cultural and social infrastructure, which should broaden construction activity across regions. Investments in tourism facilities, heritage and Buddhist circuits, regional connectivity in Purvodaya and North Eastern States, and the strengthening of emergency and trauma care infrastructure in district hospitals reinforce the cement sector’s role in enabling inclusive growth.”

CMA also noted the Government’s continued commitment to fiscal discipline, with the fiscal deficit estimated at 4.3 per cent of GDP in FY27, reinforcing macroeconomic stability and investor confidence.

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Concrete

Steel: Shielded or Strengthened?

CW explores the impact of pro-steel policies on construction and infrastructure and identifies gaps that need to be addressed.

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Going forward, domestic steel mills are targeting capacity expansion
of nearly 40 per cent through till FY31, adding 80-85 mt, translating
into an investment pipeline of $ 45-50 billion. So, Jhunjhunwala points
out that continuing the safeguard duty will be vital to prevent a surge
in imports and protect domestic prices from external shocks. While in
FY26, the industry operating profit per tonne is expected to hold at
around $ 108, similar to last year, the industry’s earnings must
meaningfully improve from hereon to sustain large-scale investments.
Else, domestic mills could experience a significant spike in industry
leverage levels over the medium term, increasing their vulnerability to
external macroeconomic shocks.(~$ 60/tonne) over the past one month,
compressing the import parity discount to ~$ 23-25/tonne from previous
highs of ~$ 70-90/tonne, adds Jhunjhunwala. With this, he says, “the
industry can expect high resistance to further steel price increases.”

Domestic HRC prices have increased by ~Rs 5,000/tonne
“Aggressive
capacity additions (~15 mt commissioned in FY25, with 5 mt more by
FY26) have created a supply overhang, temporarily outpacing demand
growth of ~11-12 mt,” he says…

To read the full article Click Here

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