Cemex operates cement plants by remote control
From its central location in Monterrey/Mexico, Cemex’s innovative monitoring and remote control system, Centro de Control Cemento (Cement Control Center or C3), operates in real time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, tracking live data for the operation of 14 cement plants, 25 kilns, and 86 grinding mills in Mexico, coupled with monitoring a cement plant in Colombia and another one in the United States.
The system’s uninterrupted monitoring provides information about each stage of the production process, as well as the performance of equipment installed in the cement plants. This enables C3 operators not only to monitor but also to take immediate corrective actions in coordination with the company’s local operations staff and to have access to the installed intelligent control systems to minimize any deviation from safety, environmental, efficiency, and product quality targets.
Cemex created the C3 to more effectively leverage the resources and technological innovation available across the company’s global operations network. Through Cemex Mexico’s Operations and Technology Vice Presidency, the company mainly sought to unify the control systems of all its cement plants to make real-time optimal decisions, more conveniently share best practices, and to maximise operating performance as well as management of energy and resources.
As mentioned by Edgar Angeles, Operations Vice President of Cemex Mexico, “Cemex applied the most modern technology to develop a system that marks a unique milestone in today’s cement industry. The C3 is an excellent tool to promote safety in our operations and make our processes more efficient.”
Cemex is already reaping the benefits of the teamwork displayed by the company’s departments of Maintenance, Processes, and Sustainability through the C3 system. Through the Cement Control Centre’s operation, Cemex has not only enjoyed a 50 % reduction in the number of operational incidents, but also has replicated best practices, extended shared knowledge and expertise, and has achieved an overall improvement in operating efficiency and reliability, among other advantages.
Cemex’s cement and ready-mix technology centers are part of the company’s R&D collaboration network, headed by the Cemex Research Group AG in Switzerland.
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