Industry 4.0, from advanced data analytics to intelligent networks, offer tremendous opportunity to create value and raise the efficiency of production processes. Industry 4.0 exploits new technologies like Internet Of Things and Cloud Computing to create powerful connections between physical and digital systems. This opens possibilities and new solutions for further optimisation. Yet still few cement producers have implemented 4.0 advances in any systematic way. Cement producers that move quickly to employ 4.0 technologies can gain a powerful competitive advantage over their peers.
Cement manufacturers should take a structured approach to implementing 4.0 solutions. Here some guide to start the journey towards industry 4.0.
- Grasp the current situation. Companies should begin with a comprehensive digital health check to understand their true starting point. Is data being collected? If so, is the company storing it in a structured database? Is the data being used for decision making?
- Set the vision. Next, the company should decide exactly what it wants to accomplish and how it will go about doing so. Is the intent, for example, to boost yield, increase productivity, or create a best-in-class plant?
- Conduct pilots. Most successful implementations of Industry 4.0 begin with pilot programs. By testing the new technologies in a real-life cement production context, manufacturers can identify the requirements and challenges and choose the best way forward.
- Create a reference factory. Before a general rollout, producers should designate a single plant for testing and initial rollout of all technologies. This plant becomes the reference cement factory. Using a reference plant generates two important benefits. First, it establishes seamless integration and functioning of the new technologies before the broader rollout. Second, it provides an early lighthouse for change, embodying the corporate vision.
- Establish strong governance. A successful rollout of Industry 4.0 across all plants requires strong governance and a central approach to change management—involving not just the affected sites but all central functions. Without clear governance, sites and regional business units may design different concepts, or efforts might be duplicated. A strong central steering committee, led by the CEO, can ensure homogeneous implementation, avoid duplicate spending, and capitalize on existing systems and solutions, thus accelerating the implementation.
So, are you ready for the change? If you need further guide in implementing Industry 4.0 solutions for your cement production, you can contact cement@quantumir.com.
https://www.quantumir.com