Digital process support

Experts from various areas of cement production are working with a team of digital transformation and AI specialists to address the future challenges of the sector.

Based on industry experience and pioneering research projects, we provide companies with holistic support in the digitalisation of the cement production process - from assessing the status quo and potential to developing a roadmap for the digital transformation of cement plants and support in the implementation of specific measures.

Our inhouse seminar about the digital transformation regarding basic principles and examples from cement production  offers a solid introduction to the topic.

A key element of successful digitalisation is the structured handling of data. In a VDZ working group, we are developing standardised data structures together with our members in order to organise process data and other data from cement plants in a standardised data structure. The resulting single source of truth not only reduces the effort involved in working with data, but also improves the quality and availability of information in all processes. Hierarchies are a key component in the modelling and tracking of plant structures. An understanding of the data from multiple perspectives provides significant added value, including enhanced information retrieval capabilities.

Scientific research on Machine Learning applications in cement production

Artificial intelligence offers enormous potential for Industry 4.0. One focus of our work is on research into AI applications for cement production and the investigation of applications in terms of robustness, i.e. their reliability under real production conditions. We combine classic methods with modern, data-based approaches for hybrid modelling of industrial processes.

Our research encompasses a wide range of subjects, including:

• Investigating the robustness of AI applications for process optimisation in cement production
• The automated classification and evaluation of alternative fuels
• Analysing the potential and risks of using AI, using the example of predicting the 28-day strength of cement

If you are interested in these topics, please use the contact details below.

Another focus is on the practical training of control room operators (CRO-/CCR-operators), engineers and other cement plant personnel. We have been using the SIMULEX® training simulator from KHD Humboldt Wedag to train operating personnel in the cement industry for almost 20 years.

Further informationen you will find here: Simulator Training