Portugal: Cimpor has now deployed private 5G networks at its Alhandra, Loulé and Souselas cement plants through a partnership with Vodafone Portugal and Ericsson. The move equips each site with reliable, low-latency connectivity designed to support connected systems such as IoT sensors and autonomous vehicles for improved efficiency and safety. The producer previously signed the 10-year extendable contract with Vodafone in October 2024.
The technology supports applications such as drone inspections, smart and VR glasses for remote assistance and training, sensors for predictive maintenance, video cameras for safety monitoring, real-time data management via worker tablets and AI functionalities. Cimpor expects to save up to US$1m/yr per plant by reducing unplanned failures and production interruptions. It said it has observed an approximate efficiency increase of around 1%, equivalent to US$10-15m in annual economic benefits.
