Displaying items by tag: digital

China: The China Building Materials Federation, Conch Group and Huawei have partnered to showcase their AI model for the cement industry. Conch Group and Huawei began constructing the model in April 2024 with federation support. Since then, they have identified over 200 AI application scenarios across 15 categories spanning the entire production process, from mining to shipment. The model can reportedly predict the strength of clinker with an 85% accuracy rate and can allow for a reduction in coal consumption.

Italy: Colacem has selected US-based Armis’ Armis Centrix AI-based cyber exposure management platform to protect online assets in its cement plants. Italian Industry News has reported that protected assets include IT equipment, operational technologies and internet of things (IoT) devices.

Colacem security manager Luca Salemmi said “We requested support from Armis because we realised that we did not have visibility on all devices. What we immediately liked about Armis Centrix is its ability to evaluate the level of vulnerability of each device and to provide a priority order for immediate intervention so that it resolves the most critical risks.”

India: JSW One Platforms, JSW Group’s online business-to-business sales platform, has raised US$25m through an investment from Japan-based Mitsui Bussan. The business will use the funds to strengthen its market presence and further enhance technology capabilities. It also plans to expand its operations in Northern India, and to invest in credit, logistics and new technologies to improve customer experience. The platform stocks JSW Group subsidiary JSW Cement’s range of cement products. The Times of India newspaper has reported that Mitsui Bussan valued JSW One Platforms at US$336m.

JSW One Platforms CEO Gaurav Sachdeva said “There is a lot of distrust in the space and it’s highly fragmented. We want to be a one-stop shop for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, with defined service level agreements and deliverables. We will be the fastest in the space to touch US$1bn in gross merchandise value.” Sachdeva added that he expects the platform’s sales to more than double to US$91.6m in the current, 2024, financial year, from US$36.6m in the 2023 financial year.

Mexico: Cemex has recorded a total of 50,000 users of its Cemex Go online sales platform since its launch in 2017. Exchanges via the platform account for 93% of the group's global cement customers and 85% of concrete customers. Cemex Go's net promoter score (NPS) customer satisfaction rating rose by 50% between November 2018 and November 2022.

Chief executive officer González Olivieri said "Cemex Go is an important enabler in our transition to a lower carbon industry by improving supply chain logistics, moving to a paperless industry and increasing efficiency throughout the construction sector."

China: Anhui Conch Cement has engaged Conch IT Engineering for software platform supply and maintenance services for some of its subsidiaries. The supplier will provide design and technical services for the production process control system software, a sales and product dispatch system, production data uploading and a quality management system for clinker production lines, grinding units, aggregate, commodity concrete and technology modification projects. The value of the work is US$36m.

Mexico: Cemex's Cemex Go online shopping platform has won the Best Internationalisation Strategy award at the Mexican eCommerce Awards 2021. Marketing company Marketing4eCommerce hosted the awards, which compared Mexico's ecommerce platforms across 10 categories. Cemex Go also received nomination in the Best Mobile Transactional App category.

Cemex said "With this distinction, Cemex Go increases its positioning as a reliable app, in addition to offering merchants an alternative to solve their business needs from a mobile phone."

US: Martin Engineering has launched new online conveyor training content. The supplier says that the content integrates with client customer learning management systems (LMS). It is intended to enable users to independently assign, monitor and certify progress of participants across all of a producer’s locations.

Training manager Jerad Heitzler said, “With this new effort in place, Martin has taken another step forward in global conveyor training.” He added “We’ve emerged as an LMS content provider to deliver greater flexibility and control over employee learning, helping customers attain the highest levels of efficiency and safety.”

Cameroon: Cimenteries du Cameroun (CIMENCAM) has signed an agreement with YUP Cameroon to accept online payments via YUP’s mobile phone-based banking system. Orders can be made via on CIMENCAM’s online portal. YUP allows its customers to access financial services without a bank account. The system started in Ivory Coast and Senegal in 2017 and is now present in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, Ghana and Madagascar.

India: JSW Cement has hired US-based Yalochat to supply software for transactions with trade customers. It says it is among the first Indian cement companies to introduce conversational commerce services to this marketing segment. The software promises to increase the company’s ease of doing business by integrating customer service into transactions via the WhatsApp messaging platform. The producer says that this will help differentiate it as it transitions to 25Mt/yr of production capacity by 2023 from 14Mt/yr.

Managing director Parth Jindal said, "Digital technology is shaping the long-term sustainable growth strategy of all JSW Group businesses. We are in a unique position to deliver integrated home-building solutions to Indian consumers. Our digital transformation will ensure the ease of doing business to our customers through continued improvements in the overall brand experience combined with efficient operations for well-synchronised and timely deliveries."

Uganda: Hima Cement has introduced Kafluu, a chatbot-led initiative that lets customers order products via WhatsApp. The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim says that customers can use the platform 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to manage their orders and transactions. The automated chatbot software guides customers through the ordering process, gathering specifics like the product type, number of bags, delivery site and payment options. Payment is available via MTN MoMo Pay or bank transfer.

“We are always looking to improve the customer experience and Kafluu is able to respond quickly and effectively, enabling customers to place orders, make payments and input their delivery information with ease,” says Israel Tinkasimiire, the Hima Cement Sales Director.

The initiative is being piloted in Mbarara first before rollout in the rest of the country.