Displaying items by tag: downtime

Switzerland: Measurements specialist ABB has published a new study about industrial downtime. The company, together with Sapio Research, surveyed 3600 senior decision-makers across various industries, including cement. The study showed that 44% of leaders experience equipment-related interruptions at least monthly and 14% at least weekly. Of those experiencing weekly interruptions, just 20% have a proactive modernisation strategy. A majority of respondents estimate the cost of these interruptions at US$10,000 – US$500,000/hr; 7% believe it is higher. 67% have upgraded their motors or drives in the past two years, and 55% plan to do so. Cost remains the top barrier to modernisation for 28% of industrial players.

ABB Motion Services Modernisation Programme Head Oswald Deuchar said "Unplanned downtime is costing industry up to half a million US Dollars per hour – yet one in three businesses hasn't modernised their motor-driven systems in the last two years. That's more than a missed opportunity, it's a silent crisis. Our research shows that those who shift from reactive firefighting to forward-looking life-cycle strategies experience fewer failures and greater resilience. A key challenge, though, remains in justifying the up-front investment.”

China: China Resources Building Materials Technology (CRBMT) subsidiary Tianyang Cement has concluded a ‘full-process intelligent cement plant’ pilot at its 2.81Mt/yr Baise cement plant in Guangxi Province. Tianyang Cement said that the pilot entailed an upgrade that has more than doubled Baise cement plant’s production volumes and reduced its CO₂ emissions per tonne of cement by 24%. Tianyang Cement says that automation has reduced the plant’s unplanned shutdowns by 56% and improved product quality.

Zimbabwe: Lafarge Zimbabwe’s cement volumes fell by 55% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022. The company restarted grinding units at its Manresa grinding plant in February 2022 following a roof collapse in October 2021. In a trading update, Lafarge Zimbabwe said that the disruption impacted its profit in the quarter. The producer took the opportunity to decommission one of its ball mills for replacement with a new vertical roller mill in mid-2022.

Chief executive officer Geoffrey Ndugwa said “The company is confident that volumes will recover and grow as the availability of cement stabilises, especially after the new vertical roller mill start-up in the second quarter of 2022.”