Fine-tuning production processes to deliver improved efficiency and profitability

One of the common challenges in manufacturing is being able to understand highly complex, interconnected operations in a meaningful way. To help resolve this issue, ABB Ability Knowledge Manager offers a Production Information Management System (PIMS) designed to optimize operations, improve process and asset performance, and manage compliance reporting. In addition, insights derived from this solution can help manufacturers improve efficiency, reduce energy usage and cut emissions.

To meet the highly specialized demands unique to the cement industry, ABB offers the Cement Production Scheduler (CPS) as an add-on to the ABB Ability Knowledge Manager. CPS helps optimize production plans to cope with market demand and fluctuating energy prices, thus reducing energy costs and minimizing environmental impact. Developed in close collaboration with a large global cement company, CPS is well adapted to real-world industry needs.

The CPS solution also gives cement manufacturers the option to model multiple scenarios as they seek the optimal production plan.

Rajesh Nandakumar Nair, Global Product Manager at ABB, explains, “We wanted to minimize dependencies so that companies using other technologies would see no potential barriers to adoption. This drove our search for a database- and DCS-agnostic optimization engine that would offer sufficient performance and flexibility for the extreme demands of the cement industry.”

The ESA enables ABB to pay for ILOG CPLEX Optimizer according to each deployment and renewal, at increasingly favorable rates as the volume rises.

Audrey Wang Gosselin, Global Product Marketing Manager, Sustainability and Operational Excellence at ABB, says, “In the cement industry, profitability depends on precise control over production. In this example, our customer has expanded the use of our Cement Production Scheduler to more than 50 sites, showing its value in determining the optimal production schedule as market demands and energy costs fluctuate.”

With the ESA in place, ABB continues to develop CPS and to extend the solution to new customers. The company provides direct support for the complete solution, including the CPLEX element, helping customers optimize their planning and production processes.

Users of CPS benefit from optimized short-term production scheduling right down to the mill and product level, which helps them reduce costs and increase equipment efficiency. Enhanced efficiency in planning also helps overcome scheduling constraints, and a full track record of decision criteria is available for review when fine-tuning future production.

“CPS enables cement manufacturers to calculate optimized production plans within minutes, comparing multiple scenarios before deciding which one to put into production,” says Wang Gosselin. “The power of ABB Ability Knowledge Manager embedded with ILOG CPLEX Optimizer helps our customers make the best decisions to reduce costs and minimize their environmental impact. And the Embedded Solution Agreement from IBM helps make the solution easy to scale, meeting our customers’ expansion objectives.”

ABB employs more than 105,000 people in a total of 117 manufacturing sites globally, generating around USD 32 billion in annual revenue. The company combines engineering know-how with sophisticated software to optimize how things are manufactured, moved, powered and operated, aiming to address the world’s energy challenges, transform industries and improve sustainability.