Keep an eye on your aging automation system [in cement plants]

Improving process control and managing information are essential challenges facing the cement manufacturing industry as it strives to produce consistent, high-quality cement and meet increasingly strict environmental regulations at the dawn of the new millennium. Here, the author describes how, in order to meet these challenges, cement plants increasingly will require integrated process control systems that can raise factory efficiency and productivity, thereby making them more profitable. In particular, plants must manage vital process data and generate business information to meet management objectives. Investments in automation and control technology will pay dividends and help plant operators meet stringent quality and consistency requirements.