ABB launched “Do More With Digital,” a global campaign highlighting the opportunities for the process industries to realize their full potential through digital transformation.
“Adoption of advanced digital technologies is still much slower than one might expect in the process industries,” said Sanjit Shewale, global business line manager for Digital, ABB Process Industries. “Customers are facing new challenges in proving and scaling up solutions that will drive real, transformative change. However, there are opportunities for all parties to use technologies to retain knowledge of processes in their business as people retire or move on in shorter timeframes than was typical in the past. Through co-creation, there is the chance to show more and do more for positive investment decisions that quickly result in unprecedented levels of energy management, efficiency, sustainability, safety and service.”
In the cement industry, ABB is delivering digital solutions to use less energy and raw materials when producing cement, while also facilitating the use of alternative fuels, allowing it to operate with a smaller carbon footprint. Real-time decision making around asset performance and maintenance offers substantial process optimization and decision-making benefits. ABB customer CEMEX (Rüdersdorf, Germany) was already utilizing ABB’s Expert Optimizer on key areas, but sought to further improve its emissions control system. Working together, ABB implemented ABB Ability Expert Optimizer, significantly reducing emission variability and allowing the plant to operate closer to targets without exceeding limits. This resulted in both reduced operator workload through automatic sulfur dioxide (SO2) optimization and an impressive 11% reduction in hydrate consumption.
“Cement production will continue to play a central role in global development. Therefore, driving down emissions on the path to achieving climate targets is imperative,” said Michael Marti, global business line manager, Growth Industries, ABB Process Industries. “ABB understands the complexities involved in this process and is working with the cement industry to unlock a future where cement production is efficient and environmentally responsible, and yet retains its high levels of quality. We believe that digitalization is one such vital key to this lock.”
