Total plant automation solution for Askari Cement in Pakistan

A centralized control system for entire cement plant with integrated wireless communication for distant areas reduces maintenance and energy costs

Press release

ABB delivered a complete integrated ABB Ability™ System 800xA centralized Distributed Control System (DCS) to upgrade the existing ABB Infi90 system

Helping modernize Pakistan’s infrastructure

Askari Cement Limited is one of the leading manufacturers of cement in Pakistan. The company’s two plants produce cement used for construction of mega projects in the country including dams, bridges, highways, as well as commercial and industrial complexes and residential projects. The cement is also exported to India, South Africa and Afghanistan.

ABB in Pakistan recently completed a total plant automation solution for Askari Cement’s Nizampur plant in northern Pakistan. The plant capacity here is 5,000 tons per day. Most of the automation systems installed at the plant were at the end of their product lifecycle, leading to maintenance issues for various third party Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). For this project, the customer trusted our products and local service competencies, commitment to customer satisfaction and greater focus towards quality.

“Pakistan’s infrastructure development is an integral part of our country’s growth,” said Najeeb Ahmad, Managing Director, Pakistan. “We contribute to the nation’s development by helping modernize factories as well as critical industries like cement.”

 

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Main data

 Customer: 

Askari Cement

 Site: 

Nizampur cement plant in northern Pakistan

Customer need: 
  • monitor the entire facility efficiently
  • install wireless network around the plant to connect all the products and systems reliably
  • identify areas in production line that need improvement in terms of energy usage

Application: 
Customer benefits:
  • cost savings from maintaining a single system
  • reduced costs for laying fiber optic cables
  • single dashboard, possibility to adjust process to run at optimal level can reduce energy consumption by 10%
  • reduced raw material consumption
Commissioning year: 2018

Centralized control system for entire cement plant

ABB has helped the plant operators at Askari Cement monitor their entire facility efficiently by providing a single dashboard and also installing the largest wireless network around the plant to connect all the products and systems reliably.

“A centralized control system for the entire plant improves optimization, allows the customer to maintain a single system and helps in plant maintenance & operation,” said Zeeshan Ullah Chaudhary, project manager, ABB.

“ABB integrated all remote communication for distant areas within the cement plant over industrial wireless communication based on ABB TropOS technology, specifically designed for harsh environments with increased reliability. This has also reduced the cost for laying fiber optic cables. This project marks the first installed base of ABB TropOS system in the country,” he said.



Zeeshan Ullah Chaudhary, project manager, ABB
“A centralized control system for the entire plant improves optimization, allows the customer to maintain a single system and helps in plant maintenance & operation”

Reducing energy and raw material consumption

Cement manufacturing is an energy-intensive process. Askari was keen to identify areas in its production line that need improvement in terms of energy usage. Through these process optimization solutions, the amount of energy used by Askari‘s production processes can be lowered and therefore made more efficient.

For instance, by making full use of ABB’s System 800xA capabilities, Askari‘s control room staff can adjust the process to run at its optimal level and reduce energy and raw material consumption, as well as keep vital processes running without interruption.

When an operator can use the integration of their process knowledge and System 800xA’s full capability, energy consumption can be reduced by 10%, explained Choudary.


Zeeshan Ullah Chaudhary, project manager, ABB
"When an operator can use the integration of their process knowledge and System 800xA’s full capability, energy consumption can be reduced by 10%"

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