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from Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), to
human resource management, to a company’s
website, and many more functions. At cement and
other industrial plants, SaaS applications are used
to manage inventory and optimise the purchasing
function.
Software as a Service (Saas) applications
are accessed via an internet connection
through a phone, tablet, or PC. Any phone that
has internet access can become a powerful
business management tool. At cement plants,
personnel can now access their silo inventory
data whether they are at the plant or offsite.
The most sought-after values of SaaS are
convenience and simplicity of use. However,
cement plants see many other benefits. As
inventory management programmes are
designed to use out-of-the-box, they do not
require an IT specialist on site. All software
development is complete, and the programme
is ready for use. Plus, the software host takes
care of all the upgrades and helps train staff.
These inventory management platforms are
scalable for one silo to hundreds at one or
many locations.
Displaying data locally
A typical cement plant in North America covers
acres of rugged terrain and miles of rocky
roads for hauling rock, gravel, or sand from
one location to another. Silos are often spread
out across the plant or clustered in remote
groups. Plant personnel need to know how
much material is in each silo, which silos have
remaining capacity, and which to pull from next.
Accessing silo levels in real time is a
time saver for cement plants. Eliminating
climbing silos to check levels helps to make
OSHA compliance easier. Falls are among the
most common workplace hazards at a cement
plant and can be avoided using a small and
simple device to display data at ground level.
Digital panel meters have come a long way in
design features and are very affordable to buy.
LED technology makes them easy to read even
in bright sunlight, smoke, fog,
and dust. Cement plants install
digital panel meters to make
level data available for every
silo. They are used at loadouts
by drivers and by personnel
managing scheduling and
production alike.
There are many
configurations of digital
panels meters available
offering 4 – 20 mA, digital,
and Modbus inputs. Single
and multiple line readouts,
a variety of digit sizes, and
flashing alerts make them
highly visible. Keypad controls
allow users to access data and
Software makes real-time inventory
data available on a mobile device.
Quick Disconnect makes
replacing a sensor simple.
Wireless devices make inventory management for
remote silos a reality.
Non-contact 80 GHz radar is accurate in dust.
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World Cement
July 2020