SLV Cement highlighted at Cement Review Logistics 4.0 and clinker dispatch
The application of Logistics 4.0 solutions is providing significant benefits to clinker dispatch, resulting in a seamless loading operation with minimised environmental impact.
In the realm of construction and infrastructure development, cement stands as a fundamental element, and at the heart of cement production lies the crucial ingredient – clinker. Several nations stand out in clinker production capacity, with China, India and the USA leading the charge in 2022, followed by Vietnam, Turkey, Iran, Russia and Indonesia. These countries collectively produce a significant share of the world’s clinker supply, catering to both domestic demand and exports. The USA, Philippines and China are the main clinker-importing countries, followed by the United Kingdom, France, The Netherlands and Bangladesh. Therefore, the dynamics of clinker trade witness various nations importing and exporting these nodules based on their production capacities and demands.
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An IT Logistics solution, highly advanced and process driven such as SLV Cement, addresses logistical challenges by standardising and automating material flows. It actively contributes to enhancing
both logistical and operational efficiency, ensuring greater flexibility, optimisation and heightened productivity. The digitisation of operational processes and their integration with ERP, MES and automation systems fosters
interoperability, connectivity and seamless data sharing among all stakeholders. This integration significantly improves resource efficiency and enables real-time responsiveness to critical decisions. Within this context, the previously manual and operator-dependent reception and dispatch processes for clinker have been automated. This automation reduces cycle times, operation duration, errors, and failures, thereby enhancing visibility, security, traceability, precision, logistical efficiency, and operational effectiveness. Ultimately, this results in improved planning capabilities and substantial gains in productivity while cutting down transportation costs.
The automation of these processes involves the deployment of kiosks and intelligent devices at different stages of the workflow. This set-up empowers drivers equipped with identifying devices to independently execute various operations. Specifically concerning clinker loading, the kiosk seamlessly integrates with the weighing and loading automation system. This integration streamlines operations, ensuring a controlled and secure loading process for drivers. Coordinating gates and access control devices helps isolate the loading operation, minimising its environmental impact. The automation of clinker loading, an integral part of SLV Cement’s comprehensive logistics management, initially started at cement factories in Portugal and has since been implemented in diverse geographical locations.
