Qian Chengquan

As a typical process manufacturing industry, cement production relies on equipment as the core of its operations. The condition of key equipment, including rotary kilns, cement mills, raw mills and grate coolers, directly determines production-line continuity, output capacity and product quality. It also affects production costs, safety, environmental performance and market competitiveness. The cement industry currently faces multiple pressures, including excess capacity, tighter environmental controls and increasing market competition. Traditional extensive equipment management suffers from frequent failures, high maintenance costs, substantial energy waste and low management efficiency, and can no longer meet the requirements for high-quality enterprise development.

Promoting refinement of equipment management has become an inevitable choice for cement plants to optimize operations, reduce costs, increase efficiency, and enhance core competitiveness.

1. The core connotation of refined equipment management in cement plants

Refined equipment management centers on detailed, standardized, digital and workforce-wide management. It replaces passive breakdown repair with whole-life-cycle control, specifying responsibilities, optimizing workflows and quantifying standards. It provides precise control from procurement, installation and commissioning through operation, maintenance, overhaul, modification and final disposal. Its main goals are to reduce failures and unplanned downtime, extend equipment life, cut operating and maintenance costs and improve efficiency. Ultimately, it integrates equipment management with business and production operations, providing a reliable equipment foundation for stable, efficient cement production.

2. Implementation strategies for refined equipment management in cement plants

(1) Build a refined management system and consolidate the institutional foundation

A comprehensive system of rules is a prerequisite for refined equipment management. Cement plants should establish standardized, whole-process management systems based on their equipment configuration, production processes and current management practices. Define responsibilities, operating procedures and assessment standards for every position and stage. Establish classification and grading using the ABC method: classify critical main equipment such as rotary kilns and mills as A for focused control, and auxiliary production equipment as B or C for differentiated management, prioritizing core equipment to ensure stable production.

Also establish specific rules for equipment inspection, lubrication, repair and spare-parts management. For example, introduce three-level inspection: operator checks each shift, maintenance-worker checks daily and technician checks weekly. Define inspection locations, content, frequency and recording standards. Implement the five fixed elements of lubrication management: location, lubricant specification, quantity, interval and responsible person. This reduces failures caused by poor lubrication. Industry figures cited in the source attribute more than 60% of equipment failures to improper lubrication; standardized lubrication management can greatly reduce failure rates.

At the same time, we establish equipment life cycle files and implement "one machine, one file" to record equipment models, parameters, maintenance records, fault history, spare parts replacement and other information in detail to achieve traceability of equipment status and quantifiable management.

(2) Deepen preventive maintenance and realize active management and control of equipment

Abandon the traditional thinking of "emphasis on repair and neglect of maintenance", regard preventive maintenance as the core of refined management, and change "passive emergency repair" to "active maintenance". The first is to strengthen daily maintenance and regular inspections, strictly follow the equipment maintenance procedures, and do basic work such as equipment cleaning, fastening, adjustment, and anti-corrosion. Combined with the equipment operating cycle and wear patterns, formulate accurate regular inspection plans to avoid peak production periods, carry out equipment overhauls, intermediate repairs, and minor repairs in an orderly manner to eliminate potential hazards in advance.

The second is to introduce condition monitoring technology and install vibration, temperature, pressure, current and other sensors on key equipment. With the help of digital tools such as the Industrial Internet of Things and MES systems, equipment operation data can be collected in real time, and the equipment degradation trend can be predicted through algorithm analysis to achieve early warning of faults. For example, early warning thresholds are set for the temperature of the rotary kiln supporting wheel tiles, and control standards are set for the vibration value of the bearings of the roller press. Once the parameters are abnormal, an alarm is immediately triggered, and timely handling is carried out to avoid the expansion of the fault.

The third is to establish a fault analysis mechanism to analyze the root cause of each equipment failure, summarize the fault patterns, optimize maintenance plans, and form a closed-loop management of "fault occurrence - analysis and rectification - optimization and improvement" to continuously reduce the recurrence rate of similar faults.

(3) Optimize refined management of spare parts and strictly control operation and maintenance costs

Spare-parts management is a key part of detailed equipment management, directly affecting maintenance efficiency and costs. Cement plants need a systematic spare-parts inventory control system to prevent waste from excess stock or maintenance delays caused by shortages. On the one hand, classify inventories according to equipment importance, failure frequency, and spare-part service life. Set safety stocks for wear parts and core spares for Class A critical equipment. For infrequently used nonstandard parts, adopt on-demand purchasing and supplier consignment to reduce tied-up capital.

On the other hand, the spare parts procurement, warehousing, receipt, and write-off processes are standardized, and the inventory data is updated in real time with the help of the digital management system to achieve accurate allocation of spare parts; the quality control of spare parts is strengthened, the suppliers are strictly screened, and the acceptance of warehousing is strictly controlled to prevent inferior spare parts from affecting the operation of the equipment. At the same time, we promote the repair and recycling of spare parts, carry out professional maintenance and reuse of repairable spare parts, reduce the cost of spare parts procurement, and improve resource utilization.

(4) Promote digital transformation and empower intelligent management

Digitalization provides important support for detailed equipment management and helps deliver major improvements in management efficiency. Cement plants can use technologies such as the industrial internet, big data and digital twins to build intelligent equipment management platforms. These platforms break down data barriers between DCS control systems, MES systems and EAM equipment management systems, centrally integrating and visualizing equipment operation, maintenance, energy consumption and fault data. In-depth analysis of operating data on the platform helps optimize equipment operating parameters and improve operating efficiency and energy utilization. Mobile devices enable inspection and maintenance work orders to be assigned, executed, reported and closed online, simplifying management processes and improving operations and maintenance response times. Digital twin technology can build three-dimensional equipment models and simulate operating conditions and fault scenarios, providing accurate grounds for maintenance and retrofit decisions and moving equipment management from experience-driven to data-driven practices.

(5) Strengthen the participation of all employees and improve professional quality

Detailed equipment management depends on participation and implementation by all personnel and requires a professional, highly skilled equipment management, operation, and maintenance team. On the one hand, define the equipment management responsibilities of each position, assign specific management targets to teams and individuals, and establish an all-personnel equipment management mechanism in which everyone has responsibilities and implementation is ensured at every level. Strengthen coordination among operators, maintenance workers, and technicians to achieve standardized operation, effective maintenance, and precise management. On the other hand, provide regular professional training in equipment operation, maintenance skills, fault diagnosis, and digital tools through lectures, practical exercises, and case studies to improve employees' expertise. Establish incentive and assessment mechanisms that link equipment failure rates, operating and maintenance costs, downtime, and other indicators to performance, encouraging employees to participate actively in detailed equipment management and creating an environment in which everyone understands and manages equipment.

3. Guarantee measures for refined equipment management in cement plants

(1) Strengthen organizational guarantees

Establish a dedicated leading group for refined equipment management to coordinate and promote the formulation, implementation, supervision and optimization of management plans, coordinate the collaboration of production, equipment, technology, materials and other departments, break down departmental barriers, form a joint management force, and ensure that various measures for refined management are implemented and effective.

(2) Pay attention to cultural leadership

Cultivate a culture of refined management, integrate the concept of refinement into the daily operations of the enterprise, and make the awareness of refinement deeply rooted in the hearts of the people through publicity, guidance, benchmarking and demonstration, guide employees to consciously practice refined operations and management, and promote the transformation of equipment management from "system constraints" to "cultural awareness".

(3) Continuous optimization and improvement

Refined equipment management is a long-term project. Cement plants need to combine industry technology development, production process adjustments and management practices, regularly review and optimize the management system, operation and maintenance plans, and digital tools, constantly make up for management shortcomings, improve management levels, and adapt to the new requirements of enterprise development and market changes.

4. Conclusion

Refined cement plant equipment management is a key measure to solve the industry's development dilemma and achieve cost reduction and efficiency improvement. By building a standardized system, promoting preventive maintenance, optimizing spare parts management, empowering digital transformation, and strengthening the participation of all employees to achieve precise management and control of the entire life cycle of equipment, it can not only effectively improve equipment operation stability and service life, reduce operation and maintenance costs and energy consumption, but also ensure the continuous and efficient operation of cement production, helping companies achieve sustainable and high-quality development in fierce market competition.

In the critical period of industry transformation and upgrading, only by deepening the refined management of equipment can cement plants build a solid production foundation, release development momentum, and seize industry development opportunities.

Source: Internet

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