FLSmidth has launched a new generation of site management information systems for cement and mining. Customers can now access a suite of mobile and web apps that bring performance data out of the control room and direct to their laptop and smartphone. The solutions do not involve control in terms of interventions but allow managers to monitor real time plant equipment, health and performance, also enabling equipment benchmarking across operations, as well as alert, create and share data collections etc. They work with all DCS systems via a Field Agent solution – a small hardware module, using industry standard protocols.

With this launch FLSmidth says it is “bringing the digital revolution to the cement and mining industries with a new generation of products focused on delivering real-time data on the go.” These latest products form part of the FLSmidth ENABLR portfolio of digital solutions that connect, monitor, and optimise asset performance and enable customers to simplify operations and improve productivity. This platform brings together all the FLSmidth digital offerings –from conventional automation, to connectivity to the cloud, to analytics, to artificial intelligence.

Ole Knudsen, FLSmidth Head of Digitalization Product Management told IM: “Our digital solutions enhance FLSmidth equipment and processes by using Industry 4.0 combined with the domain expertise as OEM. Our digital solutions are offered to our customers to resolve their specific challenges from energy consumption to productivity & quality, cyber security and sustainability.”

First up is the SiteConnect™ Mobile Insights App, an intuitive-to-use and simple-to-navigate mobile app, delivering insights on the go with on-demand equipment and plant performance and health data. Data signals – known as tags in the app – can be easily found and monitored. Tags can be grouped into collections to offer snapshot summary reports of critical indicators, such as production, equipment performance or equipment health. A favourites list enables users to recall key data instantly. Email alerts and push notifications inform users when pre-defined events occur, eg unplanned downtime or production shortages, allowing prompt resolution of issues. IM understands that SiteConnect has been tested at several mining & minerals sites as a Beta version during the last 3 to 4 months and is live in cement plants already.

ECS/PlantDataManagement is a comprehensive management information system designed for the cement and minerals industries. The latest browser-based system integrates all process and quality information islands, making critical real-time plant data available to operational, management and executive personnel. ECS/PlantDataManagement can cover one process area, a complete plant or several facilities, following an Enterprise architecture. “Dashboards, process analysis and process/production reports have never been more easily available.”

ECS/UptimeGo is a downtime analysis solution to help plant staff identify the issues that interrupt operations and prevent unwanted future downtime. ECS/UptimeGo is now fully integrated into a single platform with ECS/PlantDataManagement, allowing simultaneous analysis of process, production, health and downtime data via a unified user interface. The solution calculates the economic value of downtime, allowing plant staff to focus on finding the root causes of the problems that impact plant productivity.

“With on-demand and remote access to key data points, we are putting users in control of optimising their plant and equipment performance health,” said Knudsen. “We live in an interconnected, data-rich world. Our suite of products helps make sense of this data, bringing insight and transparency to plant and equipment operations. Ultimately, we want to give users a better night’s sleep, safe in the knowledge that their plant and equipment are operating as they should be – and that they have the ability to respond quickly and effectively if the unexpected happens.”