Dangote set to digitalise cement plants

Dangote Cement Plc has signed an agreement with General Electric to install Asset Performance Management (APM) solution at its plants in Obajana, Ibese, to Improve power supply efficiency and help extend the life span of the plants.

It includes extending the current service agreement for an additional 50,000 operating hours for the seven GE LM6000PC aero-derivative gas turbines installed at the sites. GE’s total plant solutions will improve efficiency, reliability essential to continuous operations and the plants’ business strategy.

Director, Operations, Dangote Cement, Ravi Sood, explained that power supply is both a key input and a major cost in the company’s manufacturing process.

He said, “Operational performance is crucial to our cement plant’s overall productivity, directly affecting end products. Being at the front of cement production in Africa, we believe extending our services agreement with GE and the introduction of digital solutions will allow us to improve efficiencies, anticipate further reductions in unplanned downtime and become more self-sufficient in power production in a country.”

APM leverages cutting-edge technology to monitor the performance of power generation assets to reduce downtime, avoid turbines damage and remotely predict and resolve issues. APM sensors will be installed not only on the seven aero-derivative turbines but also on their associated generators and gear boxes to predict and accurately diagnose issues with greater accuracy before they occur.

Chief Executive Officer, Gas Power businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa, GE, Elisee Sezan, explained that the energy infrastructure is getting smarter, and digital solutions allow not only the shift from traditional calendar-based repairs to predictive maintenance but they also increase power asset availability and reliability.

She said, “We are proud to continue our 13-year collaboration with Dangote Cement to help them support Nigeria and other African countries towards achieving self-reliance and self-sufficiency in the world’s most basic commodities.”

The agreement underscores GE’s commitment to work collaboratively with its customers using the APM software to optimize their performance of assets, increase reliability and availability, minimize costs and reduce operational risks.