The effects of lean manufacturing techniques in the cement industry

to eliminate waste and increase plant efficiency

Background

The manufacturing logic has seen principal changes since the disposal of art creation to be supplanted
by large scale manufacturing framework. New period has begun when lean assembling point of view is
presented. Lean creation was started at Toyota house in mid 1950s. The primary subject of lean
philosophy is to utilize less yet accomplish progressively through limiting non-esteem included exercises,
furthermore, wastes inside the framework (Womack, 2003). Companies in cement industry are feeling
under pressure to minimize their cost, client lead-time and process duration, and increment their
efficiency and quality.

Numerous factories have understood the basic need to receive the lean theory rather than the
customary large-scale manufacturing ideas so as to remain focused and get by in the ongoing
subsidence and worldwide competition circumstance. This research will aim to demonstrate that the
lean philosophy isn't as it were constrained to explicit sort of companies, however it very well may be
connected effectively to all companies types as long as the correct progress way is connected
successfully. The research here will examine and create standard advances which can be utilized as rules
in usage of lean procedure inside various factories. The cement industry's certifiable information is
utilized to analyze the legitimacy of the proposed approach.

In this research we will give different examples of companies who used lean manufacturing, but it will
be focused mainly on CEMEX, “a global building materials company that provides high quality product
and reliable service to customers in more than 50 countries” (CEMEX). The company has rich history of
improving its strategy through efficiency advancement, groundbreaking building solutions and its effort
to promote sustainable future. Reason behind focusing the CEMEX is to have the practical and real
example in order to conduct the case study analysis.

Introduction to the Problem Statement

Cement is a basic input in the construction industry and plays a major role in developing infrastructure,
thus, it is hard to imagine a modern society without it. It gives the essential contribution to the
development business which has significant job among the cutting-edge worldwide frameworks and
improvement forms. Moreover, for timeframe the national advancement was estimated by generation
what's more, utilization size of the cement (Pipilikaki, 2009). The cement industry works in for all intents
and purposes all nations around the globe; anyway, more than 70 rates of the worldwide cement are
delivered and expended in the creating nations where the development improvement is a lot higher
pace than the created nations (John. V.M., 2003).

Since its foundation, CEMEX believed in product differentiation and this very strategy helped the
company to come out of bankruptcy in 2008. At that time CEMEX evolved into a more sophisticated
business and started promoting environmental sustainability through mitigating and removing
pollutants in their raw material and sought out practices for sustainability. (Jaime Elizondo & Stewart.,
2015)

Problem statement

The cement industry has an ever increasing need to increase productivity in order to meet the demand
and is always under pressure to reduce downtime cycle time, inventories and batch sizes. Hence, the
situation of not achieving the high expectation of the customers, low utility of the machines and lower
production rates and troublesome operations as well as a lot of waste disposal has motivated the
research at hand to design a framework using lean management by which the cement production will
increase exponentially.
This research will identify the variables that lead to the decision made by CEMEX of improving the
manufacturing efficiency and promoting environmental sustainability.

Aims and Objectives

The objective of this paper is that to present procedures which have been outlined, figured and
assessed, proposition to rebuild those methods utilizing Lean Manufacturing standards that are detailed,
assessed and actualized. The primary reason for actualizing LM standards will be to lessen the amount of
line side stock, diminish old stock increment the material speeding up procedures. This will prompt
incredible money related reserve funds per venture. The aim of this research is to validate whether the
lean philosophy would be able to cater to the problems arising in production efficiency while using a
traditional method. For this purpose, the research requires:

 A complete understanding of cement manufacturing process, the raw material, machinery, labor
required, and amount of waste produced.
 Identification of the bottle neck in the production process
 Effect of production to the environment
 Relation between the variables of the production line and their impact on the performance
 The application of lean philosophy using six sigma, Kaizen, JUST-IN-TIME, TPM and TQM
methods
 Validation of the results obtained
Literature Review of Cement Industry

Cement Industry

Introduction
In this section we talked about the cement production line that will give the basic understanding of the
factors and the problems that affect the industry features. The process of manufacturing of cement in
the industry is not very simple; it is subdivided into many different processes in order to achieve the
common goal. Raw materials for the cement industry are limestone, chalk and clay. In order to achieve
the main goal of the cement production these raw materials have to pass through different processes
like quarried, crushed, transported to the factory, pre-blended and yet stored in the facility. Moreover,
in depth study of the production line compelled us to examine other problems that hinders in the way of
cement manufacturing.

It should be understood that this industry is one of the oldest industry in the world. Cement is essential
for any type of construction work whether it is a construction of a small house or a multi-purpose built.
The potential of its expansion is not limited, almost every country is trying to introduce innovate ways in
this sphere to get high yields. In the past efficiency of this industry is not up to the bench mark because
the cost of raw materials and fuels is about the 30 -40% of the actual cost of the manufacturing. Cement
is the basic and fundamental unit for the building process, it is highly essential for the building of
infrastructure so many people trying to introduce innovative methods in this field to make be cost
effective so that it can be easily in the reach of every class of people.

There are many processes involved in the manufacturing of the cement and these processed are taking
place in the different phases or chambers of the industry. We summarize the processes of the industry
into three main production processes such as:

 Raw milling process

 Thermo - chemical process
 Finishing grinding process

Process Mapping of the cement manufacturing process

Mapping of the production line is very important because it gives us the basic understanding to know
about the input, output and the different processes that occur between the start and end pints. Cement
manufacturing process is the combination of many different processes and after the successful
accomplishment of these bits and pieces we get the final product in the shape of cement. Cement
production process is categorized in different types based on their respective functionality such as:

 Wet process
 Semi-wet process
 Semi-dry process
 Dry process
 Commented [HGM1]: Pictures need caption and their source
needs to be stated as references.

If you have developed the pictures based on others’ work, you can
write: (adapted from REF1,REF2,..)

Wet process:
It is the oldest process, as many researchers said that this project is used prior to the 1950. The main
process happens within the kilning systems is wet manufacturing system. There are many advantages of
this process, as it is more convenient to use for the manufacturing of the cement. The wet process
executed when:

 Raw material possesses 30% of the moisture in it by the ratio of its weight
 Pipelines are used to transfer raw materials to the cement industry from the distant quarries
site.

There are many advantages and disadvantages are associated with the wet manufacturing process. The
most common benefit of this process is that it helps in optimum blending and homogenizing process.
The raw materials (slurry) can be mixed by using the compressed air and achieve the homogeneous
components.
This method also helps in terms of handling the dust because this process manages the dust and reduces
its impact during the raw milling stage. On the other hand there is a need of more energy resources in
order to put extra energy for evaporating the moisture process at the drying medium.

Semi-Wet process:

This process is introduced just to overcome the extra energy usage during the wet process. There is an
introduction of filter cake take place in this process. The major difference between the processes is
based on the managing the moisture level into the process. The slurry contains moisture and the filter is
used to reduce the quantity of water before transferring slurry meal into the kiln. This process will
definitely affect the cost of the cement manufacturing. After dewatering the slurry, it can be transferred
to the grate preheater or directly to the large kiln.

Semi-Dry process:

This process is the result of the evolution of the cement industry. In this process the slurry goes to the
traveling grate preheater and the component is introduced in this stage known as granulating disc,
major difference between the semi-wet and semi-dry. At this stage the dry meal is transformed into the
hard pellets by introducing the 10-15% water. This technological advancement helps to reduce energy
bills. Many cement factories are using this method to gain efficiency with the increased productivity
while reducing the production costs.

Dry process:

It is the most advanced process that is used by many companies in order to be efficient and productive.
It consists of three sub-processes:

 Dry raw milling

 Dry thermo-chemical
 Finish grinding

This process is modernized in terms of its achievements that are why in our research this process has
the core status. It is popular among the circles of the cement industry.

In order to understand all the processes occurring in the different stages during the manufacturing of
the cement, processing mapping is the best way. There are many factors and variables that affect the
dry manufacturing process. Moreover, we will discuss about the problems that occurs during the
manufacturing process.
Dry raw milling:
Closed raw milling process contains five sub-processes and that is shown in the following
diagram
 a) Mill feed building
Its main purpose is to control the adequate supply of the raw materials to the different
machines within the raw milling site.
b) Feed mechanism
It is the mechanical conveying system that is used for the dry milling process because of its
different economical and safety factors. It is reliable and economical method because it has
low operating costs with the low environmental and safety risks.
c) Vertical roller mill
It is the advanced and reliable system because it has many advantages in the manufacturing
process. It has high rate of productivity along with low consumption of energy. It has
flexibility in order to handle the raw materials in term of its moisture and grind ability. Raw
material travels towards the VRM by the feeder conveyer. It has rotating grinding table then
high steam entered into the chamber which tends to lift the low moisture particles upward
to the high efficiency separator, which is resided on the top of the mill. Fine particles moved
towards the product collector while the rest is coming back for the regrinding.
d) Separator
Its main purpose is to collect the fine particles while rejecting the oversize particles of the
raw material.
e) Product collector
This container is used to convert the fine raw material to the homogeneous raw meal. Raw
material is transmitted towards the raw mill silos, blending and homogenous silos for the
purpose to achieve. The next stage of the process is transferred towards the chemical
processing.

Dry Thermo-Chemical Process:

This phase of the process is very crucial for the production line. Any malfunction occurs in this phase
causes the unbearable damage to the production line. Any change is this phase has direct influence on
the quality and cost of the product. It is the very calculated process in the production line and this
process in revolutionized it by covering the journey of many last decades.

Production of the product depends on the heat in the kiln. In other terms burning zone is very essential
for the quality of the product. To achieve high quality of the product kiln is advanced towards the
installation of the lower preheater cyclone and the rotary kiln. Through this way the productivity of the
kiln is increased without undermining the quality of the product. Kiln after renovation is known as dry
kiln.

Many industries know the importance of the dry kiln with Preheater and Precalciner system because of
its wide range of operations and benefits. This is the reason why most of the industries are tending
towards the implementation of this system. Some of its benefits are mentioned below:
 a) By the implementation of this system, the consumption of the energy resources reduced while
increasing the life span if the kiln lining. This system also helps to increase the efficiency of the
kiln while increasing the quality of the product. This system also enhances the capacity and the
productivity of the kiln.
b) Kiln that has short in diameter has a great impact on the clinker quality while the production of
crystals of small alit.

The above diagram shows the dry thermo-chemical process, to understand the process of this
phase because this is related to the temperature and the carbonated mixture. Clinker is the
outcome of this phase of the process.

Finish Grinding Process

In this phase of the manufacturing process of cement, the clinker that produced in the previous phase
undergoes different developmental processes. Clinker grinding is happening in this phase and it cost
40% of the electricity consumption in this grinding process alone. Any change occurs in this phase leads
to impact the whole production line.

For grinding purpose the closed ball milling system is used and it is the traditional circuit for the grinding
of clinker. It usually consists of:

 Feed system
It consists of the bins, weight-feeders and belt conveyors. In general it supplies the clinker to the
mill.
  Ball mill
It contains the rotatory horizontal cylindrical drum; it gives the fine powder (cement) that I
produced from the clinkers.
 Elevator
It is the bucket elevator and it transfer power to the separator.
 Separator
Transfer the electro-filter precipitator (EP) to the cement silos. High quality separator enhances
the productivity and improves the quality of the product.

Finally the grey powdered cement is produced and then sends for packing and shipping to various
destinations.

The cement manufacturing process’s variables and factors:

Cement manufacturing is the complex process and there are many variables and factors that impact the
overall performance of the production units. Some of the factors are discussed below:

1) Material properties
Raw material is the basic ingredients to make all of the process possible, as said earlier that the
manufacturing of the cement is not an easy task, it is a complex task. Small negligence leads
towards the disastrous situation that can damage the whole facility. Handling the raw materials
is the tricky task and it needs special care to run the process smoothly. Some factors that
require special attention with respect to handling of the raw material are:
a) Moisture
b) Material composition
 c) Material grind-ability
d) Product fineness
e) Particle size of the materials
f) Material burn-ability

All of these factors have the ability to affect the overall production line. It is necessary to handle
the raw material with extra care otherwise the situation of disaster emerged from nowhere and
it the responsibility of the management to take precautionary measure in order to avoid any
mishap.

2) Material flow rates

3) Materials bed thickness
4) Air flow rates
5) Re-circulation rate
6) Separator speed
7) Pressure inside the mill
8) Mill speed
9) Mill Length-Diameter (L/D) ratio
10) Mill % ball charging
11) Flame characteristics
i) Temperature
ii) Length
iii) Stability
12) Volatile concentration
13) Residence time of raw meal within the kiln
14) Cooler speed
15) Cyclone number

Summary

Cement industry is the most important industry in the world because without it the construction of
the country can’t be possible. It is necessary to understand the ups and downs of the cement
industry. Today many industry owners want to shift their industry from the principles of the
traditional production methods to the advanced industrial units.
Commented [HGM2]: I would say: one of the most… as there
are some countries where construction is not traditionally based on
cement

Today climate change is the biggest concern and cement industry wants to reduce their waste and
play their role towards the stability and sustainability of the environment. In the above discussion
we have discuss the production line of the cement and the factors or variables that exert pressure
on the production line during the manufacturing process.

In the section below we have made certain discussions on the journey towards the lean process and
the barriers that affects the changing process.
Lean manufacturing Commented [HGM3]: Is this a literature review on lean
manufacturing?

It is missing references along the whole text

Introduction

Age of enlightenment is at its peak in the 20th century, there are two revolutions take place in this time
period. Industrialization is at its peak at that time because of the changing trends of the world. In 1900s
the demand for cars rapidly grows up and the industries are not capable for meeting this demand. So
the first revolution takes place in the area of mass production. Henry Ford is the first person to develop
the first mass production unit through this revolution the costs of the cars decreased down due to the
availability of the sufficient number of cars in the market.

The second revolution was taken by the Toyota Production Unit (TPS). Lean is the brain child of this
facility which is based on certain ideas such as:

 Customer values
 Eliminating non-value added activities
 Eliminating wastes
 Work force ideology

These main ideas of the lean manufacturing attract people to become the part of the production unit’s
community.

Manufacturing management

It is the most discussed topic among the scholars because many people think that the manufacturing
management has adverse effect on the environment of the organization. For this first understand the
manufacturing management, it is the scientific management theory presented by the Taylor in 1911 and
it is based on the work of Adam Smith which is published in 1776. Main points of the theory are:

 Modernize the industrial facility

 Provide human development programs
 Enhance the corporation among the team members
 Assign portions of task to different entities.

The main objection on this theory is that it disintegrates the environment of the organization and
reduces the capability of team interactions in an organization. On the other hand the Hawthorne
consider that the organization as the social circle rather than the mechanical functional robot. He
presents different points to strengthen his point of view:

 Satisfaction of the workers is derived from their performance

 Motivation is influenced by the social factor
 Culture of interaction increases the productivity of the firm
 Motivational factor is not determined by the money and management.

These points extent too much pressure on the scholars to figure out the new methods of the motivation
and get rid from the old ones.

Lean as a management approach

It is introduced by the Toyota right after the WWII, it is the new methodology to enhance the
productivity and establish the smooth flow of the company. It is the process of the continuous
improvement. Main aim of the company to improve certain areas of the environment of the company
by applying this methodology, these attributes are:

 Smooth flow of raw materials

 Eliminate wastes
 Improve productivity along quality
 Operational flexibility
 Time efficient
 Stake of the workers in the process

Lean Manufacturing Principles

It has five main principles which are:

Customer Value:
Customer satisfaction is the most important factor for the analysis of the product s. Feedback plays a
crucial role for the determination of the important things into the product. It helps a lot for the
elimination of the non-value added activities and to minimize the waste.

Value stream:
The continuity of the process is very important because it cannot bear the delay in the product
completion.
Flow process
This method reduces the wastes that hinder the flow of the process.

Pull system
Command and control of the production process also helps to eliminate the wastes of the industry.

Perfection
Continuity of the improvement is very important in any firm and this way helps to enhance production,
performance and quality.

Wastes in Lean Manufacturing

Lean manufacturing helps to produce products by using the minimal resources, time and cost. This
eliminates the wastes from the production units by managing and organizing the available means. Some
non-value added activities are mentioned below:

 Overproduction
 Transportation
 Waiting
 Inventory
 Motion
 Over-Processing
 Defects

By controlling all of the above factors we can easily reduce the industrial waste in the factory. This all
increase the productivity and performance of the firm and the confidence of the entities are regained on
the firm by using such methods.

Performance Measurements

Key of the performance measurement is the feedback from the customers and the entities involved in
the production process. Selecting the right factors of the performance enhance the productivity and
increase the overall quality of the product. This thing is based on the strategy and aim of the company.
Another important thing that influences it a lot is the satisfaction of the involved entities and the
functionality of the firm. The crisp of this point is that while doing the analysis of the feedback, the
performance of the company is enhanced and the production lines always remain in the positive
projections.
Implementation of Lean

Lean manufacturing process is the highly advanced and systematic method. It helps the company to
grow while managing its resources in the best possible way. By implementing this methodology the
waste of the cement industry or any other industry is reduced. Different organizations have the
following characteristics to run their production line:

 Input
It means the resources, raw material, capital or people.
 Process
Sequence of the events to reach the final destination.
 Output
The final product of the organization is known as the outcome of the organization.

For the implementation of the lean manufacturing in the industry, the following attributes are necessary
for the company to excel in them.

 Finding of a change agent

 Obtaining the knowledge
 Finding or creating a crisis
 Neglecting of the grand strategy for the moment
 Mapping value streams of the current state
 Beginning as soon as possible with an important and visible activity
 Requesting immediate results
 Expanding the scope at earliest opportunity
o Preparation stage
o Design stage
o Implementation stage

Modeling of Lean

Modeling of the scenarios is the very old method but a valid or vital method. It helps to do simulation of
the actual scenario. Modeling of a lean includes different steps like for the successful modeling must
have the organized data of the company. Further, know about the interactions of different entities
within the organization. Have the information about the waste and the potential problems within the
production line.
Beyond Lean Manufacturing

Today there are number of system-change initiative that have the same scope and principle of the lean
manufacturing, they share the same attributes like the continuous improvement, resource and human
management etc. They help the firms to enhance their productivity and quality by applying the basic
principles of these initiatives. Some of the system-change initiatives are mentioned below:

Kaizen method
It is the most prominent method because it is based on the principles of the continuous improvement.
Its main focus is to eliminate wastes from the production line of the manufacturing process. There are
five key elements for the implementation of the Kaizen method which are:

1. Teamwork
2. Selection of activity or section
3. Wastes identification
4. Suggestions for improvement
5. Tools identification

Just In Time (JIT)

It is the strategy that forces the companies to down size the extra lots, production, costs and inventories
in order to increase the overall performance. The JIT approach is the right thing at the right time, there
are some key principles of this strategy are mentioned below:

1. People involvement, training and education

2. Supplier relation
3. Waste elimination
4. Kanban or pull system
5. Uninterrupted work flow
6. Total quality control (TQC)

Total productivity Maintenance (TPM)

It is the method that focuses on the productivity of the industry by increasing the efficiency and
reliability of the industry. It helps to overcome the problems of the firm in different spheres, some of
such circumstances are mentioned below:

1. People development
2. Documentation
3. Regular maintenance
4. Housekeeping keys
Total Quality Management (TQM)
This method has focus on the quality of the product; it helps the industries to reduce the wastes while
focusing on the customer’s satisfaction. Certain factors are involved in this process to increase the
overall performance of the organization such as:

1. Management commitment
2. Training and education
3. Customer satisfaction
4. Continuous improvement

Six Sigma
It is the method which helps to reduce the human error which ultimately helps to eliminate the defects
wastes from the production line. The aim of this strategy is mentioned below:

1. Achieve customer satisfaction

2. Quality improvement
3. Process optimization

Barriers to implement lean

There are many barriers which hinders the way of the implementation of lean manufacturing in the
production units or factories, some if these barriers are mentioned below:

1. Technological barriers: Most of the people is not capable to handle the technological methods,
they prefer to stick with their old traditional methods. So, they hesitate to move towards the
advanced methods.
2. Financial barriers: People are not willing to invest in this new ideology that would be productive
in the long run.
3. External barriers: Political or economic conditions of the vicinity affect a lot the production lines
of the company.
4. Internal barriers: It is based on the internal environment of the company that depends on the
following:

o Human factor
o Culture factor
o Learning factor
Summary

Lean manufacturing totally revolutionize the cement industry because the environment of the cement
factory involves raw material management, human resource management, productivity, efficiency and
the quality of the product. By implementing this modern concept the cement industries can easily
realize their potential and achieve their goals without wasting their capital and efforts.