AVEVA (Schneider Electric) > Case Studies > Avantis Solution provides solid Enterprise Planning, Scheduling and Compliance Management for Ash Grove Cement

Avantis Solution provides solid Enterprise Planning, Scheduling and Compliance Management for Ash Grove Cement

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Region

America

Country

United States

Product

Avantis.EAM
Avantis.PRO
Avantis VIP Advanced Scheduling

Tech Stack

Enterprise Asset Management
Maintenance Data Collection
Inventory Management

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Cost Savings
Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Enterprise Asset Management Systems (EAM)

Applicable Industries

Metals
Mining

Applicable Functions

Maintenance
Procurement

Use Cases

Predictive Maintenance
Inventory Management

Services

System Integration

About The Customer

Ash Grove Cement Company is the fifth largest cement manufacturer in the United States, with an annual production capacity of more than 8 million tons per year. The company's headquarters are in Overland Park, Kansas, with production facilities located throughout the U.S. The Portland and masonry cements produced at these plants are used in the construction of highways, bridges, commercial and industrial complexes, residential homes, and numerous other applications. The company's enterprise includes management, finance, and administration functions at headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas, and autonomous mining, transportation, production, and distribution facilities in nine U.S. states.

The Challenge

Ash Grove Cement Company, the fifth largest cement manufacturer in the United States, was facing the challenge of maximizing profit in a highly cost-competitive market. The company needed to continuously innovate and find better ways to balance both availability and utilization of its production assets. This challenge was compounded by having to develop a standardized solution that worked for each of its nine separate production facilities. The company's long-term goal was to automate maintenance data collection at each of its facilities for a well-defined enterprise asset management process to support equipment performance reliability while interfacing with its financial software, JD Edwards One World. They needed a system that they could implement to improve operations, with the scalability to contribute to sustainable development.

The Solution

Ash Grove Cement Company implemented Avantis.EAM, Avantis.PRO, and Avantis VIP Advanced Scheduling to automate all data collection on kiln-related maintenance activity at one plant and extended it to remaining facilities in the following year. The Avantis software builds a detailed history of equipment information based on day-to-day maintenance activities. Equipment statistics include hours of operation, cause and frequency of downtime, and labor and material changes, all of which can be easily reviewed and analyzed. The software also supports contingency planning for unanticipated equipment failures. Technicians can review work backlogs easily, adjust work schedules, and determine appropriate maintenance procedures by studying the equipment history. Pre-entered coding helps technicians determine which equipment must be shut down during the maintenance and which can continue running.

Operational Impact

Improved ability to manage inventory, as many as 8,000 items at each plant, maintaining between $2 million to $12 million in inventory.
Compliance with the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation called the Portland Cement Maximum Achievable Control Technology (PC MACT).
Minimizes the potential loss of $3,000 per hour for every hour the kiln is offline.
The Avantis software builds a detailed history of equipment information based on day-to-day maintenance activities.

Quantitative Benefit