ABB BOOSTS OUTPUT AT HOLCIM CEMENT PLANT

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ABB BOOSTS OUTPUT AT HOLCIM CEMENT PLANT
28 June 2006 - ABB Automation Technologies

ABB increased production at a Holcim cement plant in Italy by an exceptional 8 percent and improved key quality indicators by between 25 and 40 percent, enabling Holcim to recoup its investment in only four months.

The solution, based on ABB's industry-leading Expert Optimizer process optimization system, was installed in the kiln and cooler sections of Holcim's Ternate cement plant in northern Italy. The plant has a capacity of 2,600 tons of clinker a day.

The project goals were to increase production, achieve a more consistent product quality, and raise the plant's consumption of alternative and subsidized fuels like chemical and animal waste products while simultaneously improving process stability.

C3S and free lime are critical for the strength and durability of concrete. A significant reduction in the standard deviation of both substances is proof of process stability and consistent product quality, while lower plant operating costs from using Expert Optimizer result in a payback time of just four months.

Measurements taken after the installation of Expert Optimizer reveal an increase in clinker output of 8 percent, and a reduction in the standard deviation of C3S (tricalcium silicate) and free lime of 40 and 25 percent respectively, indicating improved process stability and more consistent product quality.

By increasing in process stability and consistent product quality, Expert Optimizer lowers the plant's operating costs for a payback time of just four months.

C3S and free lime are critical for the strength and durability (free lime) of concrete. A significant reduction in the standard deviation of both substances is proof of process stability and consistent product quality, factors which lower the plant's operating costs and enable Holcim to consistently meet customer demands for reliable quality.

Expert Optimizer is installed in some 170 clinker kilns worldwide producing more than 100 million tons of cement a year. It is the only optimization system to include expert systems and model predictive control in the same system, thereby providing cement manufacturers with a choice of technologies most appropriate to their needs.

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About: ABB Automation Technologies
ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs around 105,000 people.
ABB has streamlined its divisional structure to focus on two core businesses: Power Technologies and Automation Technologies. The Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals division is slated for divestment.

ABB Power Technologies serves electric, gas and water utilities as well as industrial and commercial customers, with a broad range of products, systems and services for power transmission, distribution and automation.

ABB Automation Technologies blends a robust product and service portfolio with end-user expertise and global presence to deliver solutions for control, motion, protection, and plant integration across the full range of process and utility industries.

In addition to ABB's automation activities directed at the oil and gas industries, ABB Lummus Global continues to design and supply production facilities, refineries and petrochemical plants.

ABB's former Upstream business, divested in July 2004, is now part of Vetco International (www.vetco.com).

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