Austin, TX — April 18, 2003 — Capitol Aggregates Ltd. (Capitol Cement) has completed installation of Pavilion Technologies' control and optimization solution on a multiple grade cement mill, the first such implementation in North America, according to the manufacturer. With the technology, Capitol Cement said it expects to increase production by an average of 10 percent, with as much as 14.5 percent on some grades. By producing more prime product, Capitol Cement also anticipates increased revenue potential.
"We are extremely pleased with the results Pavilion's team delivered in such a short time," said Tom Spaits, plant manager for Capitol Cement. "We are achieving significant production increases without capital investment in additional equipment."
"The success we achieved has encouraged us to install Pavilion's solutions at our other mills," said Max Frailey, vice president of Capitol Cement. "The expected financial benefits make it easy to extend the application."
Cement manufacturing is a capital-intensive industry, the company explained. This type of production performance management solution allows companies to maximize the return on their existing assets, delivering a bottom-line impact without significant capital investment.
"Companies that tie business strategies to real-time production processes will exploit their operational flexibility and profit potential," said Pavilion chief operating officer Doug Johnson.
Initial reports indicate Pavilion's intelligent cement mill solution could deliver such benefits to Capitol Cement as increased production rate by as much as 14.5 percent, increased capacity utilization, reduced transition times and off-spec product between grades, reduced specific power consumption by 4 percent, increased product consistency by 30 percent, and decreased overall maintenance costs.
