"Gates opened to progress"

It was a long way from the old mosaic picture technique up to the representation of all processes on the modern large display wall. With the support of the experts from JST – Jungmann Systemtechnik^®, the Spenner Zement company has opened the door to technical progress in control technology. Four decentralised operating and control centers were combined in a modern control center at the company headquarters in Erwitte, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Where buttons used to be pressed and controls moved, plant operators today have to process a veritable flood of information. They are confronted with a constantly growing number of digital control technologies . A project team from Spenner has joined forces with the Jungmann specialists in order to provide the employees with a better visualisation and a faster acquisition of all relevant data. The result is a control room perfectly tailored to the company, whose technological innovations convince not only the management but also the employees.

The Spenner team became aware of Jungmann Systemtechnik via internet search engines. After an initial meeting with the JST consultants, it was already clear to Dr. Heinrich Sievers, Head of Production at Spenner Zement, that “this could suit us”. Sievers: “The whole package was simply coherent, and we also really liked the commitment of the Jungmann employees.

The necessary configurations were worked out in joint project meetings and the employees at the Erwitte plant were also informed about the concept of the project via a clear 3-D planning. After all, they are the ones working with the new technology today. “The production controllers are coping well with the new plant,” says Markus Falkenstein, member of the Spenner project team and deputy production manager for clinker production. His conclusion: “The nice thing about the large display wall is that you can show the complete plant on it: from the raw mill at the beginning, through the fuels, to the rotary kiln. And all this without complicated switching.”

According to project manager Heinrich Sievers, models of all processes as well as various camera images, e.g. for monitoring conveyor belt routes, are displayed on the large display wall. “This medium is used optimally,” says Sievers, who gives the entire project the grade “completely successful and pleasing”.

JST technology: The entire technology, including the workstations at the workstations, was installed remotely from the workstation using MultiConsoling® . This results in less heat and noise in the control room. Whether cameras, computers, monitors at the workplace or large-screen displays– the devices are connected to the two MultiCenters located at the bottom left of the picture.

JST Server: The JST Application Server is the myGUI host for operating the MultiConsoling® system.

About Spenner Zement

Spenner Zement produces and distributes cement, lime and dry construction materials. In the northern half of Germany, Spenner Zement is the largest family company in its segment. The Erwitte-based company employs almost 200 people, including around ten percent trainees. The raw material required for product manufacture is extracted from the quarries in Erwitte and Brilon.

In Berlin, the 100% subsidiary “Zementwerk Berlin” produces cement, dry mortar and ready-mix concrete. In addition to the German capital, the new federal states as well as Northern and Eastern Europe are supplied.
Under the umbrella of the subsidiary “Herkules Transportbeton”, a group of 21 ready-mixed concrete plants produces and sells concrete in the federal states of NRW, Hesse and Lower Saxony.