Case studies

They offer technologies and services that help concrete and cement plants manage their operations, particularly in production, quality control, shipping, logistics, and inventory management. The company serves more than 20,000 plants in over 80 countries.

Concrete is a mixture of water, cement, sand, and other aggregates, with its composition varying based on specific requirements; the height of the structure, its stability, and its weight influence the necessary properties of the concrete, which requires strict adherence to predefined formulations. Absolute precision is essential to not only ensure quality but also to optimize the use of resources, particularly cement, which plays a key role in concrete performance.

To meet the required quantities, the ingredients are controlled by gates that open and close automatically according to the instructions of a control software.

Despite the use of control software, it was difficult to predict the exact moment when the gate should be closed to achieve the desired volumes. Several factors could cause discrepancies in the discharged quantities, such as material humidity, temperature, mechanical conditions, and the materials levels in the storage units.

Every day, producers faced the challenge of precisely controlling these variations in a constantly changing environment. The traditional technique used is to initially discharging 95% of the required quantity, then activating the gate in multiple very short sequences until the targeted weight was approximately reached. This method has two major drawbacks: it increased production time and led to faster equipment wear and tear of the equipment.

Recognizing the importance of efficient material management, Command Alkon actively engaged in the development of technological solutions to minimize environmental impact, reducing waste, and improving operational durability. To achieve this, they turned to Vooban to enhance their control software, improving precision, consistency, and speed of operations, particularly by optimizing the timing of the gate closure.

Through a collaborative partnership, Command Alkon and Vooban developed an AI model that integrates seamlessly into the control software. By factoring in variables such as temperature, pressure, and material humidity, this model enables precise control over the gate closure. 

This effort led to the creation of Batch AI; a technology that continuously analyzes a vast amount of data from multiple components of the plant, including the feeding equipment.

Thanks to AI, it makes real-time decisions and dynamically adjusts the opening time of material feed gates. This approach ensures unmatched dosing precision, reduces resource waste, and maintains optimal consistency across different concrete mixes. Adaptable to production condition variations, Batch AI also facilitates the simultaneous management of multiple plants, providing increased flexibility and efficiency.

The integration of AI in concrete dosing is set to transform the industry by improving precision, speed, and uniformity in production. With more precise and consistent dosing, this innovation optimizes production speed, reduces material waste, equipment wear, and carbon footprint.

Crowned Experts’ Choice Winner at the World of Concrete trade show, Batch AI by Command Alkon delivers tangible savings: a 1% reduction in cement consumption. Over just a three-month period, this resulted in an impressive savings of 565 tons of cement. What might seem like a small adjustment has a major environmental impact: it avoided the emission of 480 tons of CO₂ — the equivalent of taking 409 cars off the road for the same period. And this is just the beginning. Not only do these savings accumulate month after month, but they also increase as more companies adopt this technology.