The cement industry is of fundamental importance, especially for the construction sector, where it is used directly or in combination with sand. At the same time, this industry has wide use in plastering, waterproofing, flooring, and construction of various structures. When it comes to this type of industry most people perceive it as a category where digital technology does not find much space for adoption. In recent years, just like any other type of industry, taking into account the benefits that come from digital technology, but also due to various factors, this industry is aiming every day more and more towards the adoption of new technological methods.

Cement companies are now encouraged to adopt various technological trends and become part of the innovative changes that have affected every industrial field. But always this adoption of technological trends especially for this industry is recommended to be with controlled and gradual steps to have good management in all operational processes. But while we are talking about these technological trends, it is worth mentioning here that Augmented Reality ( AR) Remote Assistance is an important component in all industrial fields. Remote Assistance particularly affected by the Corona pandemic has aroused the curiosity of many businesses for adoption. Moreover, its adoption has shown that maintenance, servicing, and short-term problem solving can be successfully performed remotely in real-time.

But for more let us take a more detailed look at how through AR Remote Assistance experts are able to provide efficient remote support and ensure minimization of downtime machines in the manufacturing processes in this industry.

An article published by Thermofisher states that the total value of cement sales was about $ 8.9 billion, most of which was used to make an estimated $ 48 billion worth of concrete only within the USA. Cement production is a complex process that begins with mining and then grinding. of raw materials comprising limestone and clay, in a fine powder, called raw flour, which is then heated to a sintering temperature of up to 1450 ° C in a cement kiln. In this process, the chemical bonds of the raw materials are broken down and then they are recombined into new compounds. The result is called clinker, which are rounded joints between 1 mm and 25 mm. The clinker is ground to a fine powder in a cement mill and mixed with gypsum to form cement. Taking into account the conditions of the place where the production starts as well as the difficulty to keep the plant machinery in continuous working condition, efficient solutions are always required to facilitate these processes. Now, thanks to remote assistance, the companies operating in this sector are able to let the center experts see with their own eyes the work of the plant workers, so they come to the help of them from any kind of location for any kind of problem that may encounter.

The challenges related to the machinery used during cement production are numerous. Moreover, the period of the pandemic with its limitations made it more difficult to keep these machines in working order. But now the challenges of the management and maintenance of these machines can be treated remotely. Managers and employees of this industry have managed to see the potential that AR Remote Assistance has to end the long journeys that the experts must make to come to the help of plant workers. This saves time and enables the experts to transfer their knowledge in real-time to the plant workers thanks to the effective communication enabled by AR Remote Assistance. In this way they are. able to solve problems encountered with machines in real-time. This leads to the reduction of machine downtime by minimizing not only the costs of lack of production but also the travel of experts.

As mentioned above, the benefits offered by AR Remote Assistance make it possible for the necessary information to be transferred in real-time to field workers. It is worth mentioning that at the same time the experts of the center control every production process. They are also able to make assessments of the work and successful or unsatisfactory performance of tasks by plant workers. By virtually inspecting the machines, the experts also take into account any defects that may arise. AR instructions help the expert to be precise in the details given, thus significantly facilitating the work of workers by helping them to prevent problematic situations that may arise. Moreover, AR Remote Assistance offers an innovative way for the on-board process of new workers, which is an important advantage in terms of group training from different locations and reducing the time spent on the traditional training way.

To conclude, it is worth mentioning that AR Remote Assistance supports cement manufacturers worldwide with sustainable solutions based on real-time AR annotations and that enable the provision of the necessary expertise and experience to the plant workers. Thanks to this remote assistance, many maintenance processes of the production machinery of this industry are treated with care, in order to provide maximum performance and efficiency.

Cement industry embracing AR Remote Assistance was originally published in AR/VR Journey: Augmented & Virtual Reality Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.