A 3 MTPA cement plant in South Asia had run its kiln at 84% availability for three consecutive years. The maintenance team filed work orders from memory, tracked refractory wear on spreadsheets, and learned about bearing failures at the moment of seizure. In 11 months after deploying Oxmaint, kiln availability climbed to 94% — an additional 32.8 days of productive kiln runtime per year. The two capabilities that drove the shift were refractory hot-spot tracking tied directly to scheduled maintenance windows, and predictive bearing analytics that flagged degradation 12–18 days before failure. Start a free trial to see how Oxmaint applies to your kiln line, or book a 30-minute walkthrough with our cement team.
Case Study · 3 MTPA Cement Plant · South Asia
From 84% to 94% Kiln Availability in 11 Months
Refractory tracking and predictive bearing analytics gave this plant's maintenance team the advance warning they needed — turning reactive repairs into planned interventions.
+10%
Kiln availability gain
32.8
Extra kiln days per year
12–18
Days bearing warning lead time
11mo
Time to full result
The Starting Point
Kiln Availability
84%
Before
→
94%
After
+10 percentage points · +32.8 kiln days/year
Three Years Stuck at 84%
The plant's maintenance team was skilled and experienced. The problem wasn't effort — it was information. Refractory wear data lived in paper logs and monthly inspection reports. Bearing vibration readings were taken manually every fortnight. By the time a trend became visible to a human, the failure window had often already closed.
Refractory tracked on spreadsheets — hot spots discovered during visual walkarounds
Bearing condition checked every 14 days — failures happened in the gap
Emergency kiln stops averaging 38 hours each, 5–6 events per year
No link between sensor data and maintenance planning system
The Two Capabilities That Moved the Number
01
Refractory Hot-Spot Tracking
Shell scanner readings ingested into Oxmaint daily. Each zone mapped to a maintainable asset record. When a zone crosses 320°C, a work order is created automatically with the zone ID, temperature trend, and the next scheduled kiln stop attached.
Result
Zero surprise refractory failures in months 4–11
02
Predictive Bearing Analytics
Continuous vibration monitoring on kiln main drive, tire, and support roller bearings. Oxmaint's trend engine flags RMS velocity deviation before it reaches alarm threshold — typically 12–18 days before failure based on the dataset from this plant's first six months.
Result
4 planned bearing replacements vs 0 emergency failures in H2
Month-by-Month Rollout
Month 1–2
Asset Registry + Sensor Mapping
All 214 kiln-line assets registered in Oxmaint. Shell scanner and vibration sensor outputs mapped to asset records. Baseline readings established for all monitored bearings.
Month 3–4
Refractory Tracking Live
Daily shell temperature ingestion begins. Alert thresholds configured zone by zone. First automated hot-spot work orders generated — three zones flagged and addressed before the planned stop in month 4.
Month 5–7
Predictive Bearing Model Calibrated
Vibration trend history used to build plant-specific deviation thresholds. First predictive bearing alert fires 16 days before a main drive bearing that would have failed unplanned. Replacement scheduled into next mini-stop.
Month 8–11
94% Availability Sustained
Zero unplanned kiln stops in the final four months of the measurement window. All refractory interventions planned. All bearing replacements scheduled. Monthly availability tracked at 93–95% across the period.
See it for your kiln line
Your Kiln Data Already Holds the Answer. Oxmaint Connects It to Action.
Refractory tracking, predictive bearing analytics, and automated work orders — deployed in 6–8 weeks without touching your control system.
The Numbers After 11 Months
84% → 94%
Kiln Availability
Measured over the 11-month program window against a 3-year pre-integration baseline
32.8 days
Additional Kiln Runtime
Annualised from the 10-point availability gain on a 330-day annual operating schedule
0 vs 5.4
Emergency Kiln Stops (H2 vs baseline)
Second half of the program saw zero unplanned stops against a baseline of 5–6 per year
12–18 days
Bearing Failure Warning Lead Time
Average advance notice from first predictive alert to the point where failure would have occurred
100%
Refractory Interventions Planned
Every refractory repair in months 4–11 was scheduled into a planned stop window — zero surprise brick failures
6–8 weeks
Deployment to Live Operation
From kickoff to first automated work orders generating — no kiln shutdown required at any stage
How Refractory Tracking Works Inside Oxmaint
1
Shell Scanner Ingestion
Daily thermal scan data imported via file drop, API, or direct integration. Each scan mapped to kiln zone records already in the asset registry.
2
Zone Threshold Alert
When any zone exceeds its configured threshold (e.g. 320°C sustained for 3 consecutive scans), an alert fires automatically — no manual review needed.
3
Work Order with Context
The work order includes zone ID, temperature trend chart, last inspection date, brick age, and the next scheduled kiln stop — so the planner can act without chasing data.
4
Planned Stop Coordination
Refractory repair scope is locked in before the kiln stops. Materials pre-staged, crew scheduled, stop duration planned — not discovered at the start of a weekend.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to see kiln availability gains after deploying Oxmaint?
Most plants see the first measurable shift in months 3–4 once refractory tracking is live and the predictive bearing baseline is established. The full 10-point gain documented in this case study took 11 months, but emergency stop frequency typically drops within the first quarter. Book a walkthrough to see a deployment plan scoped to your plant.
Does Oxmaint replace our existing shell scanner software?
No. Oxmaint sits alongside your existing scanner software and ingests its output — CSV export, API, or direct file integration. The scanner's own visualisation tools remain in place. Oxmaint adds the maintenance workflow layer: alerts, work orders, and planned stop coordination.
What vibration sensors does the predictive bearing module support?
Oxmaint ingests data from any sensor that outputs OPC-UA, MQTT, or a standard CSV/REST endpoint — including SKF, Emerson, Schaeffler, and retrofit IIoT devices. The plant in this case study used existing online sensors already installed on the kiln main drive and support rollers. Start a free trial to validate compatibility with your sensor setup.
Is there a minimum plant size for the refractory and predictive modules to be cost-effective?
The case study plant was 3 MTPA. Oxmaint has deployed these modules at plants from 1.2 MTPA to 8 MTPA. At any scale where an unplanned kiln stop costs more than one or two days of lost clinker production, the economics are strongly positive.
Will this require our process control team to change anything in the DCS?
No DCS changes are required. Oxmaint reads from existing data outputs — scanner files, historian exports, or OPC-UA subscriptions — in read-only mode. Control logic, SCADA screens, and PLC configurations remain untouched throughout deployment.
Ready to move your number?
84% to 94% is Not a Lucky Outcome. It is a Repeatable Process.
Refractory tracking connected to planned stops. Bearing analytics with 12–18 days of warning. Deployed in 6–8 weeks. No control system changes. No kiln shutdown required.
