HOLCIM (US)

A new point of view in cement plant operations

1 Drone and auxiliary equipment in carry-on case

2 GoPro on gyro-stabilized gimbal

3 Quarry blast viewed from the drone 40 m above bench

4 Raw material pile topography

5 Ground station programming for stockpile measurement flight at Midlothian plant.

6 Silo and steel structure inspection locations.

7 Detail of corrosion spot on silo wall

8 Detail of bolt connection on steel structure

Bing, Google, Holcim

9 Midlothian plant view and zoom from Bing maps (top), Google maps (middle) and from the drone picture (bottom)

Bing, Google, Holcim

10 Airspace classification from the International Civil Aviation Organization specific to the USA

All Holcim

Holcim (US) cement plant Midlothian (TX), USA

All Holcim

With the use of remote-controlled drones, cement producers now have a new tool to help increase productivity in daily operations, by providing faster and more accurate results in various applications that previously required skilled and expensive external service providers.

1 Introduction

Remote controlled planes and helicopters have been used for a long time by hobbyists and military forces, but only in recent years has progress in miniaturization of electronics, digital cameras and batteries allowed maximization of their full potential, making them accessible to everyone. Drones (also known as “UAV” – Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) are available in a wide range of type, size, performance and prices. The current technologies allow for live recording of photos and videos used in a wide variety of applications, including in the industrial world.

Holcim (US) Inc....