Digitization of sensor-based data to reach Cement 4.0

Guests: Berkan Fidan, Performance and Process Director, Oyak Cement
Martin Provencher, Mining Metals and Materials Industry Principal, AVEVA


Berkan Fidan describes a team approach to improving cement operations with sensor-based data. He started a 2016 digitalization project at Oyak Cement in Turkey, which leads Europe in cement production. As the performance and process director of his nation's largest cement producer he was trying to address the realities of cement production: enormous energy and heat costs and a product that sells for less than bottled water. He created a team consisting of production personnel from 7 cement plants and 3 grinding plants around the world and implemented a data collection and visualization system they referred to as Cement 4.0.  Fidan reports his team did 90% of the work themselves. Among their accomplishments are 1) creating digital twins of their plants in Analysis Framework where they used a template of a kiln ID fan they created themselves to enforce common benchmarks and visualizations across their entire organization, 2) defining conditions for email notifications to local and corporate stakeholders of cement rotary kiln stoppage, and 3) creating event frames definitions to track and analyze mean time between failure.

By engaging local production personnel who found the system easy to use and popular, the system has seen organization-wide adoption and he attributes a clear improvement in KW per ton to the cultural change that has resulted. 

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Transcript

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

plants, data, people, operations, structure, cement, project, industry, plans, pi, consuming, units, collect, phase, turkey, specific, effect, decrease, equipment, calculations

00:08

Welcome everybody to Radio PI. Today we're going to be talking about, really about the most standard type of use of real time data. We typically see somebody who went from data everywhere in different formats, not able to compare like plants to like plants to a unified system throughout. It's a great story. We hear it all the time. And I think it's told very, very well by our guest today, our guest is Berkan Fidan. He's a performance and process director at Oyak Cement. Hello, Berkan.

00:42

Hello, Nick. Nice to be here. Thanks for your invitation.

00:45

Thank you so much for coming. And also, our co host today is gonna be Martin Provencher. He's the industry principal for mining metals and materials here at OSIsoft. Good morning, Martin.

00:55

Hello, Nick. And thank you Birkin for doing this Radio PI with us.

01:00

And if we can start Birkan. If you can go ahead just tell us about Oyak Cement, and about your role.

01:07

Thanks, Nick. Yeah, maybe I can start with the short team for about two cement industry and our position. Turkey's leader in europen is among the top six countries in the world and there are currently 55 integrity plants in the country. In such a strong markets or ACC segment is the largest segment producer and market leader in Turkey. And we have a capacity of nearly two and a 3 million tonnes of salmon per year. There are seven integrated plants and three grinding plants in Turkey and sales operations across all the geographical territories inside Turkey. Additionally, a ACC segment is also one of the strongest player on the ready mix concrete industry. We have also operations in not only in Turkey also operating operations in Portugal, capoeira in West Africa. And just in general we've we ACC cement group has nearly 34 million tonnes of cement production capacity in three different continents. When I come to my job, it's I'm performance process direct performance and process director of work segments and responsible for the effectiveness and efficiency of industrial operations on our group. I have been coordinating technical performance simulation benchmarking technical supports, detecting improvements and supporting investment progresses, sustaining energy and technical costs, operational efficiencies, r&d, innovation and new technological adaptations. I have also an operational technologies team, which works on the adaptation of digitalization trends to our operations are good, very interesting Birkin.

02:45

Can you describe some of the challenges that a yak is actually facing in the cement industry these days?

02:53

Yeah, the main challenge in cement industry it's generally if I can say that's right about our product, because we are producing producing a few million tons of material only a single plants and this huge amounts are processed on continuous states like crushing, thermal processing, cooling, grinding, packing and dispatching according according to consumed sources are also much higher than many industries. On the other end sales price of final product is around five to 10 cents per kg, which is cheaper than bottled water. It's not feasible to according pitstop feasible to transport it far distances because it becomes unfeasible due to cost effective logistics. Therefore, we just need to just be located in new markets in like big cities or access construction zones. And also we need to be near to raw materials and quarries and also some hubs like ports railway stations, and the look on the operational site in the inside the industry. Process equipments are also so big acupoints due to that high high volume of just operations. And we are consuming in each accuquilt consumes a few megawatts in each hour. And just like our kids consuming up to 20 2025 pounds of coal in our hourly basis, and their maintenance repair repayments and replacements are also costly. And it's not easy to it's not easy to just this this repayments and replacements also cause additional losses due to decrease production and sales. Equipment reliability is important for us not only technically but also cost basis. And when I look just the energy site this critical in cement industry and for all the producers also for us nearly 65 70% of variable cost is electrical energy and heat energy. That means If he could increase our efficiency about 10%, it's nearly equal to nearly four to 5% of in total cost saving, saving of four to 5%. In total cost. It's a huge effect. And our plants are controlled by automation systems, nearly completely auto complete automation. And there are around 3000 dials coming from the field to the SCADA or DCS systems. And just there are many sensors. And they're just the signals mainly based on second or sub second places like temperature sensors, pressure sensors, flow meters, gas concentrations, or motor powers and currents are coming. And it's not easy to operate as an operator, you can sit and deplete, we are working with three shifts in all day, and the operators are managing and controlling from central control rooms. And they're looking some screens with each screen as some 100 150 different values are changing in each, each seconds, they are looking for the values and trying to optimize the process and to do their best. But the problem is that in that it's not easy for an human being just checking all that values and just combining them to create a great day efficient process, they just select some specific ones, the most critical ones and try to control the process. But just it's not so easy and effective. Jen also who won another challenge is also keeping data and using it on analysis, DCS SCADA systems are designed to control the plant and store the data in its database. But it's just, it's it's not easy to keep it inside of it, it affects their performance, and accordingly, just want to look at most three months data, you can keep in it and you lost all that valuable data. That's also another just problem. And just, it should be a salt, just like that to control. And to increase the efficiency.

07:16

One of the things that you did was about three or four years ago, you started a project to try to make better use of sensor based data. Can you describe what the goals of the project, right?

07:27

Yeah, just it's an industrial digitalization project. We named this as an od x 740 at the beginning, but it's also goes like that. There are some phases in our project. And the we defined the first and most important phase as data collection with an effective and a universal solution. Because when we did the idea of that project, it's comes from just when I wasn't one of our plant, just we tried to collect the data and to analyze it due to that. That lost data, as I explained, due to our SCADA system, it had not been stored, and we plan to just store that data effectively. Then we planned to just adapt it to all the plans to collect all the data from the old plants in Turkey. And just we used to we loop two options to just how could we collect that data effectively, then, we just we selected decided to go with OSI OSI soft PI System. The main reason is that it's universal contact connectivity and strong AF structure.

08:40

Yeah, if I can, if I can stop you there, there was a process that you went through of putting the system in place you've been able to get very good adoption. And I'm just curious the secret to getting a lot of people to use the new system and get value from it. Can you describe what you did to put the system in place?

09:02

Yeah, just the our main advantages just we decided team an internal team and surround 20 people just from the plants especially at the beginning, there wasn't the team or structure in the head office. Then I decided to do it the firstly because I realized that we needed specific people to just follow it and I just we just created a team department as operational technologies under my my my department and I transferred the guy from it. And then the all the all the other people just selected from the plants in each we just spread that we all the plants we try to just select people from all plans, automation engineers, mechanical engineers, chemical engineers, process engineers and some some chief department chiefs and an maintenance and technology there. One maintenance and technology manager, and just the people just attended to that group. And it helped us because by that way, we have a, we have a just a team member of the project in each plant, they liked the idea, and then gave the report because it's not there, it was not there. The first job they have they have some electrical automation guy need to just maintenance and do the sustainability. The other issues about automation electrical issues. But left time, sometimes in the weekends in just late evenings, they just focus on that product, they tried something we learned quickly, by the help of that one. They liked the because it's a it's a user friendly application. And people would not need to be an expert on it. It's not a code, or coding issues required rather thing. It's exactly the just exact engineers on the field from 70. industry can use it from different disciplines. It also helped us so much because not only the people from it background or other thing, it's some some of the team members didn't have any experience at work, that's all fair. So rather thing but they can use the platform easily. That's also our advantage.

11:23

Have you I guess you've you've started integrating condition based maintenance within the asset structure, Asset Framework structure, and have you integrated with SAP Pm for your work orders because I know you're working with SAP as your E RP platform. Not yet,

11:39

but we have been working on it, it just we because we just changed our the RP system at the beginning of last year. It's also that modules are also new one. But we are trying to do some integrations. Especially I can say that now it's stopwords, we are using Event Frames of OSIsoft to collect that data and send it to SAP directly previously, at last year, it was people just manually inputting that time the unit stopped and that got into operation and they're recording that people manually in the plants. Now we're using Event Frames automatically we got it outside to the on design platform, we just said define the reasons of failure and other things then push it to the SAP and also the us that we are planning to use that database and next prescriptive maintenance issues to just preventive maintenance designs we are planning to after collecting that data, maybe six months later, then also work orders can be implemented, the failures can be defined and automatically, we can send link it to the work order report to the SAP. Since the middle of last year, we had it's also phase three of our project. It's machine learning adaptation, we did several pilot projects. And now we mainly focused on that point we are using PI System to collect data to push platform machine learning platform and we got some predictive values and we use that future value adaptation of PI System and also PI Vision heat SAP SAP so much because predictive failure use 10 minutes later, 15 minutes later, some vibration maley or some quality analysis, we could show it now we are also using that feature in it. And the next stage at the last phase we are planning to push that data to the process control. That's the last phase.

13:44

Can you describe this four phases again?

13:48

Yeah, there are four phases. In our digitalization project, the phase one is just the main phase is data collection and visualization. On phase two, it just the reporting and the new generation BI tools will be used to report that data on phase three is additional tools and machine learning adaptation. Those additional tools are based on that stopwords quality data. We just designed sub tools like that it's why the help of our people and also some consultancy from third parties. And at the last phase to phase four, we will use all of them to manage our operations by the help of that collected data and predicted predicted data. And just it's based on just ml supported and are supported advanced process control. But we got good results. It's really promising. It's also nice for us and we can also my Our aim is also just check there effectiveness and, and just just did the effect on the process on the PI Vision also, because as I said, it's the future value, it's it's a great advantage for us we can see what what what is predicted and what will happen. Now we placed it to the automation rooms, operators can see it for some pilot plants, they can see what will happen in next five minutes. That's next time plus, now they are using manually, they just try to adapt it according to predict that value. But in later stage in the face for it will also be up to automized.

15:38

Okay, so you've described AF a lot, can you give us just kind of a description of the AF structure that you've set up. Because you know, AF is generally a tree structure. And sometimes people build a simply a geographical structure with different physical units. Sometimes people will build multiple structures so that, you know, for example, yield accountants or EMI technicians may have their own structure. He and I technicians, maybe by the different pieces of equipment, anyway, what structures have you created in a AF? And what kind of things are you doing with those structures?

16:19

Yeah, we designed it, it was also our advantage, since we decided to go with OSIsoft feel we had learned many things, we had discussed that issue with the people, the OSIsoft, the related people, and then we we had started to just design what what could be what could be the structure, and now it is you're using that one also, it's plant paces. At the beginning, we just selected the complete plant which including every every options in it, just we selected a complete plan structure. And then we define the units sub units is a Child Element. And under that units, just also we give some specific details on it.

17:08

So at the top level is all the individual plants, and that's geographical correct. How many plants again, did you say you had?

17:18

There are 10 plants in Turkey now and also just three from Portugal and one plant from my request. It's also edit last month,

17:29

okay. And at least these the structures that you created the top for individual plants, were you able to reuse any of the plants? Like what were the plants similar enough that you were able to just use, say one as a template and then create the others? Or was it more complicated than that?

17:49

Yeah, we, we try to generate some templates about that, like some specific equipments like seven meals, or just kills rotary kilns to create the templates and also, the child elements which try to like drive around the plant

18:07

itself, the plants themselves are not similar enough that you could just copy from one plant to you know, sometimes people are lucky enough that their, their physical structures are practically they're functionally equivalent. So they can just copy from one physical structure to another, but it's not, it's not like that in your situation. I imagine these are plants that are they're similar enough that you can do that.

18:33

Yep, but for some specific equipments and critical once there are some similarities, we are using templates for them like the main Kim furnace ID fan, it's named as in each segment in each kill, should have one or two ID fence and that it should be also just benchmarked and checked. And we use that we can use a template for that one or some drives or some other things there are some options and we are we are using that font also for them.

19:03

You know, I forgot to ask when we were prepping for the interview Did you are you making use of any of the notifications capabilities that that you can put in you know, once you've got templates, you can also build notifications off of those with templates. Are you doing anything like that?

19:20

It just it just the visual and in the PI Vision you're asking?

19:25

No, no, the there's there's x yeah email notifications, that type of thing.

19:32

Yeah, we are using for rotary kilns is seventh rotary kilns in cement industries critical units because it's a treadmill mechanic acupoints you cannot stop it you should it should have to be just turn without any stoppage. If it fails or plan stoppage then it stops. And accordingly we are saying generally it's the heart of SM and rotary here. And we just adapted some related people. If you stop In any off plans, email notification gone to the people who later people and also record people in a central office. They want about the stopwatch another thing. And some data is also come to them about related rights issue when it stopped DVR using notification children. For that one, we are planning to just extend that on plant bases especially, there are some specific unit chiefs like that Seven News shift can get warning about notification from Samantha's temperature other thing, we are planning to also just increase the amount of that issue, but we just chosen to use force key on slaughterings.

20:41

So is there anything now that's more consistent as a result of what you've done?

20:47

Yeah, it's just, it's in these days in last month, we had started, we have started that one adjust, we try to just collect data and to just analyze actual co2 emissions. Because co2 emission is it's a critical issue for cement industry, especially last year's because 7% of the total emission of the world is caused by cement industry. And there is also a big pressure on industry to just decrease that amounts. And we need to follow it there are some many investments and projects are just going on. But we have to follow it. Generally, the plants just checking the amounts in monthly basis and reported on to a yearly basis. There are some also some co2 tax markets in European Union not available in Turkey, but we have to follow it the amounts because it will come in near future. And accordingly, we try to collect our actual co2 emissions by the help of PI System, it's a little bit complicated at the end of the day, you could get one value, it's just some 700 800 kg per tonne of clean cat, it's a value you can see it but in the on the background, it's a huge, huge calculations available. The our advantage is that we used AF AF formation to in the analysis tool, we just add all that calculations inside of it, I can say that maybe more than 5055 parameters used and some constants. Another thing just multiplied divided another thing at the end of the PI Vision you can see a one value. But in the background, there is a huge calculation on it. And now just last month, we have started to get the data. Now we are following it. And we added some environmental guys to our team also, because it's a specific issue. Now they are using also PI System to just follow that data, its accuracy. And with the data from the emission devices on the on the on the plants. And now we could follow with how is happening in each plant. And what is the group average all group plants average, it also had so much and I believe it will it will help us in near future about that issues.

23:10

So it's a very important calculation in your industry. What were you doing before? What What were you doing before you started using your current your current calculations for co2? Was it different at different sites? Can you describe that?

23:26

Yeah, there are some regulations and methodologies available. If you are not able to just collect that data, there are some assumptions. For Turkey, it just it's there is not a tax or the as you know that it's there is a market in European Union. We are also inside that market in Portugal as Portugal, you can if you just save some carbon dioxide, you can sell it. On these days, it's one tonne of carbon dioxide, it's 30 Euro in the market. Just it's also important for segment producers, they try to decrease it and each time the benchmark getting lower. And by the help of that decreasing that rates about money. And just by the help of saved carbon dioxide, you can gain money, it's also effects on costs. And also on the other side, the main aim is to decrease the co2 emissions all over the world. In Turkey, it will happen in the near future. Because of that, it's just there are some parameters available at the end of year basically it can be calculated, but you are missing some details on it because these are assumptions. Now after we will be sure about that we can use exactly that data, we can present it to the authorities and we could get their approval on it. It can be happen. But on the one side, the main advantage now we can online and just actually we can monitor it and see that what was happening on the field. What are the effects we could analyze? How could we decrease That co2, which which fuels which process conditions? What effects happens on it? It was it was hidden before because we couldn't see it. Long term just calculations can be seen. Now Actually, we can see it. We have trends, we have all that data. I believe it will help us so much we can detect the advantage, drawbacks and other things much more easily. We could do quick actions. We could see the effects.

25:26

Birkin, you talked earlier about the one of the other main challenges that you're facing with energy costs. And you said that now operators have access to energy KPIs. What is it that they're actually changing in terms of operations with this information now available?

25:44

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, Martin, it just relate previously, it just people can see from SCADA system only how much they consume electricity, what they're producing. But now we have the advantage that we know the cost of that electricity from we can get it from API connection from from web based Web API from we could get the cost directly from there from that. And we could we can just combine it with existing production and energy data, and operate, we just placed the monitoring central control room. Now the operator can see that how much he consuming and what is what what is the how much he consumes, and what is the effect on the cost. It's a parametric basis. But the advantage is that he just exactly it can see that it's it happens good or bad. And it just it's also has a psychological effect each right to just get it much more efficient to produce less cost. To keep the capacity high. It effects on people, they can see what's happening now.

26:47

So you're saying psychological, it's the competition, right? You have different shifts in different units competing?

26:55

Yeah, it's great. So so a competition both compete by himself, and also the others. Because each shift, just, as I said, it's the plant operates on all day. And when, when they started to talk with each other, it's just

27:10

okay. Okay, so not just against each other, but it just competition to do better, just personally to do a better job. That's faster, because I know it's the same thing, when, in facilities, a lot of times, folks who make the the cost of running facilities visible to the occupants, it's amazing what people do, just know that they actually tracking what the what the actual costs are. Now, now you're doing some kind of tracking of events, right? Can you describe what kind of event tracking you're doing?

27:42

Yeah, the just event tracking mainly, we just try to catch the failures. what's what's happening, it just we try to catch the stoppage of main acupoints. And we added some conditions in it. And we try to record it by the help of Event Frames, as I told you, and by the help of that data, also, we are just calculating and just getting the critical figures for us key performance indicators like mtbf, mttr, mean time between failure and mean time between repairs. These are critical parameters to understand what's happening, how much the failure happens, how what's the frequency of failures on the other side? How long does it take, it's just the repairs. And other thing, the boat maintenance efficiencies can be just statistically analyzed by the data. It was not so easy previously just calculated manually with some Excel sheets and other things. But now, it's just much more optimized. And also it becomes a figure you can just see it in unit basis. If you want we can adapt it also in some equipment pages. Now we are looking on just unit pages and we can follow it.

28:54

Okay, and this is a you was a difficult to actually configure the algorithm to detect when you had some type of a failure. I mean, this Yeah, it was can you describe that?

29:09

Yeah, yeah, it that's also the main advantage with Event Frames, because it's many conditions you can put in it. It's some units doesn't mean that only the feeding it stops like rotary killed if just Yes, feeding may be stopped, but the burner just can be still going on or dry with still just just consuming some energy. You cannot detect it only with one equipment, there needs to be some conditions. And it's specific change in each equipment in each unit. Event Frames helps us so much we defined some parameters on it. We defined the conditions, just multiple conditions also. And it helps us to detect is it really stopped or not and just it also helps us so much, because previously in the SCADA system you only say that okay, the main drive, it's just, it's higher than zero just only wanting you accepted a stopwatch. But it's it sometimes it was not like that. Now with the help of Event Frames conditioning, we can define it accurately. I can say,

30:16

in the kiln stop it says that that's what you were saying earlier, you put notifications on those. Is that correct? The sends emails out? How's that worked out? Has that been? I mean, maybe you've already answered this question. But as the notifications improved, improved operations.

30:33

Yep. That previously just we just some calls or just people calling each other to just inform them. Like it may happen in the night or it may happen in weekend rather thing. But kin stoppage is a critical issue. And people just calling each other and inform the others another thing, but I but and also in the central office, we couldn't get it takes some time. We didn't be it's something it's it missed, because it's just the business of that the busy situation in the on the field. But by the help of that email notification, it's automatically we could get it. And you know what it stops, and we just get into the PI Vision and check it, why it stopped what was happened before stoppage, we just check the trends and other data. It helps everyone all the cloud people and also central office.

31:27

Okay, if I can just in general, has there have been? Is there any return on investment of all this effort? You know, from yours? Is there anything you can describe where you're getting genuine improvements?

31:41

Yep. It's It's not easy to define it and cost basis exactly, just what because I can't say that it has an effect directly on the manufacturing cost efficiency and other things. But in the meantime, that that, that also helps us to see the improvement areas and deficiencies throwbacks. And in the meantime, we are also spending money new investments over often. And also that project has partially effect over of them. Yes, energy when we checked the last year's KPIs, the main key PS always there is a sustainable decreasing in on the positive side and just sustainability, the effect on energy consumption and other things, it just in each year, one step down, we can go out, it shows us we are going to do we are going on the true way. And just we could see everything and I could say that there is a huge amount of effect because of that project. And it because of that gains we have. It's not easy to define it. But I can say that, yeah, it's we can follow it from our KPIs, technical KPIs and other thing, it's improved. Clearly not only a single plant in the whole plant, it's clear to just increase increasing trend on efficiency and the performance.

33:05

That's clearly a great success. And and what is it that you would recommend to others? To start with as a first step, for example, in that journey?

33:14

Yep. Just its definition. It's also good to people saying that, especially that machine learning, people just aren't that interesting data issues. They're saying that data is the fuel of that issue. And in that part, it's I think that's right. If you could not collect improperly your data, like in segment industry, it's there's a huge amount of data available, but generally people only focusing on 5% of them, I can see them doing all operations over often. There is also an available 95% data is available, if you just only collect storage. Just it may help us within within a few years. If someone decides to use it. It helps us so much the most critical part is just you should everyone needs to just it start, just start to collect that data in a proper way. I can say it. The other thing, it's the solution, and your collection connectability. And the other thing must be a universal solution. It's that that's critical. In our experience, we have several brands of PLCs versions. Because some plants are old, some of them are new. It's really hard to just manually just piece by piece collection is not easy. It's just connectivity. It's crucial. If you just just design it like that. It's not so hard because I didn't say maybe just wait it takes 110 days to adapt it in 10 seven months with an internal team. We got only the consultancy from OSIsoft from far away. We asked some questions we got through But we do it with ourselves. And the people did it. Just, they didn't know anything about OSIsoft. They they just heard the name of OSIsoft and start to use it, it takes only three months. Just if you have data, if you have just just motivation on it, you can use it and you can do it easily.

35:23

Right? Well, that's, that's always nice to hear. Because that's, of course, our founder and the CEO, Pat Kennedy, has always thought that the just getting the right tools into the hands of people who know the process. It's just amazing what folks can do. And yeah, as you said, you were able to do just the vast majority of this yourself. You You didn't think that going into this project. Is that correct? You thought that a lot of this was were things you were going to have to have third parties do Is that correct? Or can you describe that?

35:56

Yep, just it's, I taught and I still believe like that it's a specific issue. Each industry each is different. And just that's an issue is not a standard convention, lighty data collection. And other thing because you need to select that data, you need to do adaptation according to your conditions. Because of that, it's just exactly operational, people have to use it, if you want to success on it. Because it's not a data collection is not a new thing, as I said, SCADA DCS systems available but the problem is that, that some specific people, you they're just doing that job, but they are not using that data, or they don't know what was happening, what what will happen in the next stage with that data. The main advantage is that it's by using the platform. The people exact users and the owners did, they can define the gains, and they can just put something over off it. That's the reason we selected especially a platform user friendly and easily accessible platform. And by that way, but but by that idea, we had started with only a OSIsoft partner in Turkey, we just looked and we just want the only one person just the reason is that we selected only one person to sit with us, and just do the connection discussions with OSIsoft. Because it was so new, we didn't know OSIsoft. And we used that partner to do that communications and to do that adaptations. And the old the other job, I can say that it's more than 90% of jobs done by ourselves. We didn't get any support specific support on it. Also, we had to ask some questions. If some connectivity problems may happen. We just asked to that party as dos I soft, get the answer. But all the jobs, we just split the team on the field, our people, our own people did it.

37:58

That's great to hear. That's really good to hear. Well, that's the end of the that's the end of everything we really wanted to talk about about the project. Is there anything I forgot to ask you anything that you wanted to tell us about the project that I just didn't get to?

38:11

Yep, thank you very much. It just it's it's a journey. We defined it as a four phase project. But it goes to further ways it just now we are just roughly I can't say it. Now we are looking for mixed reality options to just put just integrate with OSIsoft while people just traveling in the plant, they can see exactly what was happening. It like mixed reality PI Vision adaptation, just a additional always It comes with new ideas from people and to us. And just it's also interesting, it will not finish it will go on. That's nice. We are happy with that existing situation. And just we are happy with that promising issues like that. Thank you very much also for that conversation.

38:59

No, thanks so much. Thanks for much for joining us. Hey, I wanted to ask you a quick lightning round of questions that are unique to operations. So you're, you're on the road right now. Right? you're visiting another plant, but you're actually I guess you're going into the plan, right? During the pandemic, are you going into the office or you're working from home? What's it been like?

39:23

Yeah, we have to we have to revisit some some plans like that. Just we're visiting.

39:31

Okay, so right now you're in Portugal, is that right? Okay, and then but obviously, you're going to be going to the plant, you wouldn't be going to Portugal if you're not going into the plant, right. I'm just asking about the pandemic, really, what's been going on for you during the pandemic, whether you're staying at home, or whether you're going into the physical location.

39:54

Yeah, it's it was not like before we try to visit plans, but so limited Because yes, we can get all the data by the help of OSI soap, but you should have to just need to some face to face contacts to just two people. It sounds a bit limited, but we try to visit also partially the class also,

40:15

you've been working with data, much of your career, what's the most interesting calculation you think you've ever done? Or if you've written code

40:29

I'm not a coding guy. I'm just Mining Engineering and segment engineering on just my profession. But just when I think about it, that that last time just as I told you, that co2 calculations and some specific data calculations, I did like specific heat specific electrical energy. These are interesting not complicated, like the others, but they touch directly to do operations. I can say like that, that I just just like,

41:07

okay, and and so you're an engineer. So do you have a piece of broken equipment? You know, like something from an incident that you keep as a souvenir on your desk?

41:22

Yeah, it's not easy to put on what put on my desk. Yeah, we have some old equipments, but these are few documents. But some, some parts of equipments. Yes. When I just think about it, there are some steel balls. I like to just playing with them segment grinding in ball Mills, we have some steel balls, this Chinese steel balls some, it's also getting your stress to just play with the bike inside.

41:48

Okay. And now, I noticed on your website, there is some projects that were described. I couldn't understand why why you were you had on your website, pictures of stadiums and and highways? I guess it's because they're made out of cement. Is that why there's a run your website?

42:08

Yeah, that's right. And also we have concrete company and also just a construction company, a oil ACC is a big structural ACC is a big industrial structure. And we just just giving projects, not only cement, also concrete and design phases on the bridge, like and I say that turret bridge on the Bosporus and Edie stadium of a football team. We just give that concrete and we attended that projects.

42:37

Okay. And so so what's the what's the largest project that your cements ever gone into? Do? You know?

42:45

I can say that it's one of them. It's the marmaray project. I can say just under the Bosporus. There's a tunnel to just connecting board, European site and Asian site in Istanbul, we give the concrete or for that project. It's it's one of them as I remember. And also highway projects is consuming so much, but also specific construction projects. Just also available, but these are I can say it.

43:14

Okay. So when you are on on site. I'm just curious, what's the what's the most common animal that wanders onto your facility at that site? Because it seems like every operations area has got some animal that just causes a lot of trouble.

43:38

Yeah, it's just I can say it's in some regions. Some. Some peaks may cause some problems. But mice, it's I can say mice the problems because they are just problems with that cables. It's just sometimes they just, they just create big problems. It's just on the channels and other things. They some plants may stop due to the hair. If they found the correct cable, they can stop the plant and it can be a data cables. I'm not talking about big energy cables, I can say.

44:13

Oh, that's fascinating. Okay, cool. Well, thank you so much for being with us today. We've been talking to Barragan feedin. Again, performance and process director. Oh, yak cement. Thank you so much. berikan.

44:27

Thank you. Thank you, Nick. It was a pleasure for me also.

44:31

So yeah, thank you, Martin. We've been talking to Martin province here. He's the industry principal for mining metals at OSI soft again, thank you both for joining us.

44:40

Thanks. Thanks.

44:42

Right. And thank you all we'll see in two more weeks about