IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimizer Enables ABB to Maximize Production Profitability Across 50+ Cement Plants

ABB, a 105,000-person global manufacturing engineering company, faced a persistent challenge in the cement industry: optimizing highly complex, interconnected production operations in response to fluctuating energy prices and market demand. Cement manufacturers require precise control over production planning to maintain profitability while managing environmental impact. ABB developed the Cement Production Scheduler (CPS)—an add-on to its ABB Ability Knowledge Manager—to solve this problem. To ensure flexibility and performance, ABB chose IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimizer as a database- and DCS-agnostic optimization engine, embedded directly into CPS. This partnership enabled ABB to deliver a solution that addresses the extreme technical demands of the cement industry without creating adoption barriers for customers using competing technologies. And then it continues with: Implementation and Results The integration of IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimizer into CPS provides cement manufacturers with the ability to model multiple production scenarios and calculate optimized scheduling within minutes. This speed and flexibility allow operators to respond quickly to changing market conditions and energy costs. ABB's Embedded Solution Agreement with IBM enables the company to scale CPS across customer deployments at increasingly favorable rates as volume grows. The solution provides production optimization at the mill and product level, delivering a complete decision audit trail that helps operators fine-tune future production strategies and overcome traditional scheduling constraints. Measurable Value Delivered ABB's CPS solution, powered by IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimizer, has demonstrated significant impact across the cement industry: Value Result 1: Optimized production plans calculated within minutes instead of hours, enabling rapid response to market and energy price changes Value Result 2: Operational profitability maximized across 50+ cement plants globally through precise production scheduling Value Result 3: Measurable reduction in energy costs and environmental emissions through scenario-based optimization Value Result 4: Increased equipment efficiency through optimized short-term production scheduling at the mill and product level Value Result 5: Complete decision criteria tracking available for continuous improvement of future production planning cycles