PlantLine Service Agreement

Plant maintenance for peace of mind

Productivity

FLSmidth has delivered

reliable and valued services
for more than 40 years,
with over 100 active
PlantLine Service
Agreements offering both
standardised services and
flexibility.

1. Advanced Troubleshooting

Benefits of Plantline
Service Agreement

2. Preventive Maintenance Visits

Reduced downtime-related costs

3. Performance Monitoring and Remote

Optimisation

First priority status

4. Engineering Service

Improved system performance

5. Managed Antivirus

Flexibility

Higher run factor

6. Software License Upgrade

Subscription

Extended system lifetime

7. Local Language Assistance

Improved productivity and quality

with the Performance Monitoring and
Remote Optimisation module.

With PlantLine Service Agreement,

you are free to decide how little or
how much service you require. Tailor
your subscription by choosing which
combination of modules to include
and adjust it from year to year.

Do you take care of cement or mineral

plant maintenance and optimisation?
Operations are becoming more complex
because of demands to improve safety,
environmental compliance, energy
consumption, run-time and product
quality all challenges for the teams
involved in maintenance and operations.
This is where a Plantline Service

Agreement offers a secure, proven,

trouble-free solution wrapped in
expertise. What does this mean for
you? Complete peace of mind and
time to dedicate to other productive
tasks.

What is PlantLine
Service Agreement?
Plantline Service Agreement covers
FLSmidths automation equipment
and software, with the name
referring to the support line between
the plant and FLSmidth. An
agreement helps plant managers and
operators to make the most of their
automation systems from FLSmidth.
There are seven modules made to
meet your specific needs.

The seven modules

We also offer training that will ensure

development of routine operation and
maintenance skills. The service agreement
supplements these normal plant skills with
the aim of ensuring highest productivity and
satisfaction.

Fixed maintenance cost

Lower risk

Timely support
Have access to highly skilled support
and high priority response to any
issues that arise. This saves you
precious time and ultimately money.

Ash Grove Cement

extends the lifecycle of
their systems
Ash Grove Cement started out with a
service agreement for one plant which
developed into the provision of services
to eight cement plants covered by a
PlantLine Service Agreement.
Today, FLSmidth provides 30 on-site
Preventive Maintenance Visits per year,
as well as 24/7 phone and remote
support.

Benefits

MORE AND MORE CUSTOMERS ARE

ENTRUSTING US TO LOOK AFTER THEIR
INVESTMENT - NOT ONLY DO THE TOTAL
NUMBER OF PLANTLINE CONTRACTS GROW
YEAR ON YEAR BUT ALSO IN THEIR SCOPE.

Ash Grove Cement has been able to

extend the lifecycle of their systems by:
Providing proactive maintenance
services
Updating technology
Pinpointing current and future needs
of their cement plants
Developing staffs technical knowhow:
- regular webinars to keep engineers
updated about various integrated
control systems
- training electrical maintenance
personnel in the latest innovations
Providing assistance from the FLSmidth
team when needed for technical issues
or malfunctions.
Optimisation of the high-level process
and quality control systems helps Ash
Grove maximise production and reduce
energy consumption, as well as
improving its use of alternate fuels and
compliance with emissions regulations.
This means Ash Grove Cements systems
are optimised, keeping the plant secure,
providing value for money, and giving
the plant manager confidence.

Complete lifecycle
support for your plant
PlantLine Service Agreement is based on
a top-quality combination of, and cooperation between:
A highly skilled and experienced global
service team of automation specialists
A team of dedicated Plantline Service
Agreement Managers
Prioritised support from research and
development
FLSmidth LiveConnect secure
communication technology
Incident traceability.

Protective coverage
wrapped in expertise
FLSmidth has developed PlantLine
Service Agreements seven modules
to give you fast, secure, trouble-free
access to the latest technologies,
software and skills. Think of PlantLine
service as protective coverage for your
quality and process control systems
wrapped in expertise.

Our support team has access to the highest

skills level, and combined with our fast
24/7 support and selected local language
assistance, you can be sure that a PlantLine
Service Agreement gives you faster recovery,
longer mean time between failures, improved
system performance, extended system
lifetime, optimised re-investment and
lower risk.

We know our products best because

we developed, manufactured and
commissioned them. This means
we should be able to recognise
weaknesses before they become a
problem.

MANY OPERATIONS ACQUIRE AN ASSET AND ASSUME TO EXPECT TROUBLE FREE

OPERATION DURING ITS LIFETIME. HOWEVER THE EFFECTIVE LIFE OF THAT ASSET
COULD EASILY DECLINE WITHOUT PLANNED AND CONTINUOUS SERVICE. TOO
OFTEN PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO IMMEDIATE ISSUES. PLANTLINE IS A SIMPLE
SOLUTION TO THIS PAIN. IT PROVIDES YOU TIME TO FOCUS ON OTHER
IMPORTANT MATTERS WHILE WE ENSURE THAT YOUR ASSET DELIVERS TODAY,
TOMORROW AND THROUGHOUT ITS LIFETIME.

Case study
Sarbottam Cement, Nepal
With the increasing need for dams,
bridges, housing projects and other
infrastructure generating more
construction projects, the demand for
cement in Nepal is growing year on year.
Ensuring that your cement plant remains
at peak productivity is critical to meet
this demand. Any unforeseen downtime,
especially in an isolated and challenging
environment, can lead to significant
production losses.
Sarbottam Cement, located in central
Nepal, experienced a power outage which
halted production. Once power resumed
communication to a vital PLC was not
restored. As PLC to ECS communication
was lost status of the drivers and
equipment could not be monitored from
the central control room. The entire plant
could not be restarted when the power
resumed. Plant staff were unable to
pinpoint the problem. What to do next?
A call was placed with the 24/7 FLSmidth
Global Customer Service Centre. The lead
contact provided vital first support and
calmed the Sarbottam team.
At this stage the production loss was
creating immense pressure for the site
personnel across all departments.

When it was deemed insufficient to

attempt troubleshooting over the
telephone, the next stage was to
establish a Go2FLS secure remote
connection.
The FLSmidth support specialist was
now able to explore the control system
in detail. Dual server communication
was down. Access to the PLC online
was finally achieved. Server to server
communication was restored. But the
PLC was still in stop mode.
Deeper analysis revealed fault status
on a CP card in the processor rack
that was not reset. Site personnel
were provided with guidance on how
to reset the fault. After resetting, the
processor came back into run mode.
The latest back-up was downloaded,
ECS to PLC communication was reestablished and the plant was ready to
start. Production resumed.
Without FLSmidths assistance,
Sarbottam Cement would most likely
have had to wait 24 to 48 hours to
bring an engineer on site, causing a
huge potential production loss of 2000
- 4000 tons of clinker with a value of
approximately USD 300,000.

The Seven Modules

Combining modules
A PlantLine Service Agreement has
seven modules with proven benefits for
your plant to run smoothly, efficiently
and with opportunities for immediate
troubleshooting and recovery.
Your subscription is designed for you. Do
you want to handle all the maintenance
and service yourself and have FLSmidth as
a back-up only in case of an emergency?
Do you want to do all the routine
maintenance yourself with FLSmidth
taking care of more delicate and
demanding service activities and advising
to ensure stable operation?
Or do you want the highest return on
investment, with comprehensive services
designed to create high long-term
up-time and performance through a
balanced combination of emergency
back-up, maintenance, renewal and
optimisation?
The choice is yours. Here are the options.

Advanced Troubleshooting

Fast troubleshooting due to immediate,

skilled support
Advanced Troubleshooting is a standby service
within PlantLine Service Agreement. It is
managed by a large global team of experienced
automation specialists. You initiate the service
by contacting 24/7 Global Support a service
provided through telephone, email or FLSmidth
LiveConnect.
The service gives you fast response, first priority
and access to highly qualified specialists,
leading to shorter downtime. The need for
internal 24/7 on-call support will be reduced.
Advanced Troubleshooting covers:
Problem analysis

Preventive
Maintenance Visits

We ensure optimal operation of your

automation products
Preventive Maintenance Visits covers
maintenance tasks and are aimed at
optimising operation of FLSmidths
automation systems.

Depending on the plan, a specialist will be

selected and some or all of the tasks below
can be chosen:
Preparation based on information from
PlantLine Manager
Pre-visit investigation
Discuss issues with site personnel
Verify and adjust system operation and
state according to checklists
Install available and applicable software
updates
Carry out minor reconfiguration, back
systems up and update configuration
documentation
Disassemble, clean and reassemble, as
needed
inspect/exchange wear parts
Functional test
Comment and recommend on operation,
upgrade offers, parts etc.
Report on the service visit and inform client
and PlantLine Manager.

Solution proposal
Minor corrective reconfiguration.
The service covers an unlimited number of
incidents, however we reserve the right to
contact you with offers for specialised training
in case we discover a more widespread lack of
knowledge within a special area. Additionally,
the service team is allowed to postpone less
critical services if more critical events emerge.
Advanced Troubleshooting does not include
software upgrade, engineering or maintenance
tasks. Troubleshooting will cease when the
problem is solved or it appears ineffective to
continue.

Visits can be extended to include software

upgrade tasks for customers holding
Software License Upgrade Subscription as
well as engineering tasks for customers
operating Engineering Service.
Preventive Maintenance Visits are carried out by
experienced specialists and are planned well in
advance in cooperation between you and your
PlantLine Manager.
Typical PMV examples:
Automated sample preparation and analysis
(QCX/Robolab):
Check of pneumatic connections
Change of wear parts

24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per
year

Process control system

(ECS/ControlCenter):
Alarm optimisation

Managed Antivirus

Managed protection against

virus attacks
The FLSmidth Managed Antivirus service
combines antivirus installed locally at your
PCs with a central server at FLSmidth. This
enables our experts to monitor your system
24/7.

Performance Monitoring
and Remote Optimisation

FLSmidth specialist ensures optimal

process performance
Plants operating the FLSmidth expert systems,
ECS/ProcessExpert (Advanced Process
Control), and QCX/BlendExpert (Advanced
Quality Control), benefit by running a
Remote Optimisation service.
Our Remote Optimisation service, which
empowers your plant personnel, includes:
Up-to-date expert systems that reflect your
actual situation
Expert system skills
Saving travel time and cost
Maintaining a high level of system
availability
Enhancing process/quality control
efficiency
Reducing production cost
Increasing overall plant availability and
performance
Increasing plant OEE.
This service is highly recommended when
bundled together with Advanced
Troubleshooting and Preventive Maintenance
Visits.

Cleaning of machinery if required

Functionality check

Immediate remote support by our experienced

service teams in case of an urgent need for
troubleshooting, assistance or diagnosis

ECS/ProcessExpert requires regular fine-tuning to

keep the process performance and energy
consumption at beneficial levels. Benefits of
Performance Monitoring and Remote
Optimisation are:
Regular performance monitoring

Engineering Service

The easier way to implement system

changes and extensions
This yearly service enables you to subscribe to
a predefined workload of software
engineering. The service is primarily offered
remotely and any engineering done by one of
our specialists is a result of a dialogue
between you and your PlantLine Manager.
The work is carried out at a mutually
agreeable time schedule.

The Managed Antivirus service includes:

Updating antivirus signatures and policies
regularly
Contacting you within one business day if
a threat cannot be eliminated by the
system
Contacting you within seven business days
in case of either failures in status
communication to the central server or in
signature updates
Reporting on a regular basis.
Managed Antivirus service is available only
for PCs with Microsoft Operating System in
Microsoft Active Support Phase or Microsoft
Extended Support Phase. Antivirus installation
requires acceptance of the FLSmidth
LiveConnect secure communication
technologies technology.

To keep your system protected and performing

reliably, we:
Use antivirus solution from an accredited
supplier
Test compatibility of antivirus updates with
FLSmidth software before releasing to your
system
Monitor the status of your system 24/7

Engineering Service is a subscription of software

engineering, offering these benefits:

Contact you if a threat is not handled properly

by the antivirus system

Discount on the hourly rates

Re-establishment:

System check

Close cooperation between plant specialist

and FLSmidth specialist

Can be used for remote, on-site and

combined engineering to fit your needs

Software updates

Professional tuning

Network optimisation

Advice on relevant upgrades and migration

Only one yearly payment reduces

administration workload.

In case your system is affected by a virus

attack, our skilled staff will provide guidance
on the fastest way of re-establishing
production.

Remote technologies
MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT TOPICS LIKE SERVICE AGREEMENTS
AND MAINTENANCE ARE UNINTERESTING. BUT, ACTUALLY,
THATS MISSING THE POINT.
FOR US, SERVICE AGREEMENTS ARE ALSO ABOUT INNOVATION
THAT EXTENDS THE LIFETIME AND PROFITABILITY OF OUR
CUSTOMERS PRODUCTS.

6 7

Software License
Upgrade Subscription

Local Language
Assistance

Access to upgrades of your FLSmidth

software products
A Software License Upgrade Subscription
allows you access to process and quality
advance upgrade software so you can
continuously maintain and upgrade your
system(s).

Clear communication secures

fast recovery
The Local Language Assistance is your single
point of contact and secures response (within
two hours) in case of urgent and unforeseen
need for troubleshooting around the clock.

The Software License Upgrade Subscription is

applied to all software products in the
FLSmidth ECS and QCX product suites.
FLSmidth can implement the upgrades as
part of a Preventive Maintenance Visit, as
part of Engineering Service or as an ad-hoc
service.

Installation of the most recent software release

ensures:
The newest software features will be available

Your local FLSmidth representative is available

via mobile telephone. When you call this
service you will talk to a first-line support
team member in the selected language. The
local representative might not be a specialist
in the specific product/system but will utilise
the Advanced Troubleshooting principles.
If you cannot reach the Local Language
Assistance immediately, you are able to leave
a message and/or decide whether you would
like to call the Advanced Troubleshooting
team. If you leave a message, our staff will
return your call within two hours.

Improved stability and availability of the

systems
Faster troubleshooting by the FLSmidth
Service Team

Response within two hours in selected

non-English languages

Maximum compatibility with new hardware

and operating system updates

An add-on service to Advanced

Troubleshooting

Fast and secure

remote support
FLSmidth develop and utilise a package
of technologies for professional, fast
and secure remote service. These
LiveConnect secure communication
technologies include hardware,
software, procedures, protocols,
standards and tools. The technologies
are important elements in many of the
PlantLine services and several of them
can also be utilised directly by plant
employees for the benefit of the plant.
The technologies are renewed
continuously to ensure the most secure
and professional support.

Benefits
Fast and effective support in case of
critical incidents
Remote maintenance of systems for
improved uptime
Validated antivirus solutions for
maximum protection
Back-up solutions for trouble-free
easy emergency restore
Remote optimisation of plant
productivity
Easy remote access for plant
employees enabling fast analysis and
troubleshooting
Remote training sessions to increase
equipment and process know-how

10

11

LiveConnect technologies
available for subscription
MyPlant app

Benefits

Principles of LiveConnect

The MyPlant app keeps you updated on

equipment, process and performance
around the clock, even when youre far
away from the plant. Receive plant
information directly on your iPad,
iPhone, Android or Windows phone.

Fast support and maintenance will

ensure maximum uptime due to easy
remote access 24/7 for your own
support
Optimised and qualified decisions and
actions, as a third party can easily be
invited to join a remote session
Low risk due to a very secure remote
access solution

LiveConnect secure communication

technologies are developed, integrated
and maintained based on the following
principles:

User-friendly benefits:
See live spot values defined by
yourself
See historical day and month trends
for the same tags
Touch anywhere in the trend to track
historical values
Share trends with others via e-mail
Download the app from the Apple
App Store, Google Play Store,
Windows Phone Store or Windows
Store, type username and password
and youre up and running

Strong encryption of any transfer data

Protection of specific plant data
Strict user identification of the
LiveConnect systems
Logging of activity

The remote access for plant personnel

package includes two accounts on the
FLSmidth remote access server for your
own support people on a subscription
basis. It includes a set-up guide, remote
installation assistance, user administration, security updates, recording of all
sessions, surveillance for maximum
uptime and reporting to the responsible
manager. It utilises the Go2FLS technology and does not include any required
on-site assistance.

Use of only well-proven technology

suppliers.

Security

Requirements

Access to FLSmidth remote access

server requires installation of special
software on the remote PCs and
individual username and passwords.
Access from FLSmidth remote server to
the plant network requires an invitation
from the control room. The FLSmidth
remote access server is dedicated only
for remote connections, is always
updated with all patches and is closely
monitored to prevent any unauthorised
use.

Your process network must have a

permanent broadband or xDSL with a
minimum bandwidth of 256 Kbps to
the internet via a secure firewall, such
as the FLSmidth LiveConnect firewall.
Priority of traffic for remote services
should be implemented. This is a
standard feature on most broadband
services.

Remote access for

plant personnel
Do you want to give your plant
personnel or headquarters access to the
control network remotely?
Remote access to the plants control
network for internal plant support and
maintenance utilises the Go2FLS
technology.
With remote access to real-time process
mimics, trends, diagnostic faceplates
and all alarms/events on the plants
control system, it is possible to provide
support and to perform
troubleshooting, engineering, software
maintenance and process optimisation
remotely.

12

13

PlantLine the best

choice for your plant
By entering a PlantLine program you are
assigned a dedicated PlantLine
Manager, who ensures you the highest
priority and co-operation.

To ensure you always have the required

internal skills, we also offer a tailored
training program to supplement or
substitute the services.

A great majority of incidents can be

investigated and solved remotely
through our FLSmidth LiveConnect and
if not, one of our experts will come to
you. Were there for you if you need us.

Obsolete products and equipment can

be included in a PlantLine Service
Agreement by the PlantLine Manager.
However, the service will be at a lower
level. Additional services are also
available to supplement the services
covered by the agreement.

Contact
information
Talk to FLSmidth today
If you would like to learn more about
how a PlantLine Service Agreement can
help your business, call us today or visit
us online. We are always ready to help
you.

Request an offer
If youd like to receive an offer, please
contact our Global Customer Service
Centre at [email protected] or your
local sales representative.

For further information, please contact

our global team of service sales
managers at the Customer Service
Centre [email protected]
or your local sales representative.
If you require urgent support
+45 3618 4444
International toll free number
800 3576384 (800FLSMIDTH)
In North America
1-855-FLS-CALL
(1-855 3572255)
[email protected]

14

15

Case study
Ash Grove Cement, Kansas USA
Tailored innovation
Ash Grove Cement Company,
headquartered in Overland Park,
Kansas, operates cement plants in
eight states across the United States.
With an annual production capacity
of nearly eight million tonnes of
cement, Ash Grove is one of the
United States largest cement
manufacturers. The company dates
back to 1882 and prides itself on the
quality of the produced as well as
the efficiency and high-quality
maintenance of its cement plants.
ASH GROVE CURRENTLY USES
FLSMIDTHS AUTOMATION SYSTEMS,
INCLUDING:
QCX/BlendExpert
ECS/ProcessExpert
ECS/CemScanner
ECS/ControlCenter
ECS/StackGuide
There is one common goal with all of
FLSmidths service agreements: to
improve productivity of the plant. It is
no different with FLSmidths PlantLine
Service Agreement, which helps plant
managers and operators get the most
out of their automation systems from
FLSmidth. However, there is more to it
than service.
The real key is helping customers move
to the next step through technology
innovations. This is made possible by the
knowledge and experience of FLSmidths
engineers who have solved technical
and business issues over many years.
Armed with this knowledge, they can
work closely with plant staff to deliver
customisations that boost plant
performance through technology
enhancements or through specialised
training.

Peter Sandager, General Manager for

Global Product Line Management at
FLSmidth discusses the development of
FLSmidths service agreements: We
have more than 100 PlantLine service
agreements globally, and they are
growing, not only in numbers, but also
in scope. We have offered automation
support and services for more than 25
years, which is a huge reason why we
have developed a deeper understanding
of our customers business. We see
support as a partnership; we learn from
our customers while we provide
support, but we can also take over
when needed in areas in which our
customers need assistance.

Ash Grove Cement

Ash Grove Cement is one cement
producer that has seen its partnership
with FLSmidth grow from a simple
service agreement to technology
innovation. After starting out by
providing remote service to Ash Grove
Cement in 2000, this developed into
provision of services to eight cement
plants covered by a PlantLine Service
Agreement. Now, FLSmidth provides 30
on-site preventative maintenance visits
(PMVs) per year along with 24/7 phone
and remote support. Michael Wunderly,
Aftermarket Sales & Support Manager
at FLSmidth says: Its the kind of
partnership where through being a
technology innovator, we have been
able to help Ash Grove extend the
lifecycle of their systems by updating
technology. The key aspect has been
utilising the service agreement to
pinpoint current and future needs of
the cement plants.
Michael Wunderly explains that the
PlantLine service agreement allows him
and his colleagues to help with

technical staff development. This is

particularly relevant, as new recruits
often do not have the necessary skills in
the latest technologies. He explains:
FLSmidth experts and Ash Grove plant
managers have a close relationship
which means I can pinpoint resources to
assist them in developing and retraining
their staff while we are working on
various PMVs. In addition, we provide
one-hour webinars to go over various
modern integrated control systems with
Ash Grove engineers as well as electrical
and maintenance personnel.
This has helped seasoned employees
and newly recruited individuals gain a
further understanding of our
technology and obtain the knowledge
needed for maintaining and optimising
Ash Groves systems.
The training also extends to beta testing
of new automation systems using a
virtual machine simulator system.
Currently in the initiation phase, the
simulator will allow Ash Grove staff to
try various procedures and learn among
themselves without putting their
systems at risk.
Of course, the agreement also allows
the FLSmidth team to provide timely
assistance in the case of technical issues
or a malfunction. If a system goes
down unexpectedly, as it did very
recently with an ECS/CemScanner
system, we will go the extra mile to
identify and solve the problem without
delay, says Michael Wunderly, adding
that a temporary solution worked fine
within 24 hours even though it was a
hardware failure in an obsolete system
and no spares were in stock.

Innovation through
intimacy
The PlantLine service agreement, which
offers different combinations of services
for FLSmidths automation products, is
much more than a risk mitigation
measure; it drives productivity, according
to Peter Sandager. Although PlantLine is
based on FLSmidths commitment to
customer intimacy, it is just as much a
commitment to innovation.
Peter Sandager explains: We want to
see plant performance move from
average to high level. We see it, for
example, when a new mix control
strategy decreases the standard
deviation of the LSF, when the
ECS/ProcessExpert system is fine-tuned
or when implementation of a control
strategy of the kiln shell fans
improves the profitability.
For some customers, FLSmidths
engineers have become part of their
technology development centre,
developing customisations for their
plants and joining forces in becoming
technology innovators together. This
brings much more long-term value to
both parties. Michael Wunderly, who
has seen many examples of plants that
lack proper maintenance, agrees: The
overall comprehensive support we
provide our PlantLine customers keeps
them in touch with new developments
in technology while ensuring our global
expertise is at their disposal when they
need it.

PLANTLINE FROM FLSMIDTH IS A FLEXIBLE

MODULAR SERVICE PROGRAMME THAT
IMPROVES THE PRODUCTIVITY OF CEMENT
PLANTS PROCESS AND QUALITY CONTROL
SYSTEMS. FOR USERS OF FLSMIDTHS
AUTOMATION PRODUCTS, IT COVERS A WIDE
RANGE OF BUSINESS AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT,
WHICH CAN BE BUNDLED SPECIFICALLY TO MEET
INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.

www.flsmidth.com/plantline

CM 09-16 800-174-ENG-V1

Copyright 2016 FLSmidth A/S. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. FLSmidth is a (registered) trademark of FLSmidth A/S. This brochure
makes no offers, representations or warranties (express or implied), and information and data contained in this brochure are for
general reference only and may change at any time.