Prepared for Roberto Polit & Ralph Reyes · Amrize
CCR Academy puts every control room operator through the bad nights before they happen, with a coach after every drill.
Our 30 minutes
What does performance mean on your scorecard this year?
The upset your newest operators struggle with most, start to finish, with the coach debrief.
Decide together whether a small pilot makes sense.
If this is not a fit, say so and we part friends.
Our starting view · correct us
Cement volumes in Q2 2026, on data center, energy and infrastructure demand
Tons of new capacity at Ste. Genevieve, with Midlothian and Exshaw next
More people at Saint-Constant after its $610 million modernization
Cement plants across North America, 13 in the US, each with its own kiln, fuels and screens
Cement manufacturing is preferred but not required.
Amrize control room operator posting · Portland plant, Florence, CO
New people in the chair, on kilns that are sold out. That is when a bad night costs the most.
Anatomy of a bad night
Sees draft falling. Pushes the ID fan harder.
Fan vibration climbs. CO rises. The hood goes positive.
The fan trips on vibration and takes the kiln with it.
of clinker lost, before restart fuel and refractory stress
Calls it a surge, not a draft problem. Backs the fan off.
Trims feed and fuel to match the air the kiln has.
CO comes back down. Calls maintenance on the fan.
given up on purpose, for a short time
What does that night cost on your kiln? Let's put in your numbers.
Your numbers · type in what they tell you
Break-even: 3.4 hours of avoided downtime per line per year. One avoided bad night covers 2.8 years of training for one line.
Estimates for discussion. A market-limited plant can often make up lost clinker later; restart costs apply either way.
Who we are
Live demo · drill U-02
Where it fits
Practice on any shiftIn a web browser. No DCS link, no IT project.
Upsets on demand23 drills, with a coach debrief after each one.
Tests that change every timeNo help, and a different upset each run.
A readiness record per operatorReady, Close or Needs work, by crew. How it's graded
What your pilot report could look like
Plant numbers we'd watch with you. You set the targets.
Proposed next step
Every operator tests cold
Drills and shift runs inside your certification steps, with a coach after each one
Same tests. Results against your criteria
New and developing CROs at one or two plants. A plant hiring now, or one adding capacity.
You pick: readiness, test scores, time to sign-off, upset response. Scoring
90 days, paid. The pilot fee is credited to a yearly plan.
Straight talk
Next steps · fill in with them
| Step | Owner | When |
|---|
Appendix · questions you may have
A classroom simulator and daily practice, side by side.
OPEN → What upsets do you cover?All 23 drills by area, plus shift runs.
OPEN → Is it accurate for our kiln?How we tune it, and how you replay your own upsets.
OPEN → How is an operator graded?Scores, safety gates, tests and the readiness rule.
OPEN → How do plants train today?Four common ways to train board operators.
OPEN →Appendix · we already have a simulator
| Classroom simulator, e.g. KHD SIMULEX | CCR Academy | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Full plant, raw materials to cement silos | Kiln line: preheater, calciner, kiln, cooler, ID fan. No finish mill model yet |
| Model | Real-time models, soft PLC logic, full interlocks, 20+ years refined | Browser model with lags, noise, equipment limits and burner interlocks, built around drills |
| Format | Instructor-led classes of several days | 10 to 60 minute drills and shift runs, on any shift |
| Access | Licensed seats, often booked | Any browser; unlimited operators per kiln line |
| Feedback | An instructor evaluates | Automatic grade, safety gates, coach debrief, expert-run overlay |
| Proof | Course completion | Tests, crew readiness board, training record export |
| Track record | 130+ LafargeHolcim licenses worldwide | New. No enterprise reference yet |
Before classDrills as homework
Between classesMonthly reps on costly upsets
After classTests show it stuck
New hiresDay-one drills in English or Spanish
Appendix · what upsets do you cover?
K-01Coating collapse, kiln amp spikeK-02Clinker ring formingK-03Ring collapse, material surgeK-04Cold kiln, high free limeK-05Hot kiln, overburningK-06Unstable burner flameK-07Startup, ramp to full productionU-04Alternative fuel swingsP-01Cyclone buildup formingP-02High CO at calciner, short of airP-03Preheater false air spiralP-04Cyclone jam, meal not reaching kilnP-05Downdraft calciner running hotC-01Snowman at cooler inletC-02Red river, poor clinker coolingC-03Undergrate pressure dropM-01Coal mill fire risk, rising COM-02Baghouse DP spike, cleaning faultM-03Bag failure, dust breakthroughM-04Raw mill trip, kiln interactionU-01Power dip, partial trip recoveryU-02 · TODAY'S DEMOID fan surge, draft lossU-03False air leakPlus shift runs: 20 to 60 simulated minutes with 2 to 4 problems at random times, so operators learn to spot trouble without being told a drill has started. Plants can add custom drills for their own trouble spots.
Appendix · is it accurate for our kiln?
A teaching model, not a digital twin. It behaves like your kiln where the drills need it to: lags, noise, equipment limits and interlocks.
Appendix · how is an operator graded?
Break a hard safety rule and the run fails its safety gate, whatever else went right.
Safety, economy (fuel and air per ton) and production. Shift runs add steady running and response time.
Hint −0.5 · next move −1.5 · show root cause −3. Crutches show up in the grade.
No help. The upset arrives stronger or weaker and further along, different every time.
The textbook run of the same drill is drawn over the operator's own trends.
We can set this rule to match your CRO certification levels.
Appendix
| Capability | On-the-job | Seminar + simulator | Custom plant simulator | CCR Academy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs in a browser, no IT project | No | No | No | Yes |
| Coach debrief after every drill | No | No | No | Yes |
| Available every shift, every crew | Partly | No | Partly | Yes |
| Readiness record per operator | No | Partly | Partly | Yes |
| Time to first drill | Years | Next session | Months | Same day |
| Cost model | Hidden | ~$2,600 per person plus travel | Six-figure project (est.) | Yearly fee per kiln line, unlimited seats |
Already using a classroom simulator? See how the two fit together
Appendix · internal · show only if asked
| Option | Proposed price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | $7,500 for 90 days | Credited to a yearly plan |
| Plant | $24,000 per kiln line per year | Unlimited operators, standard model |
| Plant, tailored | $36,000 per year + $15,000 tailoring | Your kiln line tuned, your screens |
| Enterprise | $18,000 per kiln line per year | 5 or more lines |
| Add-ons | $2,500 per custom drill · $4,500 per on-site day | Plus travel |
| Fleet example | 18 lines × $18,000 = $324,000 per year | Covered by about 2 avoided lost days fleet-wide |