Syria's cement industry turns to AI to cut costs
Experts say digital solutions could cut electricity bills at cement plants by about 12 percent.
Syria's cement sector is moving toward artificial intelligence and digitalization to improve production efficiency and product quality and to cut operating costs and energy use, SANA reported. The move comes as plants face higher energy, maintenance and spare-parts costs, and a need to raise productivity and extend the working life of equipment.
Fouad Al-Attar, Middle East deputy chief executive of Siemens, told SANA that using AI and digital technologies in cement production offers opportunities to improve quality, raise operating efficiency and lower costs. He said digital solutions help plants monitor equipment performance and analyze operating data, which helps keep product quality stable and reduce sudden breakdowns.
Al-Attar pointed to the importance of predictive maintenance, which detects potential problems before they occur so they can be addressed early, reducing production-line stoppages and extending equipment life. He said the economic feasibility varies by application: costs can be recovered within six months or less in some cases, while other applications need longer periods.
On energy, Al-Attar said cement is an energy-intensive industry and that some digital solutions could cut electricity bills by about 12 percent, helping plants reduce expenses and direct the savings toward developing production lines.
Fares Ghraibeh of the Poimer group, which specializes in automated loading systems and industrial automation, said in a similar statement that the shift does not require replacing all machinery at once and can be carried out gradually by upgrading existing systems. He stressed that more automation does not necessarily mean laying off workers but calls for training them, and that studying the economic return is an essential step before projects are carried out.
The source describes cement as a strategic sector that attracts investment, given the growing need for the material in reconstruction projects. Damascus hosted the Cement and Ready-Mix Concrete Industry in Syria 2026 conference and exhibition from 15 to 17 October, with about 50 companies from nine countries taking part.
Key points
Why AI in cement
- The sector is turning to AI and digitalization to improve production efficiency and quality.
- Challenges: higher energy, maintenance and spare-parts costs.
- Goal: lower operating costs and energy use and extend the working life of equipment.
What can be achieved
- Some digital solutions could cut electricity bills by about 12 percent, according to Fouad Al-Attar of Siemens.
- The cost of some applications can be recovered within six months or less, while others need longer periods.
- Predictive maintenance detects problems before they occur and reduces production-line stoppages.
Gradual shift and worker training
- According to Fares Ghraibeh of Poimer, the shift does not require replacing all equipment at once.
- More automation does not necessarily mean laying off workers, but training and upskilling them.
- Damascus hosted the cement industry conference and exhibition from 15 to 17 October with about 50 companies.
