05/18/2026
Inside a 2,700°F cement kiln and a once-in-a-decade look inside one of our silos.
Recently, our team completed a major planned outage at our San Antonio cement plant, creating a rare opportunity to safely access areas normally off-limits, including the kiln interior, clinker cooler, and silos.
During normal operations, the rotary kiln runs under extreme heat as raw materials are transformed into clinker used to produce cement. Because the kiln is central to the manufacturing process, regular kiln outages every 12 to 16 months are essential to maintaining safe and reliable operations.
This outage also included specialized work inside the kiln feed blending/storage silo, creating the opportunity to clean, repair, and refresh a system that supports consistent material blending and flow. The team replaced air pad canvases inside the silo and installed a new clean plant air system designed to improve aeration and blending performance.
Throughout the turnaround, teams inspected equipment, evaluated wear, completed preventive maintenance, and made critical repairs before returning the system to service.
It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the scale, precision, and teamwork required to keep cement manufacturing running every day.
