In an industrial plant producing hundreds of thousands of tons per year, knowing what is being produced and when is not a detail:it’s the difference between control and uncertainty, between responsiveness and waiting. This very real and urgent need sparked the collaboration between Heidelberg Materials — one of the world’s leading players in building materials — and Tecno, with the goal of implementing a real-time production monitoring system at the Arancou site in the French Pyrenees: a system that is accurate, scalable, and fully integrable.

The result is a model project in enabling industrial innovation, overcoming the limitations of traditional measurement and establishing a new production paradigm founded on data, efficiency, and shared vision.

Heidelberg Materials: Industry, Innovation, and a European Vision

Heidelberg Materials is a global group with a presence in over 50 countries, active in the production of cement, concrete, and aggregates. In France, as well as in Italy and throughout Europe, it is a key player in the construction sector, both in terms of volume and innovation.

The Arancou site, located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region, is a strategic plant for the group, with annual production between 500,000 and 600,000 tons. These are significant figures, requiring absolute precision in stock management, real-time traceability, and the ability to respond swiftly to any operational issues. However, until recently, daily production was only estimated—not accurately known. The belt scales installed along the lines required regular calibration and maintenance, and did not provide an integrated reading of material flows.

It was from this clearly identified operational need that the collaboration with Tecno was born.

The Problem: When Production is Only Visible in Hindsight

In the construction materials sector, continuity is everything. Deliveries must be on time. Stock must be meticulously monitored. Energy resources need to be optimized. But without a constant detection system for moved materials, even the most advanced plant may be forced to operate in the dark.

The team at the Arancou site, led by Guillaume Lartigue, highlighted a specific challenge:

“We didn’t know our exact daily production. This created uncertainty in stock management and slowed our decision-making.”

Additionally, regular calibration of the belt scales caused technical stoppages and introduced further inaccuracies. The issue wasn’t strictly technological—it was strategic. Without reliable real-time data, improvement and timely forecasting become impossible.

Our Approach: Listening, Analysis, Shared Solution

At Tecno, every project begins with a clear belief: there are no standard solutions. There are specific needs that must be understood. In Heidelberg Materials’ case, our work began with an on-site listening and analysis phase , to understand in detail the operation of the conveyor belts, the existing electrical infrastructure, and the site's software requirements.

The goal was clear, yet ambitious:

• Ensure accurate and continuous measurement, even on belts without weighing systems
• Integrate the solution into existing workflows
• Enable operators to intervene quickly when issues arise
• Collect and display reliable energy data on the kWh/ton ratio

The system implementation project born from this joint analysis is the KontrolON project.

KontrolON: Technology That Enables Precision and Awareness

KontrolON is Tecno’s platform for advanced monitoring of production, energy, and industrial processes. It’s a modular, scalable system designed to interface with existing equipment and collect the most relevant data, transforming it into clear, actionable indicators.

At the Arancou site, KontrolON was implemented through the installation of power sensors on each conveyor belt. By analyzing electrical intensity, the system detects in real time the amount of material passing along each line, with ton-level precision.

But the real strength lies in integration:

• KontrolON interfaces directly with the AOM software already in use, making data immediately available to team members
• The system includes smart alerts that automatically flag flow anomalies, malfunctions, or efficiency drops
• Managers can constantly monitor the relationship between energy consumption and tonnage produced—a crucial KPI for sustainability and optimization

All data is accessible through simple, real-time interfaces, with data export and cloud connectivity options

The Results: Measurable Efficiency, Operational Safety, Strategic Data

The benefits observed in the first months of using the KontrolON system have been both significant and immediate.

Elimination of Frequent Calibrations

The sensor-based system has eliminated the need for belt scales, reducing downtime, maintenance costs, and inaccuracies.

Continuous Production Traceability

Now, every ton is tracked in real time, with up-to-the-minute hourly flow updates. Operators always know what’s happening at the heart of the plant.

Alerts and Faster Interventions

Thanks to alert configurations, any flow variation is instantly detected, allowing for immediate operator response.

Energy Consumption Monitoring

The site now has access to a vital KPI: kWh/ton, enabling daily energy efficiency evaluation for each line.

Strategic Value for the Group

The system is more than a measurement tool—it’s a strategic data platform, useful for long-term decision-making and replicable across other group sites.

A Replicable Project, Born from a Shared Vision

The success of the Arancou project proves that digital transformation in industry can begin with a single operational need. But what truly made this a success story was the shared approach:

• Heidelberg Materials clearly defined its goals and opened its processes to transparent technical dialogue
• We provided technological expertise, integration capabilities, and flexible project design

The result is a tailor-made, seamlessly integrated solutionthat now allows site operators to work with greater confidence, agility, and insight.

Watch the interview with Guillaume Lartigue, Operations Manager for the Arancou region:

“Thanks to Tecno, we can now precisely monitor our daily production and prevent stock issues. We have complete control over the process, including energy consumption.”

Data Culture as an Industrial Driver

In a world where efficiency is strategic and sustainability a shared goal, the ability to measure precisely has become one of the most valuable skills for any manufacturing company.

The collaboration between Tecno and Heidelberg Materials demonstrates that technology alone is not enough. What’s needed is a shared vision, a careful project methodology, and the will to build solutions that enable, not disrupt. True innovation puts the right data in the right hands, at the right time—enabling better, faster decisions.

KontrolON: Making What Matters Visible

KontrolON is Tecno’s platform designed to help companies achieve a new level of operational awareness. It doesn’t just collect data, it turns it into actionable intelligence, integrating seamlessly with existing processes and enhancing them from within.

Whether it's monitoring production, managing consumption, optimizing energy, or preventing issues, KontrolON offers a precise and continuous view of industrial reality.

Because truly knowing what’s happening at every moment means being able to decide better, act sooner, and improve every day.

Discover all of KontrolON’s features. Contact us to design a custom data architecture tailored to your business.