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Powering the Process℠ is a podcast for engineers, plant managers, and operations leaders focused on industrial systems, plant optimization, and manufacturing efficiency. Hosted by ProcessBarron experts, each episode delivers practical insights on material handling, air and gas systems, industrial equipment, and reducing downtime.
Host: Jen Little
Guest: Brian Harris
Jen Little:
This podcast is brought to you by ProcessBarron — Handle Everything Better. Welcome to Powering the Process, the podcast focused on the real work behind industrial manufacturing. Each week, your host, Jen Little, digs into the systems, equipment, and strategies that keep plants running efficiently. From everyday operational challenges to emerging engineering solutions, we’re here to share practical insights to help you keep your process moving.
Let’s get started.
Welcome to Powering the Process, the show where we explore the people, processes, and innovations that keep America’s industries moving. Today we’re talking about one of the most essential building blocks of modern life — cement. From highways and bridges to skyscrapers and homes, cement is everywhere and a major component of our infrastructure.
But producing cement is not easy. It’s a demanding process that requires precision, reliability, and efficiency at every step. That’s where ProcessBarron comes in. Our team designs and delivers solutions that help cement plants operate at peak performance.
Today’s guest is Brian Harris, Regional Sales Manager at ProcessBarron. He’s been here almost nine years, and around here we call him the cement guy. Thanks for being here, Brian!
Brian Harris:
Thanks for having me, Jen.
Jen:
Of course! Let’s jump in. Why does everyone call you the cement guy?
Brian:
I worked for EPC companies in Atlanta — the big engineering, procurement, and construction firms that build entire cement plants. I helped build quite a few cement plants, so that nickname stuck.
Jen:
Why is cement so vital to America’s infrastructure?
Brian:
It’s one of the primary building materials for roads, homes — everything. It’s versatile, durable, fire-resistant, water-resistant, and chemical-resistant. The raw materials are easy to find, so cement isn’t going anywhere. It just competes with other building materials.
Jen:
How does ProcessBarron fit into the cement industry? What do we do for cement plants?
Brian:
We do a lot. We’re best known for fan work at cement plants, but we also handle material handling equipment like drag chain conveyors. There’s a lot of material moving throughout a plant.
We typically handle all the equipment feeding into the kiln and the equipment downstream of the kiln. We don’t do much work on the kiln itself, but we’re heavily involved in discharge equipment and airflow systems.
We also do specialty items like roll crushers on clinker coolers, triple gates feeding raw mills, and a lot of weld repair. Cement plants are extremely abrasive environments, so equipment wears out quickly. We repair vertical mills, ball mills, ductwork — a wide range of equipment.
Jen:
Tell us about a major project that stands out.
Brian:
The biggest recent project was a massive downcomer duct for a cement plant in Texas. The timeline was extremely tight. We fabricated a 13-foot-diameter duct in our shop and shipped it in sections — one per truck — over 26 truckloads.
It was 320 feet tall. We didn’t even handle installation, but we never received a single call about setup issues. Everything went perfectly.
Jen:
That speaks volumes about our manufacturing team.
Brian:
It really does. We had just purchased a new plate roll machine capable of rolling up to 13 feet in diameter, and this was its first major project. The duct used three different steels, including stainless for the hot section. We designed special expansion joints to prevent issues from dissimilar metal expansion. It was a great project.
Jen:
What are the biggest operational challenges cement plants face today?
Brian:
Maintaining airflow and dust collection. When dust collection equipment backs up, ash and grit carry over and damage downstream equipment. Plugged cyclones are another major issue.
Jen:
How do we help with dust control and material handling?
Brian:
We custom manufacture heavy-duty drag chain conveyors for dust control systems. We also help with baghouses, compressed air systems, and controls. But most people still think of ProcessBarron as the “fan company.”
Jen:
Customers often think we only do fans, but once we’re onsite, they realize we do much more.
Brian:
Exactly. We also provide kiln seals, rotary discharge valves, double dome valves — but we still get pigeonholed as fan experts.
Jen:
Has the cement industry changed in the last 20 years?
Brian:
The process is similar, but environmental regulations have increased. Electrostatic precipitators have largely been replaced by baghouses. Now carbon capture is the big topic. Plants are also constantly developing new cement mixes to reduce cost and improve strength.
Jen:
Where are most U.S. cement plants located?
Brian:
Near limestone deposits. Many plants are along the Mississippi River from Missouri down south. California also has many plants in the desert.
Jen:
How often do cement plants shut down for maintenance?
Brian:
They typically have one major outage each year lasting three to four weeks. Equipment must last the entire “campaign” between outages.
Jen:
What’s the most common request we receive?
Brian:
Fan efficiency upgrades — especially on clinker cooler exhaust fans. Many are oversized and run inefficiently. We right-size the fans so plants can open dampers fully and save energy.
Jen:
What advice would you give someone entering heavy industrial sales?
Brian:
You’ll always be learning. Spend time in plants, understand customer needs, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Someone at ProcessBarron has likely seen the problem before.
Jen:
Brian, thank you for joining us today!
Brian:
Thank you. Appreciate it.
Jen:
Thanks for listening to Powering the Process. See you next time!