Project Spotlight: Engineering a Smarter, Cleaner Future 

Richard Davies on Powering Cemex’s Shoreham Site with Intelligent Energy Control 

 

A Vision for Energy Efficiency in Heavy Industry

When asked to reflect on the most impactful project in his engineering career to date, Richard Davies doesn’t hesitate. The iConvert Demonstrator project for Cemex’s Shoreham facility was more than just a technical challenge. It represented a confluence of energy optimisation, sustainability ambition, and next-generation control innovation. 

Cemex, a global producer of building materials, operates a key processing site in Shoreham, where aggregates, sand, and cement are offloaded and handled. Raw materials arrive via the CGI, a dedicated dredging vessel that extracts and delivers marine aggregates. As part of a wider initiative supported by Innovate UK under the CMDC4 programme, the Shoreham site was selected as the proving ground for a new integrated battery and power management system designed to cut carbon emissions and reduce energy expenditure. 

Whilst what you’ll read here is Richard’s perspective of the project, it’s worth bearing in mind that this was a huge team effort from every department within iconsys, headed up by Lead Engineer, Andrew Stainton.

Defining the Mission: Lowering Cost, Carbon, and Complexity

The project aim was clear. Our customer wanted to lower their carbon footprint and operating costs. The solution was to store solar and mains power in a battery system that could support both the vessel and the site’s operational loads. We had to engineer a system that could manage this dynamically, without compromising performance.

The ambition was fivefold: reduce emissions, lower energy costs, optimise solar usage, forecast usage patterns, and prove the technology’s viability under real-world conditions. 

Precision Control for a Dynamic Power Environment

Richard’s role focused on the drive control system; a pivotal component in managing this complex energy flow.

The system had to handle multiple operational states, like charging the battery or supplying the vessel. Each state has unique control requirements, and the system needed to switch between them on the fly, without any disruption.

To achieve this, four Siemens Sinamics drives were deployed and controlled using a bespoke PLC program.

The interaction between the drives and the software had to be flawless. Each drive had to behave according to the overall system’s demands. Creating the control logic that allowed these drives to talk to each other and shift operating states automatically was a huge part of the job. 

 Integrated Systems, Intelligent Design

That integration extended to the larger energy management framework, developed collaboratively with WMG. The drive system had to plug into a higher-level architecture capable of predictive energy scheduling and real-time optimisation. 

The Siemens S120 and DCP drives were central. But their individual capabilities weren’t enough on their own. We had to configure them to work together as a unified platform, responding to system-level commands while handling their own internal transitions smoothly. That kind of coordinated behaviour required deep understanding of both the hardware and the PLC environment.

Overcoming the Challenge of Seamless Mode Switching

One of the biggest technical challenges came from the requirement for seamless mode transitions. Whether charging the battery, powering the site, or feeding the dredger, the system had to act without delay or instability. 

Keeping the vessel powered while switching between energy sources, sometimes blending them, was not trivial,” says Richard. “It took a lot of upfront planning and a custom control architecture to ensure stability at every point in the cycle.

A Moment of Validation on the Waterfront 

But for all the complexity behind the scenes, the most memorable moment was grounded in something simple and human. 

I’ll never forget the reaction of Andy King, the lead project manager for our customer. When we completed the first successful live supply of the vessel from the system, he shook my hand and told me how impressed he was with the outcome. After months of development, testing, and fine-tuning, that moment really meant a lot.

Power You Can’t See, but Can Always Rely On

While the project lacked the visual spectacle of moving mechanical parts or industrial machinery, the elegance was in its operation. 

From the outside, it might not look like much. But when you see the system automatically manage energy flow in real time, you realise just how intelligent it really is. It’s like watching a conductor lead a silent orchestra; everything perfectly in sync, but almost invisible to the eye.

The Blueprint for Future Applications

For Richard, the experience has sparked a desire to replicate the model elsewhere.

I’d love to see this control system adapted for other applications for marine, industrial, or even grid-scale solutions. The technical foundation is sound, and the benefits are real.

The Future of Low-Carbon Engineering is Already Here

This project exemplifies what is possible when engineering meets intent. A real-world demonstration that complex energy systems can be tamed, optimised, and integrated into existing operations without disruption. It also shows how intelligent control solutions can play a central role in decarbonising industrial infrastructure. Not just by replacing components, but by changing the way energy is managed from the ground up. 

As organisations look to balance environmental responsibility with operational efficiency, the Shoreham project provides a powerful case study. It shows that progress is not only possible, but already happening through ingenuity, collaboration, and the kind of engineering expertise that delivers measurable results. 

Read the full case study for this project here.