BETHLEHEM, PA / ACCESS Newswire / August 13, 2025 / Buzzi Unicem USA, a prominent U.S. cement manufacturer and subsidiary of Buzzi S.p.A is partnering with UptimeAI, a leading provider of AI-powered operational excellence solutions, to deploy an artificial intelligence-based program aimed at transforming asset reliability and operational performance at its Festus, MO plant.

The collaboration began with a pilot deployment of AI Expert, UptimeAI's flagship platform, to gain deeper insights into operational parameters and their correlation, asset performance, prediction of equipment failures and reduction of maintenance costs. Powered by advanced AI and machine learning algorithms trained on more than 1,000 failure modes, AI Expert is expected to enable predictive diagnostics and informed decision-making. Its two primary core modules, "AI Expert: Generative AI" and "AI Expert: Reliability and Process," aim to streamline operational parameters, root cause analysis, support continuous improvement and enhance knowledge management across plant operations.

The platform emulates the reasoning of experienced engineers by combining historical data, real-time operating conditions, and institutional knowledge to detect issues early to recommend targeted corrective actions.

"Unlike generic deviation detectors, our platform acts as a virtual process and reliability engineer," Jagadish Gattu, founder and chief executive officer of UptimeAI, said. "AI Expert is purpose-built for complex industrial operations like we see at Buzzi Unicem USA to learn from plant-specific data with a comprehensive view approach mimicking the reasoning of seasoned engineers, to bridge the gap between human expertise and scalable AI."

"Partnering with UptimeAI reflects our commitment to continuously improving reliability and performance," Antonio Buzzi, president and chief executive officer of Buzzi Unicem USA, said. "This initiative supports our core value of continuous evolution. We pursue excellence, embrace innovation and face change with courage to achieve lasting, sustainable results. We expect UptimeAI's platform to provide deep operational insight, to equip our teams with smart decisions and, most importantly, to support and share critical plant operational knowledge across our organization."

This partnership reflects the companies' shared commitment to driving innovation and advancing sustainable operations. As the cement industry faces increasing pressure to reduce unplanned downtime and lower its carbon footprint, AI-powered solutions are rapidly emerging as a strategic lever for competitiveness and long-term resilience.

About Buzzi Unicem USA

Buzzi Unicem USA Inc., part of the global Buzzi Unicem Group, is a leading cement manufacturer headquartered in Bethlehem, Pa. The company operates eight full-cycle cement plants and 36 cement terminals across the U.S., delivering high-quality materials and advancing innovation in construction. Learn more at: www.buzziunicemusa.com

About UptimeAI

UptimeAI is a San Francisco-based provider of AI-based operational excellence solutions for heavy industries. Its proprietary "AI Expert" platform enables organizations to improve asset reliability, efficiency, and sustainability by replicating the knowledge of top engineers at scale. UptimeAI is trusted by Global industry leaders in cement, power, oil and gas, and chemicals.
More at: www.uptimeai.com | Contact: info@uptimeai.com

Contact Information:

Marina Oliveira
Vice President of Marketing
marina.oliveira@uptimeai.com

Jenna L. Eckel
Communications Manager, Buzzi Unicem USA
jenna.eckel@buzziunicemusa.com

SOURCE: Uptime AI Inc.