World's largest chemical site awards contract
September 2007
News
Honeywell has been awarded a contract to provide its Experion process knowledge system (PKS) to BASF, the world's leading chemical company. This technology will enable BASF to quickly and cost-efficiently consolidate the operations of two of its largest chemical production plants, located in Ludwigshafen, Germany, into one central control centre.
BASF chose Experion for its process control and Honeywell will ensure the site operates seamlessly during the switchover from BASF's legacy systems. The consolidation project, which began in August 2006 and is expected to be completed in late 2008, includes project management, project engineering, hardware and software delivery, system upgrades and startup assistance.
With Honeywell technology, BASF will benefit from more powerful process control systems and improved human machine interfaces. By integrating the separate control rooms of the two plants into a single control centre, Honeywell will enable BASF to better use the manpower and skills of its operators. At the same time, BASF's operators will benefit from a comprehensive view of the combined facilities, thanks to the advanced displays, alarms and reporting capabilities of Experion PKS.
"The solution we have delivered enables BASF to use its existing automation units for the next 15 years but allows the customer to benefit from a new generation of operator interfaces," said Paul Orzeske, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Process Solutions Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). "In essence, this allows BASF to run a state-of-the-art system without the expense of a totally new system."
BASF has 150 production sites and 95 000 employees worldwide. The two chemical production plants in Ludwigshafen produce chemicals used in the creation of plastics. The site holds the record as the world's largest chemical production facility, covering 10 square kilometres and housing 40 000 employees working from 2000 buildings, including the company's global headquarters.
For more information contact Julie Brown, Honeywell Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 695 8000, [email protected]
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