International. Chemical company BASF has awarded Emerson a multi-million dollar contract to modernize automation software and controllers at its specialty chemical production facility in Lampertheim, Germany, These improvements will help the chemical manufacturer increase production flexibility and improve operations.
As the European chemical industry faces increasing competition in the market from outside Europe, flexible and competitive development methodologies and production technologies are needed to ensure success, according to research by DECHEMA Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie e.V. (Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology). ia). BASF is making a significant investment to modernize plant automation as part of its effort to maintain market leadership and achieve Superior Quartile performance.
"To maximize operational efficiency and production flexibility, we will continue to implement the latest automation technology and systems," said Jens Grimm, automation manager at BASF Lampertheim. "Emerson is a reliable business partner with the proven expertise to help ensure a seamless system migration as we partner to modernize Lampertheim for successful long-term production."
BASF will deploy Emerson's new hybrid automation solution that replaces existing programmable logic controllers (PLCs), used to control 20 reactors, with Emerson's PK DeltaV PK controller. The new hybrid technology is integrated into BASF's existing DeltaV automation system, which will significantly reduce the cost, time and complexity of modernizing the automation system; minimize the start time of new production batches; and facilitates the change of production.
"Embracing digital transformation technologies and strategies is critical to achieving the highest levels of performance," said Jim Nyquist, group president of Systems and Solutions for Emerson's Automation Solutions business. "By implementing Emerson's automation technologies, BASF is well positioned to drive business performance and remain the market leader."
For BASF, Emerson will also replace an outdated system that controls the tank farm and distillation columns at the facility, which produces additives that enhance the characteristics of plastics and coatings. The expansion of Emerson's DeltaV distributed control system, which is already used to control other parts of the plant, will ensure continuous efficient production and allow BASF to standardize its control architecture, helping to reduce integration complexity and operator training costs.
A key part of the project is expanding automation safety protections. This advanced technology, developed with Emerson to address cybersecurity threats, has been applied at other BASF manufacturing plants. By modernizing its automation systems, BASF can take advantage of new capabilities built into Emerson's automation systems that help strengthen plant operations against cyber threats.
Emerson will also provide approximately 8,000 hours of on-site engineering services, a separate virtualized system to reduce hardware capital and operating costs, and lifecycle support services.
