Braskem, formed in 2002, operates 19 industrial units producing more than 10 million tons of thermoplastic resins, first and second generation petrochemicals. Although highly successful, the company found themselves hampered by the fragmentation of critical asset information among its 19 industrial units. Operations data was not flowing smoothly through the organization, representing a drag on business productivity and performance and failing to support the company's business strategy of tight integration throughout multiple business units. A strong culture of continuous improvement further prompted Braskem management to find and implement integrated solutions to operate plant assets more cost-effectively and efficiently. One of the company's first steps towards identifying process improvements was the enterprise-wide adoption of SAP, streamlining the company's data flows and providing management with direct access to real-time operating information. Equally important to identifying areas for improvement was the selection, implementation and standardization (Click here for Tips for Successful Software Standardization) of an enterprise-wide asset performance management (APM) solution, capable of harnessing asset data from SAP and providing rigorous data analysis: - Driving and automating technical data analysis to identify and predict failure occurrence and cause
- Leveraging critical asset performance data from enterprise and local sources, including SAP ERP/EAM, as well as process historians, and condition monitoring systems
- Publishing key performance indicators, thus enabling the identification of improvement opportunities
- Supporting continuous improvement of operational, surveillance, and maintenance strategies based upon best practices methodologies and analysis
- Pushing strategies back to execution systems closing the loop and continuously improving asset performance across the enterprise.
After careful assessment of best-in-class APM solutions currently utilized by the world's petrochemical leaders, Braskem selected Meridium based on key factors including its ability to: - Integrate with and pull added value from SAP applications
- Provide customization and modification in support of business specific needs and federal safety regulations
- Encourage early user adoption through language customization
- Support the company's strategic objective to enhance the reliability, productivity, and operational efficiency and effectiveness of equipment assets.
Braskem is clearly a company focused on innovation. In 2007, the company announced the production of the first internationally certified green polyethylene made from sugarcane ethanol, using competitive concepts developed at the Braskem's Technology and Innovation Center, providing a favorable outlook for the development of products made from renewable raw materials. Together, Meridium and SAP are allowing Braskem to more effectively leverage their equipment asset data to introduce more consistent operating practices across their geographically dispersed units, helping Braskem to achieve higher and higher performance, edging closer and closer to a top-10 ranking on the petrochemical global stage. Click here to learn more about Braskem project goals and results to date. Click here to learn how the Meridium/SAP solution is helping Kimberly-Clark turn data into dollars.
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