CHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS are able to collect a wealth of production data but effectively using those data to improve reliability remains a challenge for many firms. However, some operating companies such as Salalah Methanol Company (SMC), Honeywell Performance Materials & Technologies (PMT) and BASF are making the most of their data. John Harrison, Toronto-based senior solution specialist for software provider SAP, sums up the general situation: "Our chemical customers told us that they had been collecting operational information for years and they believed that there was 'gold' in the data, but they lacked the capability to quickly bring multiple sources of data together and to transform the data into actionable information."
展开▼
