Continuous improvements yield high returns: Predictive maintenance improves profitability by more than dollar1 million per year

摘要

A digital re-instrumentation and control program initiated eight years ago at the Petrobras Zarate polystyrene manufacturing plant in Argentina resulted in production gains of 3 to 5percent and maintenance savings of 10 to 12percent by 2008. But the benefits did not end there. A comprehensive asset management program implemented on approximately 1,000 intelligent FOUNDATION fieldbus and HART field devices has enabled continued productivity gains and greater profitability. For example, production of high impact polystyrene has increased over the past two years from 8,000 to 8,500 kg per hour, or about 7percent. Using the mid-July 2010 price for high impact polystyrene in Argentina of 37.5 to 39.9 cents per kilogram, the hourly increase of 500 kilo-grams was worth about dollar190. With the plant operating 24/7, this amounts to about dollar31,920 per week or more than dollar1.5 million annually with no stoppages. These gains are attributed largely to the plant-wide implementation of Emerson's AMS Suite: Intelligent Device Manager predictive maintenance software.