Rockwell Automation Revamp Gives BASF Rapid Implementation and Lower Maintenance Costs

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“We were able to keep a large part of our existing remote I/O level,” notes Frübis. “If we’d needed to replace it, which would have been necessary with solutions from a different supplier, the costs would have been several times higher.” The BASF team was also impressed with Rockwell Automation’s PlantPAx system, and the proposed solution consisting of management, engineering, testing and installation. “The new system is less complex, yet it delivers higher performance. This is why we decided on a redundant system for things like controllers and visualization servers,” says Frübis.

The project had previously been planned for 2011, but on seeing the savings available from the Rockwell Automation system the BASF managers decided to go ahead sooner. “Due to the reduced maintenance costs we decided to bring forward the migration,” remembers Frübis. “And with these cost advantages the migration project paid for itself in a short time.”

Recognizing complexity

Running the dispersions plant and its loading bay is a complex operation. “Each of our products is custom-designed, and we work closely with our customers to develop new applications,” says Frübis. The plant manufactures more than 100 different products, each of which have to be transferred through a maze of pipes and valves to intermediate storage and from there into trucks or IBCs. Pipework and containers also need to be regularly flushed and cleaned.

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