In the chemical sector, the impact of unplanned downtime is considerably greater than in other industrial processes.

Processes in the chemical industry, particularly in large manufacturing operations, are executed as a continuous operation, in which the assets involved can be complicated, such as chemical reactors with multiple flows of gases and liquids at high temperatures and pressures.

A failure in the plant can cause an unscheduled shutdown in the chemical reactor. Once the failure is repaired, it is necessary to clean the reactors of potentially hot and dangerous waste products and clean the pipes before production personnel can restart the process. The set of steps greatly slows down the pace of production.

On the other hand, beyond downtime, the probability of the product hardening or solidifying in reactors or inside pipes is also a cause for great concern. And for many chemical processes, the entire process can take days to restart.

Downtime and cost control are two crucial factors to consider in asset management.

New Technologies to Maximize the Efficiency and Availability of your Assets and Processes

A fundamental aspect to not be left behind in this long-distance race, in a market with sky-high competitiveness, is to digitize processes and implement new technological solutions based on artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc., also for the maintenance area.

There are advanced maintenance or maintenance 4.0 technologies that specialize in reducing interruptions derived from these failures. Likewise, beyond increasing the availability, reliability and safety of assets, they minimize costs and extend the useful life of equipment. These technologies are:

• Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM)
• Advanced Predictive Maintenance (PdM)
• Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)

Have You Heard of EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) Systems?

In an EAM system, individual assets are organized and classified by class, location, and production process. By accessing a complete list of assets involved in a specific process, we obtain valuable information for when it is time to consider stopping an entire production process. More specifically, a thorough review of which assets may require attention during planned downtime allows activities to be scheduled accordingly, adopting a more holistic approach to the production process.

It must be taken into account, yes, that despite planning, unexpected failures can occur in assets, but the appropriate approach allows mitigating the resulting expenses and keeping downtime to a minimum.

Take a Qualitative Leap in the Maintenance of your Assets with IFS Ultimo

The EAM IFS Ultimo listens, understands and responds to the signals emitted by the assets of a sector that demands a solid focus on risk management. Apart from facing a challenging competition, the solution ensures that the production spaces of your plant are safe and compatible with the regulations regarding environment, health and safety (HSE):

• Comprehensive maintenance management, structured and under control (calibrations, inspections, etc.).
• HSE module for risk prevention and compliance with regulations (e.g., R. D. 840/2015). Digitization of work permits, LOTO, incident management, MoC, etc.
• Comprehensive control of asset management from a single platform.
• Data-driven solution for a continuous long-term asset plan, including IIoT.
• Advanced maintenance to reduce downtime and extend the life of equipment.
• Intelligent and coordinated planning with production to optimize the execution of maintenance.

“IFS Ultimo is the number one EAM Cloud platform on the market: it provides control over your assets and a proven and unparalleled return on investment. Its benefits include increased uptime; cost management and extension of the useful life of equipment; reliable control information; ease of regulatory compliance and the guarantee of a safe working environment.”

With IFS Ultimo, identify the vital signs and take vital actions.