Asset management proves payback
22 Aug 2000
`The high return on investment with a payback faster than one year helped win corporate approval,' says Solutia's Glenn Mertz of his company's decision to standardise on AMS (asset management solutions) software packages from Fisher-Rosemount.
In pilot plant trials at a Solutia chemical plant in Illinois, Mertz's advanced controls group demonstrated average savings of $200 per field device for installation and commissioning of about 70 instruments. Scaling this up to a small-to-medium size production unit would bring savings of at least $8000 in day-to-day maintenance.
In the UK Solutia has a plant in Newport, South Wales, producing 91 000 tpy chemical intermediates for washing powders, floor coverings, car windows and tyres. Preventative maintenance on this plant costs over £150 000 a year, which Solutia hopes to reduce by using AMS to help in targeting equipment for maintenance attention.
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