BackgroundMany businesses have been hit hard by the current state of the economy– none as much as the housing market. In a market that does not allow an easy sale of a house, people are staying in their current homes longerthan previously expected. Therefore, it is imperative that homes are builtwith supreme quality products that will last well after those 30-year mortgages are paid. That means the elements used to build houses must remain strong year after year, rain or shine.

As an industrial chemical producer, Arkema’s products are responsible for adding strength and life to many of the materials used to build ourhomes. In its Axis, Ala. facility, the company specializes in developing additives, commonly referred to as impact modifiers, used to producehousing materials such as vinyl siding, window profiles and PVC pipes.

To create impact modifiers, Arkema engineers start with a reactor andadd a variety of chemicals to form a batch. The batch is turned into a liquid latex material and put into a spray dryer as part of a continuousprocess. During this stage of development, the latex is dried into a powder and then sent out to end users.

SolutionProcess Automation System• PlantPAx process automation

system helps meet long-term control system needs and minimizes production risks

Batch Management• FactoryTalk® Batch recipe

management software provides batch quality and helps reduce manual adjustments while adhering to S88-compliancy

Services and Support• Engineering with technical

knowledge and extensive support capabilities provided a well-defined and strategic technology migration path

ResultsReduced Downtime• Zero downtime experienced since

migration completion, yielding a yearly savings of more than $500,000

Improved Installation Time• 50 percent reduction in batch

programming time• Minimal downtime during the

system switch-over

Improved Product Quality and Reduced Risk• Data monitoring helps provide

consistent product quality and lower safety risks in a hazardous environment

Arkema Migrates to Rockwell Automation Process Automation SystemCompanies collaborate to address safety concerns and save on downtime costs

The PlantPAx platform is based on the Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture™ system – delivering a unified process and discrete solution.

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The batch development process averages eight hours per cycle with a completed batch time of 12.5 hours. Arkema produces35,000 pounds in that time frame at its Axis facility – totaling about 85 million pounds annually of 15 different impact modifiers.

ChallengeWithin this production process,Arkema was running half of its plant on a 28-year-old legacy distributed control system (DCS) and the other half on a 15-year-oldversion of the same system. Not only were replacement parts a challenge to find, but obtaining talent to repair any breakdowns was nearly impossible. Adding to the situation, the company’s I/Ohardware was almost 30 years old.

Whenever a standard process updateor recipe change needed to beadded to the system, the plant would have to shut down for 10hours, not including failure episodes.This situation was occurring almostonce a month, costing the companyapproximately $42,000 each time.

“Our existing DCS was unable to accommodate control changes, andfinding resources for maintenanceand repair was getting more difficulteach day,” said John Bryant, engineeringand maintenance manager, Arkema.“But more importantly, safety concerns were starting to crop up.”

The plant experienced a few potentiallycritical incidents stemming fromaging I/O hardware and control systems that were overburdened. As the current system lacked condition-monitoring capabilities,plant personnel were not alerted to problems until it was too late. Consequently, Arkema decided to replace its existing control system toachieve the critical safety-monitoringcapabilities the company needed.

Working with Precision Engineering,a system integrator, and Rockwell Automation, Arkema created a migration plan that would providethe necessary diagnostics, as well as accommodate all the company’s

priorities, such as the ability to interface with the current DCS, untilthe migration was complete. Otherrequirements for the new process automation system included consistentbatch quality, S88-compliance, use of the existing I/O footprint and, ofcourse, minimal downtime duringthe system switch-over.

“If we chose to do nothing, it wouldhave only been a matter of time before our plant was non-operational,”said Bryant. “We knew that we had to invest in a new process automationsystem that allowed us to move ourbusiness to the next level and meetadditional market demands.”

SolutionArkema began working towards replacing the legacy control systemsat the facility and modernizing thearchitecture to increase profitabilityand safety. The company wanted afully integrated system that wouldprovide complex batch and recipecapabilities, solving the quality andconsistency issues that had proven to be problematic with the legacyDCS. Because of the complexity ofthe old system, it was important thatthe new installation be user-friendlyas well.

The company secured bids fromRockwell Automation and other automation suppliers for migratingthe system, which included controller,human-machine interface (HMI) andI/O hardware replacements. After reviewing the options, the companydecided to replace its 28-year-oldDCS platform with the Rockwell Automation PlantPAx process automation system. The PlantPAxplatform is based on the RockwellAutomation Integrated Architecture™system – delivering a unified processand discrete solution. For Arkema,the process automation platform incorporated control technology,HMI software for visualization intoeach application, batch managementsoftware to control recipes, and communications interface applications to link the systems together and provide insight for third-party access.

The new process control system centers itself on the Allen-Bradley®ControlLogix® programmable automation controller (PAC) fromRockwell Automation. Unlike conventional controllers, Control-Logix PACs provide multidisciplinedcontrol leveraging developmenttools, network protocol and service-oriented architecture, making it afully integrated, scalable control platform that can be used throughoutArkema’s plant and IT enterprise.

To help improve batch-to-batch consistency and reduce manual adjustments, the system incorporatesFactoryTalk® Batch recipe managementsoftware. FactoryTalk Batch software hasthe ability to build signature templatesand enforce command verificationpolicies, which improves productivity,and the company’s security and regulatory compliance efforts. Thissoftware is much simpler to use thanthe prior system at Arkema and allowsbatch recipes to be programmed intothe machinery and automatically followthe instructions exactly. As a result,the improved functionality makes adramatic difference in the quality ofproduct, as well as overall productivity.

Integrated into the PlantPAx system,communications interface applicationsallow users to get required data fromthe factory floor. This allows Arkemaengineers and Precision Engineeringtechnicians to gather productiondata from other applications and optimize communications with thecontroller. A Rockwell AutomationEncompass Partner, Salem Automation,also played a key integration rolewith its ABNet software interfacemodule. This device allows the newcontrol system at Arkema to interfacevia EtherNet/IP with the remaining DCS.

The Rockwell Automation technicalsupport team provided training forthe line workers and engineers, helpingthem become acclimated to the newsystem and teaching them how toleverage the new automation features.Included with the technical support,Rockwell Automation led Arkemathrough its well-defined and strategictechnology migration path.

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ResultsThe team finished phase one (replacingthe control system, HMI and I/O) ofthe migration well within the six-monthwindow necessary. In spec and on-time,the facility’s new process automationsystem has experienced zero down-time since completion date, yieldingannual savings of over $500,000 forArkema. Also, the team expected tobe at 100 percent production withinthree to four weeks of installation,but instead reached full optimumproduction during week one.

Batch creation time also has been cut in half with the PlantPAx system.Rockwell Automation engineeringtools allowed recipe and batch management to move from a controlengineering task to the productionengineering team. This makes procedures a lot quicker if the teamwants to add a new product to theline. Now, the production engineercan complete all the batch changesand new product additions withouthaving to alert the control engineer.If small recipe errors are found, theycan be fixed immediately for the next batch.

Consistency in batch making also hasimproved. With the new system, theproduction engineer is able to modifyprocedures and load recipes at thesame time while keeping everythingsynched. It has forced a large amountof consistency in both the controlrecipe and procedure. Arkema can

constantly try new grades and pilots,and make changes in a moment’s notice to the batch. In fact, two newproducts have been added to theArkema product portfolio since thenew system has been installed. Thiswould have been nearly impossiblewith the old system.

With the batch programming doneoutside the controller, operator ease-of-use has improved as well.Changes are much easier and saferthan the previous system wouldallow. Additionally, the ISA S88-compliant platform has batch

control elements, like temperatureand pressure, accessible for viewingby all operators to provide consistentand safer production.

The next phase of the migration willinvolve the facility’s waste treatmentarea. Exactly like phase one, the areais currently run on a legacy DCS andwill migrate to the PlantPAx processautomation system.

The results mentioned above are specific to Arkema’s use of Rockwell Automa-tion products and services in conjunction with other products. Specific resultsmay vary for other customers.

Publication CHEVP-AP001A-EN-E – November 2008 Copyright ©2008 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA.

Allen-Bradley, ControlLogix, FactoryTalk and Integrated Architecture are trademarks of Rockwell Automation Inc.Trademarks not belonging to Rockwell Automation are property of their respective companies.

The facility’s new process automation system has experienced zero downtime since completion date, yielding annual savings of over $500,000 for Arkema.

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