LANXESS is driving forward the digitization of its production. The specialty chemicals company has implemented a self-service analytics system for time-series data in many areas of its global plant fleet. Almost two thirds of its roughly 120 plants were equipped with the self-service analysis platform TrendMiner from Software AG, including all major production sites in Germany, Belgium, the U.S. and India. Only smaller plants with less complex processes are not yet covered by the implementation.
With TrendMiner, production employees can autonomously analyze manufacturing processes and measurement data, detect patterns and trends in these data, and thus detect production irregularities. Typical applications include capacity increase, predictive maintenance, improvement of product quality or more efficient raw material and energy use.
More performance, lower costs
Jörg Hellwig, Chief Digital Officer of LANXESS, emphasizes the economic advantages for LANXESS. “The use of data analytics tools in production is a clear business case. Tests with TrendMiner have proven this. With the successful roll-out, LANXESS is now leveraging the optimization potential throughout the Group.”
In initial projects, LANXESS has significantly increased its capacity utilization in selected plants, optimized resource efficiency and reduced maintenance costs with the help of TrendMiner. In some cases, six-figure euro amounts were saved.
The digital transformation at LANXESS also serves to further develop employees. Hellwig: “Competences in the field of digital data analytics will be essential for chemists and chemical engineers in the years to come. With the training on TrendMiner, we are already making our employees fit for the future.”
Cooperation based on trust
Sanjay Brahmawar, CEO of Software AG, underlines the good cooperation. “We are thrilled with the outcome of the successful roll-out of TrendMiner to offer LANXESS end to end capabilities to drive their digital automation. Their openness and trust was the perfect basis for our intensive cooperation. LANXESS continues to break new grounds in the chemical industry with its products and innovation and we are proud to be a part of their digital transformation story.”
LANXESS launched its digitalization initiative in 2017. To this end, the company has established a dedicated business unit. The key areas of activity of the initiative are the development of digital business models, the introduction of new technologies along the value chain, the development and use of big data and the embedding of digital skills among employees.