Turning data into 'big' profit in refining industry

Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is one of the most commonly used computerised systems in any manufacturing facility. In chemical process industry, MES is ideally considered to be the link between boardroom - ie, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system - and plant floor – ie, process control system. MES works in real time and and helps the manufacturer to optimally use the current conditions on the plant floor to improve production output.
 
Companies can leverage MES for multiple function areas, such as management of product definitions across the product life-cycle, resource scheduling, order execution and dispatch, production analysis for Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), and materials track & trace.
 
“Yes, refiners remain competitive and achieve higher profitability by delivering products that consistently meet customer expectations. MES provides intelligence for optimising operations with rapid, accurate and transparent data in real-time. With a better understanding of how their plants are performing in real-time, refiners can positively impact the bottom line with timely, informed decisions about production performance. Currently, MES evolution is in the technology on the move stage to enhance performance management,” said Marty Moran, Worldwide MES Product Manager, AspenTech.
 
Most of refineries produce a lot of data. For example, a large refinery site may have 1,00,000 distinct measurements. There is enormous amount of useful information hidden in this data, which can be put to use to increase efficiency of the plant. Transforming data into meaningful business knowledge is vital to optimising production and maximising commercial potential. “Today, a refinery business needs to be more agile and responsive to fluctuations within the market. Effective performance management involves integrating planning, scheduling, execution and the ability to respond to change immediately. Thus, investment in MES delivers more efficient data management, improved production execution and enhanced operational performance, enabling refiners to quickly turn data into profit,” said Moran.
 
Big data, no big issue
Assuming that refineries work non-stop throughout the year, information emancipating from a refinery can be considered as big data. According to Gartner (2013), big data is high-volume, high-velocity and high-variety information assets that demand cost-effective, innovative forms of information processing for enhanced insight and decision making. This concept is capstone by the end result of achieving enhanced insight and decision making.
 
“AspenTech’s view of an efficient Manufacturing Execution System (MES) cumulates in the end result of enabling process manufacturers to quickly turn data into profit. This goes beyond the concept of Big Data and aspenONE MES delivers this based on the ISA-S95 framework, which delivers more efficient data management, improved production execution, and enhanced performance management,” said Moran.
 
MES is not a new concept for Indian refiners. The earliest applications were primarily data historians in the large continuous industries, such as refining, olefins and bulk chemicals. The primary need was ‘historising’ time-series data for trending and later analysis. Over time, refiners began to generate significant volumes of data but struggled to leverage information effectively.
 
In the second wave of MES evolution throughout the 1990s and into the new millennium, the petroleum industry began to recognise the importance of automated work processes. Moran informed, “Simply relying on a data historian was not enough. The era of automation began to show value as refiners strived for operational excellence through improved monitoring, control and analysis of their operations. MES today enables refiners to quickly identify manufacturing performance problems, assess root causes and take corrective action.”
 
In the third wave of MES evolution in the twenty-first century, the world has witnessed a revolution in groundbreaking interactive technology to improve daily lives – whether in the home or the workplace. “New ‘smart’ products developed during the past decade have provided greater communication and collaboration functionalities, facilitating quicker decision-making while operating on the move. Flexibility, ease of use and real-time data visualisation are significant benefits to users. This period of ‘greater intelligence’ in technology has opened up new possibilities,” Moran added.
 
For example, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited’s Kochi Refinery uses AspenTech’s Suite of Solutions for Planning, Scheduling, Blending, Production Management and Laboratory Information Management to streamline its manufacturing business processes, which has resulted in margin improvement.
 
On the other hand, Guru Gobind Singh Refinery in Bathinda (Punjab) of HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd (HMEL) has selected IBMEo s analytics-based technology to integrate the data gathered from the various components of manufacturing execution systems (MES), enterprise resource planning and control systems within the refinery. The integrated information is used to view, analyse, and make necessary decisions to improve and optimise the productivity and margins by the company.
 
Handling data on the move
Refiners can embrace operational intelligence to empower employees to perform with greater flexibility, as it helps improve access to manufacturing data at all organisational levels to drive quicker decisions. Event notifications coupled with mobile analysis tools enable faster adjustments to minimise the impact of production issues. Moran added, “The prevalence of mobile devices is transforming the process industries. Mobile solutions empower decision-makers to have immediate access to important data enabling them to make informed and quick decisions to improve profitability. For today’s engineers, the message is simple – mobile intelligence provides the perfect platform to achieve greater profitability.”
 
State-of-the-art mobile software enables faster decision-making and troubleshooting and displays critical, up-to-date information.
 
Using MES tool to solve data challenges
In recent years, there has been a steady rise in demand from refiners to use MES to solve data challenges. In fact, Moran added, over the past 30 years, MES technology has dramatically evolved to help refiners survive in today’s highly competitive markets. Real-time data and decision support tools provide access to plant information to allow quick and timely responses to production issues that negatively influence efficiency, quality and regulatory compliance. “MES is essentially the nucleus of the operation, which links all capabilities of the business. It is an integrated set of production activity and support software designed to harmonise and optimise the plant,” he said.
 
The bottom line is that effective production drives operational excellence enabling better and faster decisions. Software technology helps refiners achieve consistent performance across all assets. It also defines the importance of real-time business performance management: plan, execute, monitor and respond to change immediately on all time horizons. “History has shown that manufacturing execution systems have laid the foundations to help refiners across the globe strengthen their competitiveness and build upon the pillars of profitability,” emphasised Moran.

Why use MES?

• First and foremost, with MES, companies can now access vital plant data faster and easier. 
• Second, with MES, companies can optimise the value of their data, as manufacturing data management avails information anytime, anywhere by collecting and organising process data across disparate systems and distributing it across the enterprise. 
• Third, MES can improve consistency and reduce errors, as improved production execution enables automated workflow and order tracking – facilitating improved consistency, better production tracking, and reduced errors. 
• Last but not least, MES also helps refiners and petrochemical companies increase yields, capacity and product quality. This is because enhanced performance management delivers extensive analytical, notification and visualisation capabilities, which in turn, provides improved process understanding, faster root cause assessment and sustained quality and performance.