AVEVA’s Industrial Data Platform empowers Mitsubishi Chemical’s Digital Transformation

Enhancing the utilization of industrial data, the platform integrates production and operation data across multiple systems to optimize digital transformation for the group’s chemical plants.

Tokyo, Japan, Nov 15, 2023 – AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, today announced that Mitsubishi Chemical Group Co., Ltd. (hereafter, Mitsubishi Chemical) has implemented AVEVA Asset Information Management¹ (AIM) as an industrial data platform to accelerate digital transformation (DX) and sustainable innovation for their chemical plants.

Mitsubishi Chemical the leading global manufacturer of high-performance thermoplastics and composites, will first implement AVEVA AIM at the Kyushu Plant which is positioned as a model plant for the company while also introducing various digital solutions. Mitsubishi Chemical is promoting Chemical Plant DX to respond to issues including labor shortages and increasing risk for equipment deterioration. Due to the complexities of safety and conditions in chemical plants, Mitsubishi Chemical is working on DX using IoT, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and other technologies to achieve data-driven management and operations. Specifically, the company installs vibration sensors and other devices to help prevent downtime and equipment failure.

Using AVEVA AIM, integrated with the AVEVA PI System², Mitsubishi Chemical will now have a more holistic view of real-time operational and engineering data, with the potential to  reduce information retrieval and verification time by up to 60%, while also minimizing downtime in the event of anomalies. Unifying a variety of data, such as 3D models, intelligent P&IDs, drawings, data sheets, specifications, maintenance system history, point cloud data, the platform enables the optimization of maintenance and equipment upgrades as required.

Mitsubishi Chemical has been working to develop and standardize its process data infrastructure by adopting the AVEVA PI system as a company-wide system since 2019, to visualize information about the production and operation of chemical plants in real time, anytime, anywhere and by the people who need it.

Its AVEVA PI System has been accumulating 20 to 30 years of historical data in the operation/maintenance area of each site and plant, and when leveraging information across multiple systems, it previously took time to physically check with the relevant sections on site and often relied on skilled knowledge. Furthermore, as the volume of data has grown exponentially and systems have been updated, it has not been easy to obtain the latest information, and the utilization of siloed data was increasingly becoming a challenge.

Takayuki Aoyama, General Manager of DX Solution Delivery Department, Business Solution Delivery Division, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, said: " Through Digital Transformation, we aim to achieve safer, more efficient operations and sustainable growth by innovating plant operations and management. AVEVA PI System is one of the systems with important data, and by including it as a target for collaboration, it enables us to seamlessly transit from checking static information to dynamic insights such as trend data. AVEVA AIM can be used in a wider range and frequency of applications beyond AVEVA PI System and we believe it would have a significant synergistic outcome.  AVEVA AIM also promotes data-driven plant management and creates new insights and value for us.”

Masaki Kogure, Vice President, Japan at AVEVA, said: “By leveraging the industrial data platform with AVEVA AIM and AVEVA PI System, customers can seamlessly build a data infrastructure and more effectively operate their plants while optimizing reliability and sustainability. It allows us to take our customer’s asset management strategy to the next level while helping enhance resilience and agility. We are excited to be working with Mitsubishi Chemical to help support their site standardization and digital transformation initiatives.”

Mitsubishi Chemicals also plans to use AVEVA AIM to optimise efficiency and decision making for remote operators responding to abnormalities in the field, providing them with more accurate data on equipment, as well as historical data on prior incidents.

¹ AVEVA™ Asset Information Management Information is a cloud-based industrial data solution that is the foundation to engineering projects and asset performance management strategies. AVEVA Asset Information Management delivers a continuously evolving single source of truth across an asset’s life cycle. It provides governance and stewardship of information to support decision-making and achieve effective project and asset performance management.

² AVEVA™ PI System (formerly OSIsoft PI System), is an industry-leading data management solution built specifically to overcome the challenges of industrial environments. With AVEVA PI System, you can collect and store data from any location and source and rapidly extract the insights you need to optimize your business—all in a no-code, flexible environment.

About Mitsubishi Chemical

Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, or MCC, is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation and is a leading global manufacturer of high-performance thermoplastics and composites. It is a Japanese corporation, that merged with Mitsubishi Pharma Corporation in 2005 to create Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation. Mitsubishi Chemical is the largest chemical corporation in Japan.

The group is focused on leading with innovative solutions to achieve ‘KAITEKI’, by providing value to all stakeholders and contributing to healthy living and the sustainable life of people and the planet.