AGC : Develops Integrated Operation Management System for Chemical Plants

Chemical plants use a combination of multiple management systems, including plant control systems, plant information management systems for recording and managing operational conditions, and systems for managing product quality. Conventionally, plant operators use handwritten notes to share information and to give instructions on operations, which has been a major drawback as it requires a great deal of time and effort.
CHOPIN is a system that enables integrated management by digitizing all information related to plant operation that was previously conducted on multiple systems, as well as operator task instructions, task logs, and workflow information. AGC has developed this system for the centralized management of all data related to plant operation. In 2019, AGC started test runs at a high-performance fluorinated resin manufacturing plant at the Chiba Plant, which has reduced working hours by more than 11 hours per day. Furthermore, the introduction of this system has enabled the plant to operate stably, resulting in an annual cost savings of more than 100 million yen.

In the future, AGC plans to promote the use of real-time data using mobile handsets so that inspection data of plant floor work can be input into the operation management system sequentially.

Under its AGC plus management policy, the AGC Group is committed to promoting Smart AGC, which aims to reform business processes through digital technology. By utilizing big data from every aspect of operations including manufacturing, R&D, and sales, AGC continues to pursue the goals of achieving even more efficient operations and providing its customers with new added value.

Reference Information

■About CHOPIN
An outline of this system is as follows.
・A hybrid of cloud and in-plant systems enables continuous operation even in the event of a cloud or public network failure
・Workflow dashboard: Sharing progress on the plant floor in real time
・Operation dashboard: Centralized management of each plant's KPIs
・Yellow cards (operational near misses): Sharing operational near-miss incidents and using the information to pass on technologies and skills