Virtual desktop software
BASF slashes upgrade time by moving software from desktop to server
By Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 5/1/2008 12:00:00 AM
BASF is the leading chemical company in the world, with a product portfolio ranging from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products, and care chemicals to crude oil and natural gas.
BASF engineers are organized in the global Engineering & Maintenance competence center, which designs and builds state-of-the-art chemical plants and facilities for BASF Group worldwide.
No plant or facility comes on stream without BASF Engineering involvement. “Our main task is simulating processes for new plants and optimizing existing ones,” says Dr. Alexander Wiesel, senior process engineer, BASF Group. “We look for better process design, optimizing the use of assets and increasing capacities by removing plant bottlenecks.”
The primary tool BASF uses for the simulation and optimization of plant processes is AspenTech’s aspenONE Process Engineering suite. “AspenTech solutions enable us to model complex and large-scale process plants and provide effective and efficient decision support for the BASF operating divisions,” Wiesel says.
BASF IT Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF, provides IT support for the large company. Installing new software across multiple desktops is no small task for a company the size of BASF.
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The aspenOne Process Engineering suite enables the modeling of complex, large-scale process plants. BASF simplified the process of upgrading this application—and others—by placing them on the Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization platform. |
BASF significantly cut the time to cross check all newly installed software to ensure compatibility with pre-existing desktop applications with the implementation of Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization, which the aspenONE suite now runs on. With the virtualization technology, applications that once resided on engineers’ individual desktops are hosted on a central BASF server, which users can access from any desktop in seconds.
By virtualizing BASF’s software usage rather than depending on central software distribution, the effort associated with scripting software and time-consuming cross checking has been significantly reduced. Additionally, when migrating to new software releases there is no longer a risk because it can be tested in parallel to the current version, helping to keep BASF focused on it its core business.
Joint value proposition:
AspenTech is a leading provider of award-winning process optimization software and services. AspenTech’s integrated aspenONE solutions enable manufacturers to reduce costs, increase capacity, and optimize operational performance end-to-end throughout the engineering, plant operations, and supply chain management processes, resulting in millions of dollars in cost savings. AspenTech solutions operate on Microsoft technology, and the two companies have partnered to ensure the companies’ products can be blended to create solutions that meet the specific needs of process-oriented manufacturers.
AspenTech Solutions
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aspenONE: AspenTech’s flagship aspenONE application suite optimizes processes across a wide range of engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain operations, creating value through improved margins, higher yields, more throughput, and lower energy consumption.
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Aspen Simulation Workbook: Allows non-engineers to leverage process modeling tools via Microsoft Excel.
Microsoft Solutions
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• Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization: A component of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization enables deployment of critical applications in a central location to give users secure access to those applications from any PC in any location whenever they need it.
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• Microsoft Excel: A spreadsheet program used for organizing and analyzing critical business data. Vendors like ApsenTech are working with Microsoft to make Excel the front-end interface to business applications.
