NOVA Chemicals seeks integration with SAP andPavilion for next-gen manufacturing intelligence
By Jim Fulcher, contributing editor -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 8/1/2006 6:00:00 AM
With two computing platforms in use at NOVA Chemicals, it was logical to want to integrate them. But rather than tackle the integration itself, the Alberta, Canada-based manufacturer of plastics and chemicals turned to its two solutions suppliers: enterprise vendor SAP, and Pavilion Technologies, which offers predictive modeling technology used to improve production processes. The three companies then went beyond basic integration to combine industry expertise, best practices, and business-critical solutions.
"We are one of a number of companies that recognize process automation and business computing should be merged, and that it offers a tremendous financial opportunity," says John Wheeler, CIO, NOVA Chemicals. "SAP realizes it can't solve all of its customers' problems, and by partnering with select ISVs [independent software vendors], it can deliver necessary functionality for [verticals] such as chemicals."
NOVA Chemicals' collaboration with SAP and Pavilion makes it one of the first users to participate in what SAP calls its industry value network (IVN) for the chemical industry. The effort matches SAP with manufacturers and software vendors to relieve customer pain points, and meet the business requirements of the chemical industry, says Colin Masson, a director with Boston-based AMR Research.
"After listening to its customers, SAP's Chemical Industry Business Unit is pioneering a new world of composite applications and enterprise services development with ISVs," Masson says. "Pavilion was selected for its potential to support the next generation of enterprise manufacturing intelligence."
Two capabilities stand out about Pavilion Technologies, explains Masson:
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Its solutions allow users to develop and execute heterogeneous composite models in a common and scalable J2EE environment that can integrate with SAP's NetWeaver J2EE-based technologies.
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It extends the principles of model predictive control to deliver a generalized predictive analytics platform for the broad-ranging models required for plant, business, and supply chain intelligence applications.
The solution at NOVA Chemicals integrates Pavilion's flagship model predictive control and model predictive intelligence applications with SAP NetWeaver Portal and SAP xMII (manufacturing integration and intelligence composite application). The integration reportedly led to margin improvement, increased production, and enhanced efficiencies in just a few months, says NOVA's Wheeler.
For instance, NOVA now analyzes its performance and compares it to theoretical possible capacity, the results of which are then given to operators in real time so they can address bottlenecks to improve capacity utilization.
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