Ascend Performance Materials Case Study

• Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
• Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries

• Discrete Manufacturing
• Quality Assurance

• Manufacturing System Automation
• Predictive Maintenance
• Condition Monitoring

• System Integration
• Software Design & Engineering Services

Ascend Performance Materials, a global leader in the production of Nylon 6,6, was facing challenges in tracking data to ensure production efficiency and product quality. There was a lack of process consistency throughout the plants. The company was not leveraging modern technology to optimize its operations. Ascend operations had to access multiple software systems to manage day-to-day operations in an effective and secure manner. These systems generated large sets of data which contained critical information pertaining to management systems, planning and cost information in business systems and energy consumption. As a result, Ascend management was challenged with creating relevant reports reflecting performance measures in overall context of their operational process. The company’s previous process entailed collecting and analysing data manually which was not effective, since the information collected was generated after the fact, and was too complex for collaborative use across the organisation.

Ascend Performance Materials is a global leader in the production of Nylon 6,6, a type of nylon used in the production of textiles, carpet, and molded plastics. The company has four integrated manufacturing facilities located throughout the southeast region of the U.S. Ascend was behind the times in the implementation and use of modern technology to optimize its operations. The company had to access multiple software systems to manage day-to-day operations in an effective and secure manner. These systems generated large sets of data which contained critical information pertaining to management systems, planning and cost information in business systems and energy consumption.

Ascend Performance Materials implemented Mobile Operator Rounds combined with AVEVA Intelligence and Workflow to create a “Visual Factory” to improve its manufacturing operations. The company created a “Visual Factory” by combining Intelligence and Workflow, along with IntelaTrac to leverage key information data from multiple sources. Intelligence software addressed the challenges faced by Ascend to leverage the hidden insights in industrial data. The software automated the transformation of time series and transactional data across multiple sources and turned large amounts of industrial “big data” into actionable metrics and key performance indicator (KPI) information. Metrics and context data is kept in an open information model, providing a single version of the current data. This is stored in data warehouses and enterprise business intelligence tools enabling Ascend management to make strategic sense out of the production data. Ascend also implemented AVEVA Workflow software, an advanced workflow application that enables companies to digitise manual and automated processes that include people, equipment, and/or systems. Ascend also used IntelaTrac, a mobile workforce and decision support system that features configurable software and ruggedized mobile hardware solutions.

• Ascend operations can now access multiple software systems to manage day-to-day operations in an effective and secure manner.
• The company's previous process of collecting and analysing data manually has been replaced with an automated system.
• Ascend management can now create relevant reports reflecting performance measures in the overall context of their operational process.

• The company achieved a savings of $500,000 in utilities and materials costs.
• More than $1 million in savings was achieved in maintenance costs.
• Avoided potential plant shutdowns which equates to a savings of $2 million.