“We relied heavily on Honeywell to help ensure the success of the migration project. Honeywell consultants with the knowledge of their technology and our process were able to quickly resolve any issues. The support system was excellent.”
Jean Beaulieu, Automation Coordinator, Alcan
Alcan is committed to maximizing value for its stakeholders. It employs advanced systems to improve productivity and product quality. To keep up with the latest technology, the company migrated from Honeywell’s PlantScape® platform to the Experion® Process Knowledge System (PKS) at its facility in Quebec, Canada. The migration has resulted in the following benefits:
Alcan is the world’s second largest producer of primary aluminum, a technology leader in this sector and a predominant global producer of engineered products and composites, supplying the aerospace, automotive and beverage industries. As a leading full-service provider in most packaging sectors, Alcan is a worldwide leader in pharmaceutical and cosmetics packaging, as well as other consumer goods packaging. Alcan has approximately 70,000 employees in 55 countries and is also one of the world’s leading metal traders.
With its unique Alcan Integrated Management System (AIMS), the company focuses its efforts beyond its innovative products and services to build value for a sustainable future. The focus on value is complemented by its commitment to the environment, health and safety, and the continuous improvement of business processes.
To improve plant operations at its Alma plant, the company chose to replace its Microsoft Windows operating system and PlantScape control platform with a more advanced, technology-compatible control system.
Experion PKS was the obvious choice for Alcan, not only for its easy migration path, promise of increased productivity and reduction in unscheduled downtime, but also because of Alcan’s prior experience with Honeywell products and services. In addition, the concept of a simplified supply chain where Alcan could access complete solutions for building, fire, security and process automation from a single vendor made Honeywell an attractive option. Honeywell has installed several building solutions for Alcan since 1998 and has also installed a UniSim® simulator for operating training. “Honeywell has the expertise to provide a complete solution to our building, process, fire and security needs. Relying on one provider for all of that definitely makes life easier for us,” said Jean Beaulieu, Automation Coordinator, Alcan.
The migration project includes the migration of PlantScape to Experion, upgrading the Enterprise Building Integrator (EBI) Building Manager, Fire Manager and Security Manager applications, and the installation of nearly 130 Experion Flex Stations.
PlantScape migration involves preparing a new operator station and repackaging without having to install any software. Though the first instance presented a few hurdles to overcome, the following migrations experienced no downtime and no loss of production. As the user interface remains unchanged, no operator training is required.
“One of the reasons for our success has been the great communication between Alcan staff and the Honeywell team. The support from Honeywell staff has been excellent,” said Beaulieu.
The spare parts inventory maintained by Honeywell as part of its Solution Enhancement Support Program (SESP) helped achieve zero downtime during the switchover. “Alcan’s SESP contract provides fast and effective support with on-site Honeywell staff available to proactively respond to signs of any issues before things occur,“ said Beaulieu. “It helped tremendously that we were prepared for the project. We worked closely with Honeywell to plan out a strategy for the migration.”