Petronas Lubricants Belgium
Urgent: systems upgrade required
Petronas produces performance oils and lubricants for the automotive sector. Oil is pumped through the factory, blended with additives and filled in drums, tank trucks or consumer packages.
Large parts of the factory were running on outdated software, which led to downtimes and made updating the production and filling lines near impossible. The servers, too, ran on an older operating system, which posed IT security risks. As a long-term support partner for Petronas Belgium, INDEFF set to work on a future-proof automation solution.
A software black box?
All documentation and schematics had gone missing over the years, so it was nearly impossible to upgrade the automation systems. The software also contained known bugs. Operators quickly found various workarounds, but the bugs eventually led to efficiency losses.
As a result, the old software system had an impact on production continuity and operators frequently called INDEFF for support.
New life for old hardware
Petronas’ existing hardware had to remain in place, so we could only install a few new thin-clients. Modern software had to be coupled to old Siemens PLCs, operator panels, field equipment and industrial networks. Not ideal, but the new software system ensures that these older installations are running smoother than ever. In addition, it provides the client with valuable insights into system status and performance. The biggest proof that this project was a success? Petronas’ operators have to make far fewer support calls to INDEFF.
Phased integration approach
INDEFF’s project engineers tackled this challenge in 2 phases. Replacing the server architecture and developing new software for the servers was the first step. Next, we replaced the obsolete software with a future-proof alternative. As there were no schematics, this involved a lot of reverse engineering.
Today, the oil transfer installation is running on a full AVEVA suite, including System Platform, InTouch, InBatch and Historian. This solution will also be applied to the blending installation. In the future, INDEFF will be providing a full MES integration as well.
Goals
- Provide an up-to-date and upgradable software solution
- Preserve existing hardware
- Increase production continuity
Challenges
- Reverse engineering due to a lack of documentation and schematics
- Combining new software to older hardware
- Implementing solutions while the client was also physically reorganizing its factory
Results
- Bug-free software that ensures optimum production flow
- Additional strategic insights into production lines and system status
- A fruitful relationship, with multiple new projects in the pipeline