Smart site situational awareness in Belgium

The challenge

BASF is the largest chemical producer in the world. Its plant in Antwerp is the largest chemical production site in Belgium and BASF’s second largest site worldwide. The Antwerp facility has 360 miles of underground pipelines, 3,500 employees and 50 production installations.

BASF’s Antwerp site produces large amounts of critical data during its 24/7 operations and must also manage 25 years’ worth of CAD schematics and other facilities information. All these important data sets were stored in disparate, disconnected systems, making it difficult for various BASF site managers and operations teams to have adequate situational awareness, visualize infrastructure and assets and improve employee safety.

The solution

A longtime Hexagon customer, BASF implemented a solution that integrates all its critical infrastructure and operations data into a single platform. Powered by Hexagon’s Luciad portfolio, BASF was able to create a digital twin of its Antwerp production site. BASF transformed its 600-hectacre (1,483-acre) Antwerp production facility into a smart site.

The solution provides a dynamic common operating picture that allows different users to view data types depending on their operational environment and role. The solution is accessed by engineers and managers on their laptops, tablets or desktops, as well as remotely by field workers and in control rooms providing georeferenced awareness of processes at hand.