BASF, one of the world's leading chemical companies, has signed a long-term license agreement to deploy AspenTech's integrated engineering solution which is based on the Aspen Zyqad collaborative engineering environment.

BASF will use the software solution in combination with other Aspen engineering suite solutions to enable more efficient ork processes for major plant engineering projects.
Explaining the move, BASF senior vice president of corporate engineering Thomas Bott said: "As the world's largest chemical company, we need efficient global standards and work practices. AspenTech's integrated engineering solution enables best practice engineering work processes that will result in improved efficiency and reduced project cycle time. After a thorough technical evaluation of the solution, a joint BASF and AspenTech team performed a work process study that identified significant benefits."
During a first implementation phase, the solution will primarily be applied in BASF's engineering units to manage the process flow diagrams, equipment datasheets, and other documents generated during the conceptual and extended basic design phases. Work processes will be streamlined through integration with other key design and engineering systems used by BASF, notably Intergraph's product suite and a number of n-house applications.
A second phase of the implementation is envisaged to start early in 2005. During this phase, the solution is planned to be deployed o other engineering disciplines in the corporate and works engineering units, uch as mechanical, electrical and instrumentation.
"We see this first implementation phase as a major step in establishing AspenTech's integrated engineering solution as the corporate standard in BASF," said David McQuillin, president and chief executive officer of AspenTech. "The solution will help to build on the key strengths of BASF by enabling engineering data to be shared consistently across multiple disciplines and groups. It will also provide a platform to capture best practices and corporate knowledge in a standard system, resulting in improved efficiency and quality in the company's ront-end engineering processes."
The deployment of the integrated engineering solution by BASF follows the company's recent decision to select AspenTech's information management solution as the foundation of a new manufacturing execution system (MES) strategy for its worldwide manufacturing plants.
The BASF deal comes at a time when ApsenTech is experiencing significant growth in its polymer production control business. The company has launched a range of new products which had led to the signing of ten major agreements in the last 18months. These cover 13 polymer production lines for customers as diverse as Sabic, Sinopec, Petrokemya and
Thai Polythene.
"Our recent polymer production control projects are delivering significant improvements in plant operating performance, with results in the range of 2--10percent capacity increase, 25--50percent reduction in transition off-specification material, and 50--100percent reduction in steady-state off specification material. In addition, our customers are also experiencing reduced lab testing costs, reduced maintenance costs, and better start-up reliability," said senior vice president Steve Pringle.

The aspenONE advanced process control module is tailored to the special needs of the polymers industry through the application of the Aspen Apollo non-linear controller. This based on technology that combines process operational knowledge with grade transition data in order to produce highly accurate on-linear dynamic models. These models provide the speed and efficiency of an empirical model but with the accuracy and reliability of a rigorous modelling approach.
"The current success of our polymer production control business represents some of the first returns we have seen as a result of our substantial investment in new products over the past two years," concluded McQuillin.