As a leading chemical company, BASF Corp. has a “We create chemistry” strategy based on creating a sustainable future. The company also takes a serious stance on safety, and began a project in 2011 to investigate its plants’ safety concepts in order to continually improve safety at its production facilities.
As part of its efforts to address industrial safety, security, compliance and performance initiatives, BASF has contracted with Apprion to provide industrial wireless applications, systems and services for its North America manufacturing facilities. The two companies have finalized an initial $10 million purchase agreement for multiple application projects to be implemented over the next two years.
“We decided to pursue this extended relationship with Apprion because of the proven success with various Apprion implementations at our North American BASF facilities to date,” said Chris Witte, site manager for BASF’s facility in Freeport, Texas. Apprion’s ION Managed Services offering was a key factor in the decision, he added.
Core to Apprion’s wireless offering is the ION System, an open industrial wireless system that supports all devices, vendors and protocols and integrates all applications in a single platform. It includes ION services and Apprion’s full suite of ION industrial applications: mustering, video, communications such as emergency notification, condition monitoring, mobility for operations and turnarounds, personnel tracking, access control, and more.
The new contract covers safety applications such as mustering, personnel location and emergency notification, and future plans for monitoring and video at numerous BASF facilities in North America.
“BASF has made it clear that safety, security and compliance are top priorities at its facilities,” said Doug Donzelli, Apprion CEO. “BASF’s management teams take a proactive approach to utilizing technology for these projects. We initially worked with BASF to implement perimeter video security, condition monitoring and mobility projects at its Freeport, Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas; and Geismar, La., facilities. These BASF facilities started their wireless application projects with strategic plans and well thought-out implementations. All projects have proven successful to date and we look forward to our continued arrangement with BASF.”
As the sole source provider, Apprion will equip multiple BASF facilities with the ION system. ION hardware is made up of industrial-grade hardware devices designed to integrate and extend leading IT devices; the family includes IONizers, industrial wireless network application, IONite personnel tags and IONizer asset tags. ION services include site planning, design, implementation and managed services with around-the-clock networking monitoring. ION applications include ION mustering, ION video, ION condition monitoring, ION mobility and more.
