Braskem Idesa Works with Emerson to Drive Operational Excellence, Achieve Sustainability Goals

Partnership will improve safety and reliability while reducing energy consumption and emissions with a roadmap to increase automation of its operations in Mexico

Global software and technology leader Emerson (NYSE: EMR) today announced a strategic partnership with Braskem Idesa to provide digital automation technologies and engineering services across its operations to meet business performance metrics and achieve its sustainability goals. Braskem Idesa is a joint venture between Brazil-based Braskem, the largest producer of thermoplastic resins in the Americas, and Grupo Idesa, one of the biggest petrochemical companies in Mexico.

A multi-year digital transformation roadmap will leverage Emerson’s extensive petrochemical industry expertise and broad portfolio of advanced automation technology and software solutions to drive not only operational excellence but also support Braskem Idesa’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions scope 1 and 2 by 15% by 2028 and achieving full carbon neutrality by 2050.

“We identified several key financial and performance benchmarks and brought Emerson on board to participate in the creation of a detailed digital transformation strategy for achieving Top Quartile results,” said Stefan Lepecki, Braskem Idesa’s CEO. “Having a well-defined path forward has given us the confidence to pursue our sustainability and performance goals, with advanced, integrated technologies that help us support market demands.”

Taking advantage of Emerson’s Operational Certainty methodology, the roadmap provides a framework for scalable improvements in some of the four key transformation work streams:

• Information management, including creating a data architecture for real-time KPIs and decision-making.
• Physical loss control, with enhanced energy management and loss control systems.
• Production and energy optimisation with advanced control technologies.
• Reliability and energy efficiency using data analytics, continuous emissions monitoring systems, LED lights and fugitive emissions reductions.

These work streams align with Braskem Idesa’s three-pronged strategy for the reduction of GHG emissions through energy efficiency, renewable energy use and low carbon intensity process technologies; renewable feedstocks and post-consumer recycling; and capturing carbon emissions to use as raw materials, value-added chemicals and as an alternative to future carbon taxes.

“Successful leaders are realising that sustainability initiatives are also good business,” said Mark Bulanda, executive president of Emerson’s Automation Solutions business. “Reducing waste and unnecessary raw material consumption, lowering energy costs and driving profitability, all while improving environmental sustainability, is absolutely possible with the right focus and resolve.”