Air Liquide implements first remote operation center for France units
Air Liquide inaugurated in France, in the frame of the Connect project, an operation center. It enables the remote management of production for 22 of the Group’s units in France, optimizing their energy consumption and improving their reliability.
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| Photo Courtesy of Air Liquide. |
With “technological showcase” certification from the Industry of the Future Alliance, Connect represents an investment of €20 million. This project is based on the implementation of new digital technologies at French production sites and on the creation of new skills.
Like a control tower, the remote operation and optimization center, located near Lyon, in Saint-Priest, has a nationwide vision of customer needs for oxygen, nitrogen, argon and hydrogen. Capable of stopping or restarting a site remotely, the center adapts the production level of the plants according to customer demand.
Through the analysis of big data 24/7 for 22 sites in France, Air Liquide is developing predictive maintenance for production sites by identifying the weak signals that precede a malfunction. Algorithms devised by Air Liquide engineers are used to fine-tune equipment adjustments in plants in order to optimize energy consumption, leveraging nearly 15 years of data gathered from all industrial sites.
In the plants, new technologies (touch tablets, 3D scanning, video tutorials, etc.) are also being introduced for maintenance and inspection management operations and the organization of daily tasks for operators.
"We are proud to implement the first industrial gases remote operation center, which contribute to strengthen the Group's competitiveness,” Guy Salzgeber, Senior Vice-President and member of the Air Liquide Group’s Executive Committee supervising Europe Industries, said. “The Group's digital transformation is taking a new step, enabling Air Liquide to even better anticipate the needs of its industrial customers while strengthening the reliability of its production units."
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