Honeywell to install Experion at world’s largest paraxylene plant

Abu Dhabi, May 2, 2007 – Honeywell announced a $7.7 million project to supply its Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) R300 and Safety Manager technology for the world’s largest paraxylene plant. Experion will ensure smooth and efficient production at the $1.2-billion Sohar Aromatics plant, located at Oman’s Port of Sohar. The contract was awarded by GS Engineering and Construction, based in Seoul.

Experion is widely used in chemical plants throughout the globe to streamline production by integrating critical subsystems. It gives operators greater insight into how subsystems affect the overall plant, as well as better information to make decisions on the plant floor. Experion can also integrate safety-instrumented systems (SIS) like Safety Manager to more safely automate start-up and shutdown sequences, for example. This integration is crucial in a facility such as a chemical plant, where volatile products make for dangerous working environments.

In addition to Experion and Safety Manager, Honeywell will provide Uniformance PHD, its data historian, as well as project management and engineering services. The project is expected to be completed by December 2008, and production at the Aromatics Oman LLC-owned facility is slated to begin in 2009.

“Experion is a proven technology that gets the right information to the right people on the plant floor, and Honeywell is a proven leader in safety, project delivery and engineering,” said JT Chung, vice president of GS Engineering & Construction. “Those were critical factors in deciding which technology to implement in this world-class facility. When the plant becomes operational, it will feed a fast-growing demand and need to function as efficiently as possible. We chose Honeywell’s solution with that objective in mind.”

The plant will produce 814,000 tons of paraxylene per year and 210,000 tons of benzene. Paraxylene is used in the production of polyester fibers and plastic bottles. Benzene is an industrial chemical used to produce a wide range of plastics, detergents and other chemicals.

“To ensure efficient production, chemical companies must possess a keen understanding of how every piece of technology within their plants affects the overall operation,” said Simon Park, regional general manager for Honeywell Process Solutions Korea. “Experion provides that kind of meaningful information and helps operators see the bigger picture, which ultimately leads to better decisions and results.”

By contracting Honeywell for engineering and project management services, GS Engineering and Construction expects to shave about four months off the project schedule and will be able to focus on other critical areas of the plant.

“In any new system implementation, good project management is critical to keeping schedules. Having a partner with proven project-delivery capabilities like Honeywell is reassuring, especially for a project of this size and complexity,” said Chung.

Honeywell International is a $33 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London and Chicago Stock Exchanges. It is one of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is also a component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

Honeywell Process Solutions is part of Honeywell’s Automation and Control Solutions group, a global leader in providing product and service solutions that improve efficiency and profitability, support regulatory compliance, and maintain safe, comfortable environments in homes, buildings and industry.