Ashland logotype

Ashland first out with Leonova Diamond IS in Benelux

Ashland Industries Nederland takes the help of Leonova Diamond IS in its efforts to meet the strict environmental and safety requirements imposed on so-called BRZO companies in the Netherlands.

Ashland is a worldwide specialty chemicals company. One of its largest production facilities for cellulose derivatives is located in Zwijndrecht on the outskirts of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. This Ashland plant is a long-standing SPM customer, using various Intellinova systems and the T30 portable instrument.

Dutch companies storing large quantities of hazardous substances - such as toxic, flammable or explosive substances - are subject to the Dutch implementation of the EU directive for Major Accidents Risks Decree (abbreviated BRZO in Dutch). The BRZO covers laws and regulations relating to safety at work, external safety and disaster response for the purpose of preventing and managing serious accidents with hazardous substances.

Due to their chemical production process, Ashland is categorised as a ’BRZO’ company. As such, they are required to have fixed and approved maintenance and disaster response plans in order to fulfil local regulations. Local authorities have the power to shut down a plant if regulations are not complied with and may also impose penalties. The chemical production process at Ashland also means that parts of the plant are ATEX classified and thus require ATEX certified equipment.

When SPM Instrument launched the Leonova Diamond IS portable instrument, Sr. Reliability Specialist John Bervaes at Ashland was very interested. New functionality, such as the SPM HD measuring technique, Quick Mode and Pseudo Tach, were strong arguments for the Leonova Diamond IS budget request. Since Ashland has a huge database of historical measurement data, the fact that the software is backward compatible was also important.

Ashland’s fixed and dedicated Condition Monitoring program with the existing Intellinova system and the new Leonova Diamond IS has convinced local authorities that everything is done to keep assets under control. With upgrade of the Condmaster diagnostic software, replacement of older vibration and shock pulse transducers and training of staff, Ashland is well equipped to handle all of its condition monitoring needs.