Braskem Chooses Meridium Asset Performance Management Solution

Meridium, Inc., the leader in asset performance management (APM) software and consulting solutions, today announced plans for a Meridium implementation at Braskem, the leading petrochemical company in Latin America. Braskem operates 14 petrochemical plants with a production capacity of more than 5 million tons per year of chemical and petrochemical products.

Over the next year, Meridium will provide software and services to implement its APM solution at Braskem to reduce cost and equipment downtime, extend shutdown intervals, and optimize PM schedules through sustainable reliability work processes.

“Braskem has chosen Meridium to be our integrated asset performance management system,” said Luis Mario Chavez, Braskem Reliability Manager. “Meridium can help us to increase our competitiveness. We believe Meridium functionality dovetails with our corporate objectives of guaranteeing availability and reliability and preserving the safety and integrity of our people, our environment and our facilities.”

In choosing Meridium, Braskem considered a number of factors, one of the most critical of which was Meridium’s partnership with SAP applications, which are the main tool in “Formula Braskem,” an integrated business management project with an estimated NPV of US$ 113 MM in 5 years. “Given Meridium’s tight integration to mySAP® Business Suite, Braskem has made the strategic decision to choose Meridium based on the increased asset management functionality afforded by the combined solution,” according to Stefan Lepecki, Formula Braskem Director.

According to Bonz Hart, Meridium founder and CEO, “We’re pleased to be working with an industry leader such as Braskem that puts a high priority on operational excellence. Braskem recognizes that, during increasingly competitive times, reliability and availability initiatives must align with business objectives in order to be successful and profitable.”

About Meridium

Meridium, Inc. is the leader in asset performance management software and consulting solutions for industries including refining, chemicals and power. With Meridium, companies can achieve predictable production capacity without additional capital expense by increasing reliability and improving the performance of their production assets. For more information, visit http://www.meridium.com or call +1 (540) 344-9205.

About Braskem

Braskem S.A. is the largest Brazilian petrochemical company with headquarters in Sao Paulo. The company was formed in 2002 as part of a major restructuring of the Brazilian petrochemical industry. Braskem operates 14 chemical plants with a production capacity of 5 million tons per year of chemical and petrochemical products. Many of Braskem’s plants are located in three major complexes—Camacari in Bahia state, Triunfo in Rio Grande do Sul, and Maceio in Alagoas state. There is also a plant in Sao Paulo. While the company’s main business focus is on the thermoplastic resins polyethylene, polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride, it makes around half of Brazil’s output of basic petrochemicals and solvents. Additional information can be obtained at http://www.braskem.com.br