Nalco Water held a palm oil industry webinar highlighting water innovations and digital solutions in Southeast Asia. The focus was Industry 4.0 — the next phase in the industrial revolution that combines physical production and operations with smart digital technology, and its potential for revolutionizing even traditional industries like palm oil.

More than 36 percent of the world's vegetable oil comes from palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia. Indonesian palm oil mills consume 3,500 to 7,500 liters of water per metric ton of oil produced. Fruit processing, steam boilers and water-intensive cooling systems all require significant amounts of water.

A Nalco Water survey of industrial companies showed that only eight percent can effectively monitor water processes on-site and more than 50 percent require seven days to respond to critical water events. This is where digital systems come in. Digital monitoring systems can enable plant managers to track water use real-time toward earlier detection of operational issues. In turn, mitigating issues earlier means more and better actionable insights in water usage and cleaner operations.

"The potential for digital technologies to transform the world's water systems is unlimited. Real-time visibility into water usage has proven useful in increasing efficiency in boiler operations and water treatment so palm oil companies can focus on maximizing efficiency and sustainable operations," said Taufiq Sonhajih, industry practitioner and BNSP certificate holder for palm oil plantations.

Nalco Water’s 3D TRASAR™ technology helped Malaysian palm oil plantation KKS Sua Betong Palm Oil Mill Sime Darby achieve annual operational cost savings of over $43,000 USD, saving water for more than 17,000 cubic meters and optimize biomass usage 900 tons per year. The 3D TRASAR™ system has prevented boiler breakdown and excess blowdown to minimize scale, corrosion and carryover.

"Moving into Industrial 4.0, I would say that Nalco Water's 3D TRASAR™ is one of the best solutions available for effective water treatment and boiler operations. We saw significant improvements in the condition of our boilers after implementing the technology. The benefits to our boiler operations in the long term is worth the investment. We have now included 3D TRASAR™ and ECOLAB3D™ intelligence in four mills. We fully support automation and digital technology in Sime Darby,” says Ir Jivaratnam Ramasundaram, Regional Chief Engineer at Sime Darby Plantation.

3D TRASAR™ powered by the ECOLAB3D™ intelligence platform, provides automated dosing control and digital insights to protect boiler conditions, achieving water savings and operational efficiency simultaneously. It detects anomalies and predicts issues, reduces the total cost of operations, and increases business performance. The tool runs on mobile devices, allowing managers to monitor operations 24/7. It provides real-time information on automated system changes, corrective actions, and results.

Today, manually recorded data is automatically saved to the cloud so that company managers elsewhere can see it. This functionality has been especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, when remote sites have been less accessible.

Nalco Water serves more than 700 palm oil mills and refineries throughout Indonesia, providing asset protection with cost-effective maintenance, water management and separation processes more efficiently and sustainably.

“The operational value of shifting to Industry 4.0 will help the palm oil players stay ahead of the game. It’s not business as usual when it comes to improved decisions and sustainable operations,” says Evan Jayawiyanto, vice president and general manager Nalco Water Southeast Asia.

About Nalco Water

Nalco Water is an Ecolab company. A trusted partner at nearly three million customer locations, Ecolab (ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services that help protect people, planet and business health. With annual sales of $13 billion and more than 47,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive science-based solutions, data-driven insights and world-class service to advance food safety, help maintain clean and safe environments, optimize water and energy use, and improve operational efficiencies and sustainability for customers in the food, healthcare, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world. www.ecolab.com

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Contact:

Agnetha Ophilia

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indonesia.communications@ecolab.com