Evonik selects PTC ThingWorx to drive digital transformation in production

Essen/Munich – Evonik has established a comprehensive and integrated digital agenda to drive forward the digital transformation of its production and supply chain processes and the life cycle of its manufacturing facilities. The strategy is based on ThingWorx, PTC’s Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform for the rapid and efficient development of IIoT applications that can be securely scaled from edge to cloud. Evonik will use ThingWorx to develop numerous applications for rollout across the enterprise. Plants and employees at more than 100 Evonik sites worldwide will benefit from the same applications, which can be quickly and easily adapted to meet specific site needs.

Evonik, represented by Thomas Schiffer, Head of Digitization/Processes in Evonik's Technology & Infrastructure Division, has also been selected the newest member of PTC's Product Advisory Board. The advisory board members report on their experiences with PTC software solutions and provide helpful input that contributes to the improvement and further development of the products. Both companies benefit from the initiative as the collaboration enables ongoing adaption of the technologies to market-specific requirements.

"An IIoT platform to which we can connect our system landscape is of central importance for the automation of our processes in a production-related environment," explains Thomas Schiffer. "The platform enables us to integrate our data immediately and use it as a basis for developing and rolling out new digitalization solutions that make us faster and more efficient."

Evonik's teams of developers connect various information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) systems with the ThingWorx platform and Microsoft Azure. This results in apps that accelerate processes, close media breaks and make work easier. The data structure is based on the uniform standard architecture of NAMUR and the international standard data model DEXPI and forms the basis for the digital twin.

"ThingWorx does not influence the existing processes; it extracts the data necessary to develop new applications and complements the other programs, acting as a seamless interface between the systems. Based on a defined and standardized data structure, ThingWorx then makes all relevant data available. We are pleased to support Evonik on its path to the Digital Plant," says Nathanael Milker, Market Director at PTC.

The first apps based on ThingWorx have already been successfully implemented in the company. For example, one new app combines a digital checklist tool for plant tours with Evonik's process information systems. Among other things, ThingWorx is used to feed back current plant data in the form of a graphic to the checklist. This enables plant staff to identify deviations or trends more quickly during the tour. Also available are various dashboard and support apps that calculate and visualize important KPIs from different source systems. This supports optimization measures at the plants and enables a more efficient production process.