Engineering Department Established to Strengthen Engineering Functions and Deliver Smart Safety

Mar. 29, 2021

Sumitomo Chemical has decided to newly establish an Engineering Department on April 1, 2021. With this change, the company will build an agile engineering system across the board for new plant construction and large-scale facility renovation, while also strengthening the safety and maintenance functions of the existing Engineering & Maintenance Department at each plant, to accelerate efforts on smart safety utilizing digital technology.

Sumitomo Chemical has already had an Engineering & Maintenance Department in place at several plants, including Chiba Works, Ehime Works, and Oita Works, as an organization responsible for facility design and maintenance work of plants. The department has contributed to safe and stable operations to date as it offers the optimal engineering functions in accordance with the characteristics of each plant. Amid globalization and accelerated changes in the business environment, we are expected to carry out operations more rapidly than ever before, especially for new plant construction and expansion work, and to increase support for large-scale capital expenditures overseas. Furthermore, in the face of many aging facilities owned by the company and the decline in the working-age population in Japan, it is imperative that we optimize all safety and maintenance operations at a company level, develop human resources responsible for these operations, and transfer knowledge to younger workers.

Given these circumstances, Sumitomo Chemical will build an efficient system across the board, enabling more seamless design and construction of new plants and large-scale renovations, and enhancing the safety and maintenance function of the Engineering & Maintenance Department at each plant. The newly established Engineering Department will work toward the company-wide optimization of engineering work, and mobilize and nurture human resources. It will also work more closely with Sumitomo Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd., and Ciatec Ltd., both of which are group engineering companies. The Engineering & Maintenance Department in each plant will focus on smart safety utilizing digital technologies, including the predictive detection of risks based on data obtained from integrated platforms (which are pegged to data on equipment, operations, and engineering).

Sumitomo Chemical will continue to increase the sophistication of all plant functions to respond quickly and flexibly to changes in the business environment, and aim to achieve sustainable growth and enhanced corporate value through the continuation of safe and stable operations.

Contact

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