Zeon digitalises plant design know-how to boost engineering efficiency

Tokyo – Zeon has introduced a new digital system to "formalise" engineering know-how used in chemical plant design, aiming to improve efficiency and reduce reliance on individual expertise.

Developed jointly with Solize Ureka Technology, the system captures and organises knowledge accumulated through years of plant design work, particularly the preparation and review of P&IDs (Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams).

Zeon said P&IDs are "the basis of plant design" and are critical to equipment configuration and plant operation.

However, it said, P&ID preparation and review have traditionally relied on "highly specialised expertise and experience."

The new system "visualises" the review process, converts engineers' 'tacit knowledge' into searchable data and enables users to retrieve relevant past review comments based on design information, Zeon said 8 July.

According to Zeon, the approach helps standardise engineering practices by storing know-how as an organisational asset rather than relying on individual experience.

The company said the system has reduced variation in review quality and improved review efficiency, "reducing review preparation time by about one-third while helping prevent omissions and improving review quality."

Zeon added that it plans to extend similar digitalisation initiatives to other production technologies and operational processes, including through the use of data analytics and AI.