Wood expands chemicals footprint with fully integrated digital solutions

Wood has launched a significant digitally-forward project with Röhm, a leading methacrylate manufacturer, where project work will be fully integrated with state-of-the-art technology solutions provided by AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software.

Wood will deliver engineering, procurement and construction management services for Röhm’s new Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) production plant, which will be built on the site of OQ Chemicals in Bay City, Texas. The technology solutions, using artificial intelligence and digital twins, applied to this project will deliver value and sustainability by reducing operational costs, energy consumption levels and wastewater volumes.

This contract aligns with the launch of Wood and AVEVA’s alliance with the goal to accelerate industrial digital transformation. While Wood executes more than 1,000 projects a year with the AVEVA platform, as part of the company’s 20-year strategic partnership, this will be the first project that incorporates the full suite of tools offered by AVEVA.

“Wood is embracing a digital transformation to meet sustainability targets and we envision this cutting-edge technology will be incorporated into nearly all of our work over the next five years and beyond,” said Mike Collins, Executive President of Projects at Wood.

“This contract demonstrates our leadership in the specialty chemical space, reinforcing our ability to execute a project of this scale, and gives us an opportunity to expand the footprint of our chemicals business along the Gulf coast region,” added Collins.

“The plant will be the first of its kind to implement our newly developed LiMA technology on a large industrial scale. Compared to other MMA processes, this technology has the clear advantage of cost leadership in operation and enables a high yield with low energy consumption,” said Michael Pack, CEO of Röhm. “In addition to providing a safer, more cost-effective path to project completion, we are looking forward to incorporating the groundbreaking technology solutions from Wood and AVEVA into our workstream.”

This project builds on Wood’s long-standing relationship with Röhm, leveraging more than 20 years of legacy collaboration. Up to 150 people will be employed on this contract and mechanical completion is projected for October 2023.