Mitsui Chemicals and Yokogawa Solution Service CorporationJoin Hands in Training Programs for Safe Plant Operations

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: Tsutomu Tannowa; “Mitsui Chemicals”)　and Yokogawa Solution Service Corporation (President & CEO: Hitoshi Nara; “Yokogawa Solution Service”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yokogawa Electric Corporation with its head office in Musashino, Tokyo, have agreed to start up a new training business to contribute to safer plant operations.

Mitsui Chemicals announced earlier (December 17, 2014 news release) that from April 2015 it would offer “hands-on” training programs to Japanese industry personnel working with hazardous materials similar to those used at Mitsui Chemicals to bolster overall industry safety standards. The training curriculum at the Mitsui Chemicals Plant Operation Technology Training Center located within the Mobara Works in Chiba, Japan will now be extended to Yokogawa Solution Service customers as one of its customer services.

The two companies will consolidate their strengths and skills, with Mitsui Chemicals bringing its expertise on plant operations and safety management and Yokogawa Solution Service bringing its plant control and solution proposal know-how to the table to develop new training programs.

Background

Following a series of plant accidents in the oil and gas, petrochemical, and steel industry sectors, concern has shifted from increasing production efficiency to improving production safety. In addition, decreases in the number of skilled operators and maintenance workers in developed countries including Japan and in emerging markets have made the development of human resources a major issue.

Mitsui Chemicals established its Plant Operation Technology Training Center in October 2006 to provide training for the Company’s domestic and overseas group company production operators to improve production site capabilities, advance skills and knowledge, instill the importance of safety, good operations and facilities, and develop personnel with problem solving skills. Yokogawa Solution Service, on the other hand, opened their training center in 1957 to provide technical training for measurement and controls and instruct customers adopting Yokogawa control systems and equipment.

The new partnership will allow Yokogawa Solution Service’s domestic clientele to attend three training programs in safety, operations, and equipment at the Mitsui Chemicals Plant Operation Technology Training Center.

Outline of Training Program

Mitsui Chemicals Plant Operation Technology Training Center has a methanol distillation training plant with water operation facilities and a DCS (distributed control system) which are used in simulation and basic operational training. In addition the training site has an operation training plant complete with safety and other equipment to allow “hands-on” training in "safety, operations, and equipment". Hands-on training is conducted by experienced Mitsui Chemicals Group employees from domestic sites.

Starting in April 2015, Mitsui Chemicals’ training program will be offered by Yokogawa Solution Service to its customers as solution support, addressing needs to strengthen production site capabilities.

Training Programs

Ongoing efforts:

The two companies will capitalize on Mitsui Chemicals’ expertise in plant operations and operator training and Yokogawa Solution Service’s know-how in plant control and solution proposal to develop new training curriculums and improve current programs and services to contribute to safer industry standards and more efficient operations.