Building a Strong Foundation for Syngenta’s Smart Manufacturing Transformation

About Syngenta

Syngenta is a world leader in agricultural innovation and has a legacy spanning more than 250 years globally, and more than 90 years in Asia. At Syngenta Asia Pacific (APAC), 5,500+ people across 14 countries and territories strive every day to transform agriculture through tailor-made solutions for the benefit of farmers, society, and our planet. In the Asia Pacific region, Syngenta has established a strong reputation for providing high-quality products and services that address the specific needs of farmers. The company has invested in research and development centers across the region to better understand the challenges that they face and developed tailored solutions that help them improve productivity and profitability.
Syngenta's commitment to sustainable agriculture is reflected in its efforts to promote responsible use of resources, reduce waste, and minimize environmental impact. The company has implemented various initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture practices and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Syngenta’s manufacturing plant in Indonesia

 

The Challenges and the Solutions

Syngenta Asia Pacific set out to transform their production plants in the Asia Pacific region by leveraging smart manufacturing. Syngenta Asia Pacific decided to develop a comprehensive five-year master plan aimed at aiding key stakeholders in comprehending the key principles and practical applications of smart manufacturing. This involved assessing the current level of smart manufacturing maturity, creating a comprehensive transformation strategy, identifying necessary initiatives, developing a five-year implementation roadmap, formulating a business case, and selecting appropriate suppliers.
As part of the effort to develop this master plan, Syngenta Asia Pacific sought out guidance on how to best define and implement their digital transformation strategy. This included

• identifying the most effective digital technologies,
• establishing a sustainable transformation approach,
• and ensuring the delivery of value throughout the transformation process.

After careful consideration, Syngenta Asia Pacific entrusted Yokogawa to provide consultation and assistance with the start of its smart manufacturing transformation journey. With its extensive experience in process automation and the provision of technology consulting and support services, Yokogawa was well positioned to collaborate with this customer as a reliable and distinct partner throughout their smart manufacturing journey.

 

Smart Manufacturing Assessment Workshop

With its expertise in smart manufacturing, Yokogawa conducted a Smart Manufacturing Assessment Workshop to develop a five-year comprehensive transformation roadmap for five plants across the Asia Pacific region. Comprised of digital transformation consultants and subject matter experts, the Yokogawa team conducted surveys, interviews, and workshops with management leaders and experts at each site. During the Smart Manufacturing Assessment Workshop, the team assessed current manufacturing processes, workflows, and work practices, and developed plans for transformation. The team utilized the Smart Industry Readiness Index (S.I.R.I.), a global standard tool, to assess digital maturity across the core elements of each organization, and identified priority areas for transformation.

Here is a description of the major activities of the Smart Manufacturing Assessment Workshop:

Aligning vision – Yokogawa conducted interviews with department leaders at Syngenta’s corporate headquarters and at the company’s plants to understand their expectations and establish common objectives and a shared understanding of what was needed for smart manufacturing transformation.

Assessing digital maturity – Assessment of digital maturity is an essential step to lay down a strong foundation for digital transformation. Yokogawa conducted a detailed and holistic workshop to assess the digital maturity of this company’s plants. This not only considered the maturity level of technologies but also the readiness of the workforce and existing production, supply chain, and business processes.

Identifying digital priorities – Yokogawa conducted an assessment to identify focus areas that would generate the greatest value based on cost factors, business goals, and the current digital maturity level of the company.

Evaluating performance in functional areas – By carefully analyzing current work practices and tools, Yokogawa’s domain experts evaluated performance in different functional areas to identify improvement opportunities. This and the assessment of digital maturity were essential to ensure the delivery of value.

 

Assessment Workshop Report

Yokogawa submitted a detailed report to Syngenta upon the completion of the Smart Manufacturing Assessment Workshop. The report comprised the outcomes of each assessment and evaluation activity and included recommendations and a transformation roadmap for the next five years.
Yokogawa provided digital maturity scores for 16 core elements of the company. These results were estimated based on information gathered during factory tours, interviews, and workshops. The digital maturity scoring enabled Syngenta to gain a comprehensive understanding of its current level of digital readiness. This approach provided the company with a clear picture of its strengths and improvement opportunities. In addition, Yokogawa provided Syngenta with benchmarking of its digital maturity level compared to the global manufacturing sector and the chemical industry. This benchmarking will help Syngenta understand how its digital transformation compares to that of other leading organizations in its global industry.
Yokogawa estimated the areas where this transformation could have the greatest impact and identified the most promising areas for improvement. These results will help Syngenta prioritize the allocation of resources for maximum effectiveness. Furthermore, based on the performance evaluation in different functional areas, Yokogawa reported on the current state and key improvement opportunities.
The report also included actionable recommendations for strategic decision-making, listed the most impactful quick wins for business operations, and estimated returns on investment (ROI) and associated benefits. This information will help Syngenta prioritize its efforts and allocate resources more effectively, while justifying investment decisions. Yokogawa prepared a five-year smart manufacturing transformation roadmap based on insights obtained from these assessments. The roadmap included areas for improvement, enabling technologies, recommended solutions, and an action plan. This roadmap will enable Syngenta Asia Pacific to bridge any existing gaps and achieve a balanced approach toward its goal of smart manufacturing transformation.

 

Customer Satisfaction

“Implementing smart manufacturing at production sites is an important step for Syngenta to improve precision and productivity so that we can deliver the right quality products to our customers on time. By leveraging advanced technologies such as IoT, robotics, and data analytics, we can enhance production processes, reduce waste, and achieve better resource management. Smart manufacturing is transforming agricultural product manufacturing and paving the way for a more sustainable and resilient food system. It is a long journey for us, and we can’t succeed in this journey without the support of external consultants.”

- Justin Qiu (Head Product Technology & Engineering, APAC)