Leveraging SaaS to achieve cloud-based scalability, enterprise-grade security and rapid deployment

Driving digital transformation

BASF SE is the world’s largest chemical company, with operations spanning chemicals, materials, industrial solutions, surface technologies, nutrition and care and agricultural solutions. Headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany, BASF operates in more than 90 countries, serving virtually every sector of the global economy.

Its Catalysts division, part of the Surface Technologies segment, is a global leader in chemical catalysts and precious metals services. These technologies are foundational to more than 90 percent of all commercial chemical processes, enabling cleaner air, higher yields and greater efficiency across industries.

The work of Catalysts is also pivotal to the global energy transition. Using circular economy initiatives with precious metals recycling, BASF develops solutions for battery materials, optimizing refineries and reducing emissions.

But delivering such innovation is complex. Engineering teams manage mountains of technical documentation and compliance data, and a single error in access control or version management could put safety, compliance or profitability at risk.

Recognizing this, the first BASF Catalysts branch located in Poland worked with Siemens Digital Industries Software on digital transformation to strengthen its technical foundation and implement Teamcenter® X software. The goals were to modernize document management, improve planning and execution and secure operations against rising cyber threats, all while minimizing information technology (IT) costs and preparing for future scalability. They are the first BASF Catalyst site to implement Teamcenter to realize their goals.

Confronting the risks of fragmented data

Technical information drives every stage of production and service at BASF Catalysts. Engineers rely on piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), electrical schematics and mechanical drawings, compliance teams track approval records and safety documents and project managers orchestrate schedules across a wide portfolio of initiatives.

However, much of this work was being done in silos. Without centralized control, teams circulated duplicate and outdated files, while unauthorized edits undermined data integrity. Project schedules remained disconnected from the technical deliverables they were meant to support, and on-premises information technology (IT) management consumed resources that could otherwise be directed toward innovation.

“Unauthorized users could edit files, and that was one of the main reasons we looked for a new solution,” says Piotr Wacek, infrastructure and process safety engineer at BASF Catalysts Polska. “We wanted confidence in who could access and approve our technical documents.”

After evaluating options, BASF Catalysts Polska selected Siemens’ Teamcenter, a leading product lifecycle management (PLM) platform, to create a secure digital thread backbone that connects documentation, project planning, execution and compliance across the organization. Teamcenter is part of the Siemens Xcelerator business platform of software, hardware and services.

Teamcenter provides trust and scale

Trusted by organizations across industries, Teamcenter offers a range of capabilities to meet BASF Catalysts Polska’s needs. The platform’s capability to connect data from
design through manufacturing, simulation, technical publication and service provides a holistic environment for managing complexity. The web-based client for Teamcenter enables engineers, project managers and compliance officers to access the same system without barriers.

Driving greater value in the cloud

Rather than deploying PLM on premises, BASF Catalysts Polska consulted Siemens partner CAMdivision and made the strategic choice to adopt Teamcenter X, Siemens’ software as a service (SaaS) PLM solution. With Teamcenter X, BASF eliminates the need for costly hardware, servers and internal data centers, as all operations, maintenance and updates are managed directly by Siemens. This enables BASF to optimize capital expenditures and reduce full-time equivalent (FTE) resources required for system upkeep.

Delivered with built-in best practices and preconfigured workflows, Teamcenter X is fast and easy to deploy so BASF could get up and running quickly while taking advantage of Siemens’ enterprise-grade data protection.

“In the area of digital transformation and rising cyber risks, data security has become the foundation of our operations,” says Wacek, adding the solution enabled them to retire legacy security tools and licensing models, and consolidate all users into a controlled, auditable environment.

With a service-based model, BASF can easily scale its user base up or down based on demand. The SaaS solution minimizes risk of downtime, while giving engineers and managers reliable, secure access to the system across geographies.

Bringing order to documentation and approvals

Teamcenter X now serves as the central repository for P&IDs, electrical drawings, mechanical schematics and compliance files. Every document is linked to an approval workflow, ensuring that only authorized users can make edits. Access rights and audit trails provide visibility for compliance officers as well, reducing the risk of regulatory issues.

“For us, it was critical to know who had access to documents and who could modify them,” says Wacek. “With Teamcenter X, that control is now built into the system.”

By unifying technical documents with requirements, configuration and change management, BASF now has a reliable system of record that supports compliance and continuous improvement.

Using Teamcenter Program Planning to streamline projects

Once its digital foundation was established, BASF turned its attention to improving orchestration with Teamcenter Program Planning for interactive, timeline-based program management.

With Program Planning, managers can quickly create and modify programs, projects, subprojects and events directly in a program timeline visual interface, like the Teamcenter Schedule Manager Gantt chart. Drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to adjust dates and dependencies, while workload views help balance resources across the technical department. Teams can expand or collapse project structures to focus on what matters most, and built-in search features ensure nothing is overlooked.

The result is a more agile approach to program and project management, where changes are made in context and progress is visible to all stakeholders.

“Teamcenter Program Planning helps us align our technical department with future services,” says Wacek. “It makes it easier for everyone to work in one unified tool.”

Driving execution with Teamcenter Schedule Manager

Complementing Program Planning is Teamcenter Schedule Manager, which enables BASF project managers to create detailed project schedules that include task dependencies, templates and critical path analysis.

Because tasks are linked directly to deliverables in Teamcenter X, updates flow automatically into the schedule. Real-time status tracking ensures that all stakeholders have visibility into project progress and details without the need for manual reporting.

“Teamcenter Schedule Manager supports our project managers during execution,” Wacek said. “It connects tasks with deliverables and keeps our teams synchronized.”

By integrating scheduling into the PLM backbone, BASF has reduced miscommunication and enhanced alignment between technical data and project timelines.

Expanding the digital thread and digital twin

In addition to improving documentation and program management, Teamcenter X provides BASF with a digital thread backbone that connects processes across engineering, manufacturing, service lifecycle management (SLM), supplier collaboration and technical publications. This interconnectivity allows BASF to manage information as a continuous, linked asset across the entire product lifecycle rather than as disconnected files.

The digital twin links mechanical, electrical and software designs with simulation data and processes, product cost management and material management, helping BASF to optimize production and resolve issues before they occur. Additionally, Teamcenter X visualization tools enable stakeholders to see the impact of changes in real time, which facilitates more informed decision-making.

Facilitating rapid transformation, measurable results

Since adopting Teamcenter X, BASF Catalysts has achieved measurable improvements in security, productivity and agility:

• Stronger security and compliance: Access rights and approvals tightly control changes, eliminating unauthorized edits
• Lower IT burden: By retiring legacy systems and shifting infrastructure responsibilities to Siemens, BASF has reduced licensing and maintenance costs
• Greater agility and scalability: With SaaS deployment, BASF can expand or reduce capacity as needed without downtime or lag
• Improved collaboration: A single source of truth enables engineers, managers and compliance officers to work together seamlessly
• More efficient program execution: Using Program Planning and Schedule Manager helps keep projects on track by aligning tasks, deliverables and resources.

“Thanks to Teamcenter X, we can control who has access to our documents and who modifies them,” says Wacek. “It’s very helpful for ensuring smooth operations and preparing
for future growth.”

A foundation for digital transformation

Today, 40 users at BASF Catalysts Polska rely on Teamcenter X, and an expansion is planned. Using Teamcenter X provides the essential framework for the division’s digital transformation. By uniting technical documentation, planning and execution in a secure cloud environment the company can scale innovation while reducing risk and cost.

As BASF Catalysts Polska expands its use of Teamcenter X, opportunities such as quality management, reporting and analytics, and deeper integration with manufacturing execution systems (MES) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms are on the horizon. As the business has evolved, the breadth of scope of Teamcenter X has enabled BASF Catalysts Polska to develop capabilities such as software design management, classification, configuration management and sustainability reporting.