The Qatar Fertilizer Company (Qafco) has renewed its contract with Honeywell, a global leader in diversified technology and manufacturing, for supply of key safety and automation systems to its plant.

The agreement, for Qafco’s existing plants, expansion projects and future projects, is one of the longest duration agreements of its kind to be signed in the Middle East.

It is for 10 years with an option to extend for an additional four, said a statement from the Qatar company.

The agreement covers six ammonia plants, six urea plants and a melamine plant, and will involve the provision of Honeywell’s distributed control systems, emergency shutdown systems, and advanced application systems, such as plant information management systems, laboratory information management systems, advanced process  control and operator training simulators.

Qafco was founded in 1969 as Qatar’s first large-scale venture to support diversification of the country’s economy whilst using their extensive natural gas reserves.

After successfully implementing several expansion projects over the past three decades, Qafco has evolved into a top fertilizer producer currently exporting ammonia and urea to more than 35 countries, said a top official.
 
“The partnership between Qafco and Honeywell is built on mutual trust and respect,” remarked Khalifa Al-Sowaidi, the vice-chairman and CEO of Qafco.

“For our greenfield sites, we will deploy Honeywell’s advanced process control and operator trainer simulator technologies to optimize process performance and workforce training. For our brownfield sites, we will receive risk-free project implementation of the latest technology, backed up by long-term support at overall lower cost of ownership,” he stated.

Orhan Genis, VP sales, Honeywell Process Solutions, EMEA said, "We are delighted to see our close relationship with Qafco continue to grow. This renewal of an existing nine-year agreement with Qafco clearly confirms that this partnership is a “win-win” proposition for both parties."

"Qafco receives the best technology with low cost of ownership and long-term support, while Honeywell continues to be our preferred automation partner," he added.

A Fortune 100 company based in New Jersey, Honeywell serves customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials.-TradeArabia News Service