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Updating industrial facilities to increase the level of automation and digitalization to match Industry 4.0 paradigms has become essential for many companies. Following such a trend, this paper presents a real-time optimization algorithm that plays a central role in a larger project framework devoted to highly interconnecting different network components of an Italian chemical industrial site. The proposed methodology aims at best managing the production rates of various products to fulfill a sales plan organized to satisfy numerous client requests. The considered model takes into account both batch and continuous processes as well as salable and non-storable products. The algorithm structure relies on the use of a non-linear optimization scheme and on the concepts of batch scheduling. Different features of the proposed methodology have been tested on real plant data, showing how the predicted forecast always improved the initial operation plan by considering both aspects of feasibility and economic nature. The use of the proposed algorithm assures the basis for fully integrating the control systems and the selling department of the facility in a more interactive and responsive manner.

The evolution of the process industry in the direction of automation and digitalization is nowadays a consolidated phenomenon. In this direction, Industry 4.0 paradigms are leading many industrial companies to significantly update their facilities. This paper presents a scheduling algorithm that takes the role of a real-time optimization (RTO) element in a larger project framework where the various network components are aimed to be all highly interconnected. The proposed methodology is applied to an Italian chemical industrial site, in order to best manage the production rates of the various products and the sales plan for the different clients. Numerous plants and processes are considered into the model: batch and continuous production lines, saleable and non-storable products. Concepts of linear optimization and batch operation scheduling are used in the algorithm construction. This whole structure lays the foundation for a full integration between different elements of the facility, that is, the control systems and the selling department.