Emerson Process Management, Austin, Texas, a business unit of St. Louis based Emerson, received a multiyear contract from Voridian, a division of Eastman Chemical Co., Kingsport, Tenn., to upgrade automation systems at Voridian's polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymers plants in Columbia, S.C., and in Cosoleacaque, Veracruz, Mexico.

Automation systems for the Columbia facility, the largest manufacturing plant in the world for PET polymers for packaging, will be upgraded over a six-year period to Emerson's Plant-Web digital plant architecture with a DeltaV automation system. An additional automation installation will be done at Voridian's PET polymers plant in Cosoleacaque, Mexico. Voridian PET polymers are used in making bottles and containers for beverages, and packaging of food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.