LeasePlan, a global leader in Car-as-a-Service, was transitioning from an analog business model to a fully digital one. As a car-as-service company, LeasePlan collects a large amount of behavioral data, marketing data, traffic information, social media information, and services and maintenance data. All this data needed to be integrated and contextualized for business decision-making and optimizing business services. However, being a globally distributed company, LeasePlan had data spread across a variety of siloed and heterogeneous data sources (SAP, Salesforce, IBM DB2, Snowflake, etc.), making data integration and data delivery challenging for sound business decision-making, optimizing processes, creating new business models, and complying with EU regulations. LeasePlan aspired to become a fully digital car-as-a-service company by expanding its service portfolio and encouraging revenue-generating activities through innovative products and services. Achieving this required the creation of a unified Global Data Hub, to act as a single source of truth of high-quality data for the whole company, and to support proactive and reactive data initiatives.

The Future Factory Initiative (FFI) is a joint effort of SAP Research and external partner organizations, including ICONICS. It is active in key areas including a Living Lab, a Real-World Manufacturing Testbed and a Center of Excellence. The initiative is a set of innovative demonstrators showing the potential of real-world-integrated business processes in the manufacturing domain. The challenge was to create a testbed that shows leading edge software and the latest hardware developments with different scenarios, products, and prototypes in a distributed manufacturing environment. The testbed needed to span multiple manufacturers and demonstrate the viability of prototypes.

Arlington Public Schools sought to consolidate its summer-school operations into one building at The Peirce School. Anticipating the need for an increase in air conditioning, the district immediately purchased a new chiller for the school building. The Regional Energy Manager for the town of Arlington, Ruthy Bennett, is responsible for looking for ways to reduce energy costs, a high priority for a town named a Green Community by the State of Massachusetts in 2010. The town and school district, both operating on tight budgets, wished to ensure that their decisions to consolidate summer school classes to one location and to purchase a new chiller made financial sense. With the goal towards lower energy and operational costs, Bennett sought energy management software that would be more beneficial than what she considered “glorified schedulers”. While researching solutions, she learned of ICONICS’ Facility AnalytiX being used to help cut energy costs at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, WA.

Cork County Council, the largest county in Ireland, was tasked with reducing energy consumption by 30% by 2020 as per a directive from the European Union (EU). The council treats and supplies water to approximately 40,000 non-domestic customers and 100,000 homes across the county. Due to its size, Cork County is divided into four zones– North, South, East, and West Cork–which makes data aggregation challenging. The council was using manual data entry with Excel to produce the leakage figures required by the Department of the Environment. However, with four zones to maintain, this method made it too difficult to efficiently calculate leakage figures. Furthermore, the average daily volume of water produced in Cork County is estimated to be well over 150,000 yd3 /day with the total length of water in the Public Water Supply Schemes estimated to be 3,500 miles long. The number of yards from which to retrieve that data continues to increase – approximately 391 DMAs with up to 3 yards per DMA. With such a vast supply network, the Council could not meet the new EU directives on energy consumption by continuing to use traditional manual data collection methods.

The Attiki Odos Motorway, one of the most modern motorways in Europe, needed a system to centralize motorway operations and provide the status of all electromechanical systems. The motorway extends over 60 km, is four lanes wide, and has 32 multi-level interchanges and hundreds of overpasses. The motorway uses the most modern equipment for incident detection and emergency response. The challenge was to enhance the ability of motorway operators to easily identify and handle emergency situations and overcome malfunctions of equipment in order to provide better quality of services.

The T5 Terminal at London’s Heathrow Airport was one of Europe’s largest construction projects, funded by BAA at £4.2 billion. The terminal was designed to be a fully integrated facility, monitored through a central Terminal Service Centre (TSC) and mobile devices. A common user interface was needed to access heating, ventilation, lighting, fire, elevator, CCTV, and security systems as well as to centralize alarm management and automate system interaction. At its opening, T5 included over 50 different systems, producing a massive tag count of over 3 million. In addition, by using open industry standards based on OPC, the resulting architecture has been designed to provide flexibility for future expansion and integration, as required by the customer.

Badger Midstream’s Grey Badger site in Panhandle, Texas is a cryogenic gas processing and treatment plant. The company sought an HMI/SCADA solution to control all the processes of the Grey Badger gas plant including plant metering, compression monitoring, tank/pump/valve control, and the monitoring and control of 105 proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control loops. The new solution would replace an existing system based on a combination of two competitor products due to lack of support of their installed product versions and comparatively high costs of upgrades and yearly/ ongoing maintenance charges. Understandably, Badger wanted their new solution to be more cost-effective and easier to maintain. The selected HMI/SCADA would need to integrate with the plant’s DeltaV DCS control, Allen Bradley controllers, Emerson OPC Server, and various electronic flow meter (EFM) remote terminal units (RTUs), as well as with various plant equipment including heaters, dehydrators, vapor recovery units, separators, heat exchanges and more.

ABB Foundry Group needed a solution to monitor and control the melting process in their foundries. They required a system that could handle connectivity to multiple devices from a single Windows-based server. The system needed to connect to temperature measurement devices, analyzers, and spectrometers, and offer a variety of operational reports. The system also needed to be quick-to-learn, easy-to-use, controller (PLC) independent, support multiple languages, and work with different unit systems. The system was to be configured to individual foundry requirements and operations.

AES Wind Generation, a division of AES, an international power company, was in need of a robust system that could perform calculations in real time from both user input and data coming from the field. They needed a system that could connect via open standard protocols and provide both instantaneous and aggregate data for monitoring and reporting. The company was also looking for a system that could be implemented quickly and efficiently, given the high amount of repetition involved with each unit having identical inputs and outputs. Additionally, they wanted a system that would fit into a virtual machine environment to facilitate backup and recovery in case of a hardware or software failure.

Ameren, Missouri’s largest electric utility, was in need of a replacement for a legacy solution that was no longer supported after the year 2000. The company required a system that could provide remote access to inline chemistry analyzer readings, both numerical output and trend graphs, and alarm conditions. The new system also needed to be accessible from a single web page, removing the database from the plant mainframe and allowing access to live chemistry data to all plant personnel. Prior to this, live chemistry data was only accessible on a few PCs that had the legacy software installed.

The Ceramic Factory - Botevgrad has experienced recent growth as the construction industry continues to grow in Bulgaria. The company required visualization of the manufacturing processes involving its furnaces as well as of the transportation line for the produced bricks. The factory also sought an additional module for reports to help management mitigate downtime issues and increase productivity. The company realized that as business grew, it would require premium, robust solutions to meet its visualization, control and reporting needs. The selected solution would need to integrate with the company’s existing VIPA PLCs, approximately 150 I/O points and KEP OPC Server for Siemens PLCs. In addition, The Ceramic Factory – Botevgrad sought HMI/SCADA and reporting solutions that would also work with its Microsoft Access database and its desktops and servers running Microsoft Windows XP Professional.

Arvin-Edison Water Storage District, located south of Bakersfield, CA, is a sophisticated conjunctive use program that acquires water in wet years and stores it underground for use in dry years. This program provides water supplies to District areas covering 132,000 acres of prime agricultural land, which do not have access to surface water. The district uses ICONICS GENESIS32 for monitoring water levels and motors that pump water to upstream sites, as well as for remote turn on/off of pump motors in emergency situations. The district utilizes 46 pumping plants plus 10 plants that supply water level indicators only to the organization’s headquarters. The plants are controlled by local programming at the sites themselves through Westinghouse PC1100/ PC1200 in older systems or SCADAPacks in newer systems.

Bohr Instrument Services needed a system to monitor and control all the operations of drilling rigs for oil and gas producing companies. The system needed to collect data in real time and monitor all the extreme forces on a drill bit while providing the drilling operator with multiple graphical data monitors. The system also needed to communicate this data to two locations; the drill floor and remote offices. The many parameters that needed to be logged and converted into other parameters demanded a software system that could process an unlimited amount of real-time data from a variety of inputs.

Beijing, the capital of China, is a major transportation hub with a population of over 18 million people. The city's traffic control center, BTCC, was established to monitor a network of Operational Control Centers for the various rail lines operating in the country. The project was mainly developed and deployed under the supervision of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd. (ST Engineering), one of the largest listed companies on the Singapore Stock Exchange. The project requirement was to integrate various systems, with emphasis on having a unified user interface linked to real-time information. These systems include SCADA, operator information, CCTV, passenger information, decision support and incident evaluation.

Brézillon was tasked with the design and construction of a building compatible with the ideas of the Grenelle de l’environnement, a French consortium of government, labor, industry and other related organizations with the goal of improving ecology, energy, sustainable development and territorial planning. An edict for the building was that it must be built with respect for environmental quality and safety, with the means to monitor and regulate facilities automatically in order to reduce energy costs. The construction company, working with CR System and BETHIC, had a development time of 14 months, including finalizing electric work and an automated HVAC system. The selected building automation control was meant to tie into multiple procedures and equipment.

CIAT, a leading producer of air conditioning, refrigeration, and heating units, was looking for a 64-bit monitoring system that aligned with their values for innovation and sustainability. They wanted a system that could unify and standardize communications with all their equipment, including meters and compressors, without breaking existing connections. The company was also keen on finding a solution that could integrate information from a broad range of equipment and systems used. CIAT's development strategy was centered around optimizing energy consumption, improving air quality, and ensuring a comfortable atmosphere inside buildings, while providing the best support available to clients.

The City of Cumberland, Maryland, needed a system to visualize information of remote pumping stations, elevated tanks, and reservoir levels for the Water Filtration Plant. They also needed to visualize and report information about Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) events, which are important to the Wastewater Treatment Plant and the surrounding watershed authorities. When it rains, or when snow melts, there exists potentials for CSO events. Once manual and highly labor-intensive, these events are now tracked in real time and reported on as soon as the event has ended.

The City of Enid’s Water Production department sought to upgrade its control system. Originally consisting of push-button controls, it evolved from an older simple one-line diagram type to ActiveX-based controls. The city considered multiple solutions, including those from several competitors, then decided upon ICONICS GENESIS32™ HMI/SCADA suite and have recently upgraded to GENESIS64. The department’s new system handles over 1,400 tags in its Water Production system, which now integrates with their Koyo PLCs. The ICONICS software also ties into additional hardware including wireless, serial and networking connections (e.g. UHF, VHF and FSK [Frequency Shift Key]).

The City of Grapevine, located in the DallasFort Worth area in North Texas, realized the need to replace or upgrade their existing HMI/ SCADA, PLCs and radio communications systems. Their needs as a city were growing and they required a system better equipped to handle a diverse and multifaceted infrastructure. Additionally, they were also faced with the potential of the FCC narrow banding their frequency, which would affect the reliability and functionality of their existing PLCs, communications and stability of their current system as a whole. This set of needs started the journey to find the best option for Grapevine.

The city of Lubbock, located in the arid Texas panhandle, faces significant challenges in managing its water resources. With a growing population, the city must draw water from multiple sources, including Lake Meredith, groundwater from aquifers, and well-fields operated by the Canadian River Water Authority. The Lubbock Water Utilities Department is responsible for managing all aspects of the city's water needs, including water collection, water and wastewater treatment. The department needed a solution that would allow it to efficiently monitor and control all aspects of its water treatment plant, wastewater treatment plant, and well-field. The solution needed to provide real-time data on critical process variables, including chlorine, turbidity, suspended solids, and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP).

Ford Motor Company contracted with Comau Pico to design and install multiple cold and hot test stands at the Dearborn Engine plant. The requirement was to perform 100 percent testing of every engine produced at this plant (4 & 6 cylinder engines) along with the logging and trending of results for both cold and hot testing. Cold testing does not use gasoline and the engine is basically driven by an external motor. All fluids are installed and the engine is run through its cycles. Hot testing involves adding gasoline and actually starting and running the engine through various test cycles. The test stands perform measurements on the heating and cooling of fluids as well as exhaust gases, spark timing and advancement through the RPM range. Testing is also done on the air combustion mixture of exhaust gases and fuel mixtures of the injection systems.

Continental AG, a leading tire manufacturer, sought to update their process analysis and control systems across 18 separate locations worldwide. The company aimed to develop a system capable of near real-time data collection from production equipment for process and product analysis and optimization. This led to the initiation of the 'DOPAC' project, standing for 'Database for Online Process Analysis and Control'. A pilot project began in 2016 in the company’s Puchov, Slovakia plant, with a year spent on prototype development. The company decided to move on from installed legacy systems and, after considering multiple vendor solutions, decided upon ICONICS HMI/SCADA and data historian to comprise the heart of DOPAC.

Maritsa East 3 Thermal Power Plant (TPP) is the third largest power plant in Bulgaria, generating 30 percent of the country's electricity. The plant was built by Russia between 1978 and 1981 and supplies electricity grids in both Turkey and Bulgaria. However, the plant was in need of large-scale modernization and upgrades, an increase in output and power capacity, and meeting the European ecological requirements. The final part of the project was the integration of all control systems on a single platform. EXBIT was chosen as the developer and system integrator for the Control and Monitoring Integration System. The objectives for the Maritsa East 3 TPP project included large-scale modernization and upgrades, an increase in output and power capacity, and meeting the European ecological requirements.

Converteam, a leading supplier of power conversion engineering, needed a reliable and efficient HMI system for their C-Series Vessel Control System (VCS) used in the marine and offshore industry. The HMI system needed to comply with standards and regulations concerning night vision and other safety measures. It also needed to be extensible, modular, flexible, and have good connectivity. The company had tried several other HMI systems but they failed in these key areas. The HMI system was to be implemented in a fleet of LNG tankers designed to transport liquefied natural gas.

CSL Behring, a subsidiary of CSL Limited, is a pioneer in the field of immunology and operates some of the world’s largest flu vaccine manufacturing facilities. In 2009, following the announcement of an influenza pandemic by the World Health Organization, CSL developed a pandemic vaccine (H1N1) and signed a 180 million dollar contract with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide bulk H1N1 influenza antigen. The challenge was to ensure rapid and safe production of the H1N1 flu vaccine for the US market in CSL Behring’s FDA-approved filing and packaging facility in Marburg, Germany. The company needed a system where production data could be logged reliably and stored safely, meeting the recording requirements of the FDA, specifically the 21 CFR Part 11, which outlines the controls necessary for the regulated industry to utilize electronic records and electronic signatures.

Cucamonga Valley Water District (CVWD) embarked on an expansion project with the aim of integrating web-based and mobile functionality into their control system. They needed an HMI/SCADA solution that would seamlessly integrate with their existing systems (AB Controls, Rockwell, etc.) and operating systems (transitioning from Microsoft Windows 2000 to XP). The organization sought a web-enabled solution that wasn't processor-intensive, a mobile component for employees in remote locations, and comprehensive reporting abilities. They partnered with engineering firm, Black & Veatch, to find a solution that met these requirements.

Cyberlogic Technologies, Inc. is a leading independent supplier of industrial communication drivers and servers. They have introduced many firsts, including the first 32-bit communication drivers for Windows platforms, first virtual drivers to migrate legacy applications to 32-bit operating systems and the first remote drivers to enable access to industrial networks from plant networks. A recent deployment was for a large soft drink bottling company that needed traceability to track the ingredients to the original source. From a code stamped on the outside of the bottle one can quickly trace what batch of syrup was used and where the cap, bottle, and water came from. A report can then be generated that shows where other finished products that contain any of the source ingredients were shipped.

The Republic of Croatia, in cooperation with The European Union, introduced legislation for environmental protection through continuous emissions monitoring. Dalmacijacement d.d. set out, with assistance from ECCOS inženjering, to bring all of its factories under compliance, with the goal of creating a continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS). Manufacturing facilities are often assumed to be sources of pollution, so a system was required that could continuously monitor emissions, graphically depict these emissions, normalize the measurements, archive measured and calculated (i.e. normalized) values, inform the public through corporate Web pages and, most importantly, create daily, monthly and yearly reports in Microsoft Excel and XML-formats that adhere to the legislative requirements.

Dematic Limited, a market leader in innovative logistics automation systems and solutions, needed a way to visualize the exact status of all parts of their system to ensure high availability. Their warehouses can be extraordinarily large due to retailers outsourcing their warehousing. When handling as many as 34,000 items or supplies to 700 retail stores, automation and visualization are key functions. Blockages in the warehouse require fast and accurate action, and the pan-and-zoom feature of ICONICS’ worldview is the best tool to solve the problem.

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), formerly The Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills (BIS) is the department for business, science, and innovation within the UK Government. The Department’s holistic aim was to rationalise their building portfolio and shrink their carbon footprint by reducing the number of buildings they own and introducing more flexible work hours for their staff. But, in order to have any chance of shrinking their footprint, BIS realised that they needed to be able to analyse the performance of their estate, detect trends and use data to drive proactive estate management. The challenge was that the data and reporting processes for their entire building portfolio was completely fragmented. BIS did make sure to monitor the performance of their buildings. However, their manual data collection processes were so complex that they didn’t have the time or resources to digest the data and act accordingly.