Digitalization still poses a challenge for everyone – the process industry included. Companies frequently have to contend with inadequate IT systems and disjointed software landscapes. Any chance of process transparency and a consistent flow of information is lost as a result, making it increasingly difficult to stay competitive internationally. That might sound overly negative, but it is also the message from one study and survey after another. Thankfully, wherever there is a challenge, there are also enablers to provide a solution – in this particular case, the software specialists from AUCOTEC. The company has been a constant source of pioneering engineering software solutions for nearly 40 years now, including solutions for the process industry.
© AUCOTEC AGThe cooperation platform Engineering Base from AUCOTEC is a prime example of a holistic approach, something that is becoming crucial in process plants. The exchange of data and information is of key importance for digitalization of plants and processes. It must be efficient, secure and perfectly clear, with the goal of bringing greater transparency to the increasing complexity of tasks, team structures, general conditions, specifications and guidelines. This is the only way to make the right business decisions, increase productivity and efficiency, and meet sustainability targets. AUCOTEC is redefining this cooperative engineering in the process industry with its software platform. “We create the link between company processes through a unique, data-centric cooperation platform,” explains AUCOTEC Board Member Uwe Vogt. “Engineering Base is designed for the entire life of the plant, meaning it ultimately becomes the heart of the process industry and plant engineering.”
The single source of truth
AUCOTEC is demonstrating how plants and the various engineering disciplines can be connected with one another efficiently and work together to optimum effect with Engineering Base as the key component. Merged plant and process data improves control, maintenance and production quality here. “Our software platform ensures data consistency at all times thanks to interdisciplinary engineering using a shared, object-oriented database – the single source of truth,” explains Henry Bloch, Head of Product Management at AUCOTEC.
After all, as soon as multiple engineers start to work together cooperatively, the object history of valves, pumps, piping and all process-controlled electrical devices becomes extremely important. “Change management that ensures complete transparency throughout the project plays a major role here, for example,” continues Bloch. “This helps our customers to minimize errors and improve the quality of data and the associated documentation.” In Engineering Base, plant changes within the data model and all associated diagrams and documents can always be tracked – with revision management too.
The cooperation platform also enables modular engineering with interdisciplinary typicals and variant management, which is particularly crucial for hydrogen plants.
The hope of green hydrogen
© AUCOTEC AGIt’s no secret that the international hydrogen market still lacks sufficient electrolysis capacity for the required quantities of hydrogen. Governments and businesses are working on solutions. And AUCOTEC is also assisting electrolyzer manufacturers in increasing their capacities faster and producing green hydrogen on a large scale. The focus here is on scalable engineering processes for shorter project durations. The key elements of engineering in this regard are data centricity, standardization and modularization.
Data exchange - you'll get nowhere without it
Digital data exchange for integrated engineering is another area of focus for AUCOTEC. The value of data is, after all, becoming increasingly clear for all stakeholders in the process industry. The volume of data in the various planning phases of a plant is growing all the time. In order to now leverage maximum value from the Engineering Base plant data, standardized information models and data exchange formats have been implemented, such as IEC 81346, IEC 61850, DEXPI, CFIHOS, OPC UA, Jip 33, AML and EBML. “Engineering Base opens up a unique combination of the advantages of a highly standardized product world and the particular requirements of plant engineering,” says Vogt. “In this way, we are guaranteeing efficient and sustainable processes and business models in the industry – and beyond.”
