Grab a coffee (or your favourite snack) and have a quick read
Originally published [2023]; Heavily revised in Feb 2026 to reflect current shifts in OT Cybersecurity and 64-bit OS compatibility. In the landscape of industrial automation, “solved” problems have a habit of reinventing themselves. For decades, the primary hurdles for SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) were simple connectivity and basic uptime. However, as we navigate…
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Upgrading a rail network’s Traction Power SCADA is one of the most high-stakes tasks an OT manager faces. Many legacy systems are reaching end-of-life, cybersecurity threats are evolving, and the margin for error is zero. You need a partner who understands that “The Trains Must Keep Running.” “Brownfield” Dilemma: Upgrading While Live Solving the Legacy Hardware “Translation” Gap Beyond…
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A case study involving Queensland Rail (QR) upgrading their Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) CPUs illustrates the complexity of this process, revealing that even seemingly simple “plug and play” replacements require extensive validation of all software configurations due to subtle compatibility issues and the zero margin for error when managing high-voltage traction power. Furthermore, the discussion…
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The Melbourne Underground Rail Loop (MURL) Fire and Life Safety System Upgrade project involved the design, installation and commissioning of a Smoke Management System at each of the three MURL underground stations. Fire and Life Safety System Criticality Siemens S7-1518HF CPU Type Approval CMS Development Environment Station Periphery Design Management Testing and Commissioning Challenges Customer…
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An OT data solution is much more than technology; it’s a delivered solution to the whole organisation. Digital Solution Certainty Key insights Gained from Data-Driven Solution Lessons Learned about OT data engineering Solving the OT to Business data challenge with OT DataBridge
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Our Top 5 Problems with Process Historians points out a number of product limitations and common implementation issues. The news is not all bad but the Top 5 does illustrate common problems. Like all technologies, getting it to do something more than it was intended to do may be cool, but there will be strings…
DetailsQueensland Rail operates and maintains 6,600 km of track in South East Queensland and Regional areas. It operates over 8,000 services each week and relies on Electric Power to operate Electric Trains (Rolling Stock). The Traction Power SCADA System is used by Operators to manage the grid safely and in turn, indirectly maintain the safety…
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Aurelia Metal’s Peak Mine has several polymetallic underground mines plus an 800ktpa gold and base metals processing plant. It is located in the Cobar Basin in New South Wales Australia. Like all mines and processing plants, Peak Mine has Industrial Control System technologies to monitor and manage processing and moving materials. These technologies also provide…
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Are Historians Old or New Tech? In this article, Process Historian is used synonymously as Enterprise Historian. As a rule, we have vintage and modern Historians used in a myriad of applications. We even have historians used in systems where alternative technologies (including relational databases) are more suited. Modern historians have added benefits as developers…
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During the last three decades a lot has happened in the tech space, although comparatively much less has changed in SCADA due to the industrial automation industry as a whole being very conservative. Is SCADA an outdated technology? What does next generation SCADA look like? What are the advantages of upgrading outdated SCADA systems? Why…
DetailsIn 2007 the Australian Government introduced the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme (NGERS), providing the first mandated national reporting guidelines for Australian companies. The instrument for compliance is the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007. Digitisation is a positive step forward, but only the start Data often offers more than a singular benefit…
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Parasyn have been providing engineering, management and lifecycle technology related services to Anglo for over 10 years. Though some of these activities have related to IT Infrastructure, networks, security and design, the overall umbrella for the work is an OT Managed Services arrangement. During this time, Parasyn has programmed and successfully delivered more than…
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There is nothing simple about managing industrial automation software systems. Why do we need to update our SCADA or Industrial Automation software? How often do we need to upgrade our Industrial Automation software? Why are staging environments important? How many staging environments do I need? What is configuration management and why is it important?…
DetailsFrom time to time we are asked, “what is the best reporting system for my operational system?” This is how we go about answering that question.
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How will we survive without Industrial Automation Process Historians? How long have we had Big Data Solutions? What is the life cycle of a Process Historian? Can Relational Databases be used as a process historian? What are the important factors when implementing a process historian? Can I use cloud-based technology for process control applications?
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Historian systems have seen a rapid increase in use throughout various industries in the past decade or so. Data Historians improve how manufacturers, continuous process plant and utilities operate and manage their assets efficiently. Data Historian systems were built with the specific purpose of acquiring instrumentation data used in operational control, aiding in supervisory capacities,…
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Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a standard method for measuring the improvement opportunity of a production process. It provides a single number that benchmarks a work cell’s performance. A work cell could be a single machine, a group of machines, a line or an entire production facility.
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