Our goal wasn't just to build a library, but to teach a philosophy for future scalability. While imec had their preferred PLCs, we guided them towards Ignition for the SCADA layer. As a fully vendor-agnostic platform, Ignition was the perfect foundation to co-create a standard that matched their way of working while ensuring true independence.

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Defining the standard, together

We started with a series of workshops with imec’s key stakeholders. This was essential because we wanted to facilitate imec in defining their own standard, instead of just telling them how things should be done. Luckily, we didn't have to start from scratch: we could draw on our experiences with sensor measurement and other projects at imec as part of our ongoing partnership.

We used industry best practices as a guiding framework, but every decision from naming conventions to operational logic was adapted to fit imec's specific needs and preferences. That way, we made sure that the final standard was not just technically sound, but also a perfect cultural fit.

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Building the building blocks

Based on the input from the workshops, our experts started building imec's automation library. We developed this set of building blocks with a clear hierarchical structure, inspired by the ISA-88 modular automation standard.

1. At the base level, we have control modules. These are the basic blocks for individual devices like motors, valves, and sensors.

2. The next layer consists of equipment modules, which contain the logic for how multiple control modules interact. For example, making sure that a pump doesn't run if a critical valve is closed.

3. The unit level is the final layer, a process-functional block that executes complete operational phases. It does this by coordinating all equipment modules that are part of a phase.  

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Visualising the process

Of course, a great PLC structure also needs a great interface to match. That’s why every control module in our library comes with a corresponding visual component in the Ignition SCADA system. We designed these with the operator in mind, using high-performance graphics that are fully responsive: from a tablet to a 4K control room monitor, and everything in between.

Based on our own implementation experience, we also wanted to avoid cryptic error codes. The new faceplates and diagnostic pop-ups all provide human-readable information. If a motor doesn't start, the operator doesn't need to check electrical diagrams to find a missing signal. The interface explicitly states the cause: alarms, wrong operating modes, lack of requests, active interlocks, ... This drastically reduces troubleshooting time and simplifies daily operations.

Documenting for independence

Standardisation only works if everyone knows how to use it. To make sure that imec would be truly independent from their vendors, our experts also wrote detailed documentation for the entire library, about 500 pages in total.

We went far beyond a high-level manual and documented everything down to the component level. Every block, symbol, and pop-up comes with screenshots and detailed tables explaining every input, output, and parameter. This allows any engineer to pick up the library and immediately understand how to deploy a block correctly.  

This documentation effectively hands the keys back to imec. They are no longer reliant on the specific knowledge of a single external party.

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Ready for the future

Today, the standard is already delivering value. The first project using this new library, automating a cooling datacentre, is currently underway. With this foundation in place, imec now has a scalable, future-proof toolkit to manage their automation landscape efficiently for years to come.