In 2024, the management of a water reclamation facility faced serious difficulties in managing the operation of the plant with more than 340,000 residents. The old infrastructure suffered from the impact of numerous corrosive gases, humidity, temperature changes, and vibration associated with the use of heavy equipment. Moreover, standard cables and network devices kept breaking down, causing multiple interruptions in the operation of the facility.
Another problem associated with this challenge is the development of cyberattacks that threatened the plant. Within 18 months, there were 14 instances of unplanned outages, and half of the work of the maintenance department was spent addressing this issue. The level of professional burnout was especially high as technicians constantly had to repair failed equipment.
A critical event that pushed the leadership to address the existing issues happened during a heavy rain. An unnoticed failure of a switch in Digester #3 resulted in backups and compliance violations. After this instance, it was clear that a temporary solution would not help in the long-term; therefore, a decision about infrastructure modernization was made.
To solve the existing problems, engineers did not suggest generic products. Instead, they conducted an extensive on-site assessment of the facility. They walked along the floor of the plant and evaluated environmental factors affecting the infrastructure of the plant. As part of the assessment process, engineers also created a map of network infrastructure, identifying previously unknown weak points of the facility.
Based on the findings collected as a result of on-site assessment, the following five-pillar strategy was developed and implemented:
1. Industrial Networking
A reliable backbone consisting of industrial-grade switches and communication systems was implemented to provide reliable communication within challenging conditions.
2. Cybersecurity
IEC 62443-compliant cybersecurity practices provided better protection and segmented operational networks.
3. Durable Cabling
Durable industrial cabling was implemented to reduce incidents associated with mechanical and electromagnetic influences on cables.
4. Field Connectivity
Rugged connectors and seals were implemented to increase the durability of field equipment.
5. Control Room Integration
Control rooms gained new tools for managing plant operations, improving monitoring processes.
Within six months of implementation, the facility managed to achieve remarkable results in terms of performance. There were no unplanned outages anymore, and average response time decreased from four hours to 15 minutes. Reactive maintenance work declined from 60% to 20%, which also positively affected audit procedures in the facility.
