Iritron, a leader in industrial automation and control system integration, and Oculus, a specialist in advanced video wall and information display technologies, are combining their expertise to deliver next-generation integrated control and operating centre solutions in South Africa and further afield.
Iritron and Oculus together develop control rooms where people – and not only technology – are at the centre of performance.
Once strictly focused on plant control, control rooms have evolved. With Iritron and Oculus working in partnership, companies have access to state-of-the-art operating centres designed to do more than monitor equipment: they drive optimisation, enable real-time decision-making and empower operators with actionable data from across their enterprises.
“As modern industries move more towards automation, sensors and software, it may come as a surprise that, in centralised control rooms for mining and utilities sites, among the biggest performance differentiators today is not just how efficiently the control room works, but simple workspace factors, such as the lockers available, the distance to the bathroom, or where you put your coffee,” notes Reghardt Rautenbach, Director at Oculus.
Human-centric design, he says, is transforming how South African operations function, with measurable improvements in safety, efficiency and staff wellbeing. “You can have in place as many sensors and controls as you need on your plant, but at the end of the day, if the person behind the screen does not have the capability to do his or her job, your plant is not going to work. That’s why we design everything around people.”
Iritron’s role in the control rooms is to provide end-to-end automation solutions, including the design, engineering and integration of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, process control platforms, and real-time data analytics, Oculus brings a unique lens to control room projects, focusing on the people who use them.
Taking account of sight lines, acoustic absorption, ergonomically designed desks, personal lockers, and more, this design philosophy has shown results. “Customers see a better stay-at-work rate and a drop in sick leave rates with well-designed control rooms,” says Rautenbach. “Over time, that converts into improved profit.”
Neels van der Walt, Head of Sales and Business Development at Iritron adds: “In the past, control rooms were rigid and functioned solely as technical hubs to manage machinery and processes. Today, with systems like ours, we can consolidate multiple outdated and fragmented control rooms into a single, central hub, markedly improving efficiency and streamlining operations. Information can be viewed on large screens and adapted or investigated using a single mouse and keyboard. This gives the operator freedom,” he notes.
The control rooms are designed in line with international ergonomic standards (ISO 11064) and the systems include best-in-class high-performance graphics and smart alarm management to reduce information overload. “High alarm loads, alarm floods and nuisance alarms all lead to ineffective alarm and event management. According to the ISA 18.2 standard, the average alarm rate per 10 minutes should be one or less than one. Advanced alarm management software includes key performance indicators to monitor alarming, plus tools and reports to assist organisations to optimise alarms. It should form part of the implementation of any modern control centre,” says van der Walt.
Addressing industry needs
“In our experience, we have found that many operations still have several control rooms at their facilities,” van der Walt says. He makes the point that, by comparison, in a centralised control environment that covers multiple operations, scarce technical specialists and resources can be used more effectively.
“From a software perspective, modern systems make it easier for disparate sources of information to be consolidated. Third party systems can be integrated to allow for ‘a single version of the truth’. Remote sources can also be included, using the technology available today, such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT),” van der Walt adds.
He suggests that industries like mining, utilities, and manufacturing would benefit from adopting centralised control room solutions. This is particularly so if they want to bridge skilled labour gaps by centralising expertise, to increase operational visibility and agility and to ensure that resources are used optimally.
For more information visit: www.iritron.co.za
