Case Study Compendium
Rapid Transformation at the Edge
Eight system integrator successes to learn from
Rapid Transformation and Project Success with Zero-Touch Edge Computing
Digital transformation is an imperative for all businesses. To accelerate this process, end users are turning to system integrators (SIs) for technology solutions that improve efficiency, performance, and safety. Zero-touch edge computing provides SIs a foundation for project success by delivering unmatched reliability and rapid transformation of IT infrastructure.
Stratus fault tolerant computing platforms from Penguin Solutions® are designed from 40 years of industry experience. By delivering zero-touch edge computing platforms that are simple to deploy and maintain, protected against interruptions and threats, and able to operate autonomously, Penguin Solutions ensures continuous availability for business-critical applications.
The following eight SI customer success stories showcase how system integrators are leveraging edge computing to deliver continued success for customers in industries ranging from Oil & Gas to specialty chemical manufacturing to transportation.
• Up to 5,000 input/outputs (I/Os)
• Up to four virtual machines (VMs)
• High availability or fault tolerant
• UL Class I Div 2 certified
• 100,000+ input/outputs (I/Os)
• 30+ virtual machines (VMs)
• Intelligent uptime layer
• Fault tolerant
Stratus
Stratus ftServer ®
Having seen what the Stratus ztC Edge platform is capable of in a complex solution such as the Super Valkyrie, it’s clear that edge technology has a lot to offer the Oil & Gas industry.
I am talking about smart wellheads, smart glycol units, smart JT skids, and more.
Streamline Innovations
Based in San Antonio, Texas, Streamline Innovations is a Penguin Solutions system integrator that develops and operates a proprietary process for removing toxic hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from Oil & Gas, Water & Wastewater, landfills, and biogas. To succeed in the competitive oilfield services market, the company continually innovates to operate equipment more efficiently, optimize performance, meet customer budgets, and enable a greener future.
Using Stratus ztC Edge, Streamline Innovations developed a visionary solution called the ValkyrieTM Intelligent Platform to bring AI-powered predictive maintenance, remote operation, and 99.5% uptime to its remote oilfield equipment.
Goals
Identify a compute platform to combine IT and OT capabilities for monitor and control of complex chemical processes in rugged environments
Operate with limited data connectivity and limited staffing in remote Oil & Gas locations
Achieve 95% uptime and meet customer automation budgets
Solution
Stratus ztC Edge
Inductive Automation Ignition
PostgreSQL database and Python
Seeq
Enabled real-time analysis, HMI, and tracking of 50 KPIs from 350 miles away
Reduced onsite staffing requirements by 66%
Enabled AI-powered predictive maintenance
Achieved 99.5% uptime, surpassing 95% customer service-level agreement (SLA)
Dr. Peter Photos CTO, Streamline Innovations
Loginet & Petra Srl
Petra Srl owns and operates one of Italy’s largest oil depots, loading hundreds of trucks and handling millions of liters of oil and gasoline each day. To improve the efficiency of depot operations, Petra runs Nuovo Petrol, a next-generation terminal automation solution from experienced SI, Loginet.
With the Loginet solution and Stratus ztC Edge platforms, Petra automated manual processes and integrated disparate terminal systems to reduce risk, enable real-time data, and centralize visibility into operations. The company reduced depot load times by 33% and has experienced zero downtime since adopting Stratus fault tolerant platforms a decade ago.
Petra hasn’t had an unplanned outage in more than 10 years. They've never experienced any business disruption with Penguin Solutions as their foundation. When our customers need that extreme level of reliability, we will continue to rely on Penguin Solutions for continuous computing.
Gianluigi Campisano Automation Engineer, Loginet
Goals
Automate terminal operations to improve accuracy, ensure security, maximize safety, gain efficiency, and reduce costs
Manage 35 tanks for oil-product storage, with approximately 5,000 tons of product shipped daily
Operational visibility for analysis, alerting, and improvement
Solution
Stratus ztC Edge in paired fault-tolerant configuration
Loginet Nuovo Petrol Terminal Automation System
Loginet IBIS LT2 Badge Reader
Loginet GraL Terminal
Reduced filling time by 33%
Connected real-time operations to enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customs reporting
Enabled depot-wide visibility into operations by unifying systems and ensuring data capture with edge computing
Experienced zero unplanned downtime on terminal automation system for 10 years using Stratus edge computing platforms
Alewijnse
Netherlands-based Alewijnse is a global leader in maritime technology, providing critical systems for vessels ranging from yachts to naval ships to increasingly complex dredging, offshore, and transport rigs. As a Penguin Solutions SI, they design, deliver, and create onboard electrical and automation systems as well as advanced marine electronics.
Using Stratus ftServer Alewijnse developed the maritime industry’s first future-proof virtualization and visualization platform for managing critical ship systems. The new platform replaced 20 computer systems with one server, reducing the system footprint by 75% and doubling its lifespan to eight years.
Stratus ftServer
Our customers now have one view of all critical systems that they can share anywhere on the ship. That visibility and access to information enables quicker response and better decision making for ship operations.
harsh operating environment with limited space
Eliminate unplanned downtime and provide redundancy for critical systems
Reduce the need for constant IT refresh cycles to lower cost and maintenance demands
Alewijnse AlViVi (virtualization and visualization) platform
Rockwell Automation
ThinManager
Decreased total computing, cabling, and cabinet footprint by 75%, replacing 20 distributed on-board computers with one Stratus ftServer
Doubled the lifespan of the compute platform from four years to eight years
Reduced maintenance and service by 50%
Simplified IT capability and adapted for OT environment and systems
Johan Van Rikxoort Product Manger, Alewijnse
DCS redundancy at the control level is a formidable combination for downtime prevention for mission-critical applications. By partnering with Rockwell Automation to characterize this joint solution, we’re delivering a massive leap forward for operations.
Progecta & Synthomer
London-based multinational specialty chemicals company Synthomer produces additives and raw materials for coatings, paper, textiles, and health and protection products. Previously, the company’s production facility in Piedmont, Italy was controlled by a collection of PLCs from different manufacturers.
These islands of automation operated independently in siloes and were difficult and expensive to maintain and operate. In 2018, Synthomer modernized the plant’s disparate control system with a Stratus ftServer running Rockwell Automation PlantPAx® DCS with help from SI, Progecta. The project drove a considerable increase in production and revenue at the plant by creating a simple, standardized, and resilient system.
Solution
Stratus ftServer
Rockwell Automation PlantPAx DCS
Solve for the expense and complexity of operating disparate PLCs
Migrate to a distributed control system without shutting the plant down
System integration from Progecta
99.999% uptime with a fault-tolerant Stratus ftServer
Vast data availability empowers operators and fuel analytics
Production increase of 30% at the company’s Piedmont facility
Frank Hill
Director, Rockwell Automation, Strategic Alliance at Penguin So lutions
Quantum Solutions & St. Louis Airport
As a major transportation hub for 30 years, St. Louis Lambert International Airport is pursuing digital transformation to bring the benefits of Industry 4.0 to aviation.
Previously, technology projects at the airport were piecemeal, disconnected, and limited to one area of the facility at a time. On the recommendation of the St Louis Airport consultant, SI Quantum Solutions used Stratus ftServer to replace an aging and disparate building management system and accelerate digitalization across the entire airport.
High availability is a big thing. When you're talking about moving an entire airport with multiple legacy siloed solutions over into one centralized system then you can't afford to have downtime.
Goals
Modernize a decades-old operation at the largest and busiest airport in Missouri
Deploy and scale compute infrastructure to optimize operations for more than 190,000 daily aircraft operations across four active runways, two terminals, and five concourses
Support the transport of 15.6 million passengers and 74,000 tons of cargo per year
Solution
Stratus ftServer
AVEVA System Platform
System integration by Quantum Solutions
Enabled situational awareness and unified operations center backed by easy-to-use fault-tolerant computing
Continuous availability for critical business applications
Open and scalable software architecture
Jeremy Meahl Regional Sales Engineer and Owner, Quantum Solutions
EcoStruxure with Stratus platforms were the big winners because it could handle all the data center operations, integrating all siloed operations on a single platform, and in the process, consolidating all the disparate data and islands of automation.
Dynamic Controls Inc.
Dynamic Controls Inc. represents Schneider Electric focused on HVAC, power and energy controls, life-safety and security solutions, building management systems, building integration, and systems service and maintenance.
DCI combined Schneider Electric EcoStruxure with Stratus ftServer to optimize the operation of a large data center customer in Denver, Colorado. Using EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert, the solution integrated disparate systems from multiple vendors with Modbus and BACnet protocols. The Stratus ftServer provided redundancy and downtime protection, giving continuous and extended visibility across the organization even in the event of power issues or transfer tests.
Goals
Centralize and integrate disparate systems into a single digitalized core
Provide power redundancy and operations fail-over to reduce risk for data center operator
Solution
Stratus ftServer
Schneider Electric EcoStruxure Building Operation
Schneider Electric EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert
Schneider Electric PowerLogic PM5560 Power Meters
Deployed fault-tolerant system with 99.999% availability to protect 12,000-square-foot data center from unplanned downtime Reduced compute footprint from multiple computers to a single Stratus ftServer
Lowered costs and increased capacity for future growth by reducing hardware, panel space, and wiring
Rolla Starkey Branch Manager, Dynamic Controls Inc
Enginuity Global & QuarterNorth Energy
QuarterNorth Energy, a leading Oil & Gas producer that operates deepwater, shallow, and shelf assets in the Gulf of Mexico, needed to modernize infrastructure and process control technology on its Bullwinkle oil platform. This project was critical for improving safety and responsiveness, eliminating costly downtime, and driving operational excellence.
QuarterNorth Energy turned to Enginuity Global, an SI with expertise in process automation, control, and field services. In only 45 days, Enginuity upgraded all of the PLC panels and deployed a single fault-tolerant Stratus ftServer platform to centralize operations and enable separate process control and safety shutdown systems.
The Stratus ftServer is a tank. It offers a simplistic approach to a complex system. Part of our motto at Enginuity is, ’We simplify a complex world.’ Stratus servers definitely help reduce some of that complexity and we were able to save a substantial amount of money using them.
Eric Belgard Lead for Automation and Controls, Enginuity
Goals
Modernize legacy control systems and infrastructure on existing oil platform
Centralize control systems
Update servers, workstations, and controllers
Improve system response time to boost reaction time, decision making, and operational visibility
Expand control system/safety system capacity
Solution
Stratus ftServer
Rockwell Automation PlantPAx
DCS including HMI/SCADA and Factory Talk® historian with SQL Server supporting 6,000 input/outputs (I/Os)
Anti-virus and cluster management software
System integration by Enginuity Global
Consolidated 12 applications running on six servers into a single, fault-tolerant Stratus ftServer compute platform
Centralized monitor and control resulted in higher yield, improved safety, and no downtime for critical applications
Improved system response time by 1000% (from more than 20 seconds to just milliseconds)
RoviSys & Leading Life Sciences Company
A leading life sciences company that manufactures cell biology and DNA, RNA, and protein analysis products needed to eliminate downtime and data loss in order to avoid costly disruptions and ensure regulatory compliance.
In one week, RoviSys, a global SI specializing in automation, deployed Stratus ftServer and Stratus ztC Edge platforms running Rockwell Automation PlantPAx at three manufacturing sites. The new production control architectures provided fault tolerance, simplified validation, converged OT and IT, and reduced total cost of ownership (TCO) by 15-20% compared to a cluster solution. The life sciences company has since experienced no downtime and is able to service its Stratus platforms without dedicated IT support.
Goals
With Stratus ftServers’ longevity and durability and streamlined FAT/SAT verification, our customer has a top-performing, high-availability solution for the long haul.
Eliminate downtime and data loss in batch manufacturing across three sites
Ensure data reliability for FDA regulation, good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements, and Verified Conformity Assessment Program (VCAP) parameters
Enable manufacturing operations team to maintain and support compute infrastructure without high-level IT support
Solution
Stratus ftServer
Stratus ztC Edge
Rockwell PlantPAx software for campus-wide production control
Eliminated downtime and consolidated software workloads
Reduced factory acceptance test (FAT)/site acceptance test (SAT) times from weeks to hours; completed full validation in one week
Reduced TCO by 15-20% and increased compute infrastructure lifespan to 15 years
Harness Opportunities at the Edge
Edge computing is projected to become a $15B market over the next few years, which means tremendous opportunity for SIs with the right expertise.
The Penguin Solutions Global SI Program aims to build SI confidence, capability, and productivity in order to bring scalable edge computing offerings to end users . We are customer focused and treat our partners the same way we treat our customers. Through the Penguin Solutions Global SI Program, SIs get the training, certification, and accreditation on edge computing technology practices they need to implement leading-edge computing platform solutions.
We ensure that our products and services drive value and loyalty for partners and customers alike.
We become trusted advisors to our own partners and customers. We consistently receive feedback that we deliver outcomes that exceed expectations.
For sales q ueries, pl ease contact sales@penguinsolutions.com
To learn more about Penguin Solutions products please call 800-221-6588 or visit www.penguinsolutions.com