High-performing and scalable: Swiss energy and contracting hub with new Smart Control Center

Energy generation, wastewater treatment, solvent regeneration – the tasks of the 350 GETEC employees at the multi-client site near Basel are many and varied. Almost 3,000 people are employed by the chemical and pharmaceutical companies based there. The spectrum ranges from small businesses to international corporations. They all have one thing in common: the desire for economically efficient and sustainable energy solutions.

Four individual control rooms become the Smart Control Center

This is exactly what GETEC is all about: accompanying industrial and real estate customers on their way to net zero with smart energy and contracting solutions. While the monitoring and control of processes had previously been distributed across four individual locations on the extensive site in Muttenz, those responsible had a clear goal in mind. All information from the site should flow together in a central control room. In addition, the Smart Control Center, as a decentralized control center, was also to ensure the monitoring of systems outside the industrial park that GETEC operates in a contracting model.

"Extremely high-performing and very scalable"

Arthur Gebhardt, Head of Area Development & Analytics and also project manager, describes the challenge: “We wanted to link these four historically grown control rooms with their different process control systems and operating concepts; virtually everything under one roof.” This is where the JST control room control system MultiConsoling^® comes into play. “This solution convinced us technologically. It is not only extremely high-performing, but also very scalable,” says Gebhardt, “with it, we can create a system world that exactly fits our growth plans and leaves automation steps open for us in the future.”

"Comparable systems could not keep up"

His colleague Reno Schröder, technical project manager, agrees with this argument with regard to the JST operating concept: “We looked around the market. However, comparable systems could not keep up in terms of performance, intuitive interfaces or real-time mouse movements. The operator actually acts as if he had the physical client right in front of him and not the virtual environment of a plant miles away.”

MultiConsoling^® perfect solution for multi-client site

“The philosophy behind MultiConsoling^®, the ease of handling, the possibility to switch back and forth between the individual systems by simple drag & drop – it’s all very convincing.” The option to “generate user-related instead of system-related workstations” makes MultiConsoling^® the perfect solution for merging the former four industrial park control rooms into one efficient Smart Control Center that is optimally prepared for the integration of further control rooms.

Smart Control Center for Swiss multi-client site GETEC

Virtual journey as living experience

The Swiss company representatives from the multi-client site particularly appreciate the support provided by JST consultant Oliver Bender. At the start of the project, the control center expert, together with the client, set out on a journey through the JST control room landscape during a virtual workshop in the control room simulator. Reno Schröder: “We were guided completely through this world, learned about interesting solutions, and our specific questions were answered. With various visualization techniques and media, Mr. Bender made the meeting a lively experience.” For the technical project manager, one thing is certain: “The experience in the control room simulator was very valuable and saved us the time-consuming trip from Switzerland.”