Amt/Galm and Affoltern water supplies
Merging the Rittmeyer control systems and increasing security standards
The two water utilities Amt/Galm and Affoltern supply communities with a total of 92,000 inhabitants with fresh drinking water. Until now, the two supply areas used their own control systems from Rittmeyer. The infrastructure had to be renewed to increase ICT security. Moreover, it was necessary to merge the two independent control systems into one common system.
Although the two automation systems were designed independently of each other, they could be efficiently combined into a higher-level control system using uniformly defined process variables. The new unified system now includes more than 30 remote control stations.
Proven products and in-house developments
Well-proven products were used to implement the project. The control cabinets were designed and assembled at Rittmeyer, equipped with the control systems and commissioned at the customer's site by the Rittmeyer service department. The in-house developed RIFLEX PLC, the RITOP SCADA system and the Windows servers, which were also set up in-house, ensure that the individual components communicate seamlessly with each other.
Increasing ICT resilience
Another important aspect of the project implementation was to increase ICT resilience. This was achieved by implementing a redundant SCADA and a zoned network. The redundant SCADA ensures that in the event of a subsystem failure, the backup system can immediately take over and continue operations without interruption. The zoned network provides clear separation and management of the various network segments, further increasing the security and stability of the overall system. These measures help to ensure the reliability and operational continuity of the water supply.
During the project implementation, the different requirements of the two water supplies had to be considered and combined in a unified control system. The migration to the new SCADA was ultimately completed in a single day, with only a short interruption in service for the operators of Amt/Galm and Affoltern.
“I've been with the company for 30 years, and I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the control systems were merged. We owe this to the efficient preparatory work of the Rittmeyer team, who worked in an uncomplicated, flexible and fast manner.”
Renato Vincenti, Operations Manager, Amt/Galm group water supply
