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IT/OT Convergence

Unified Namespace and Plant Data Platform for Multi-Site Manufacturing

We connected SCADA, PLCs and historians across several plants into a unified namespace that IT and engineering teams can use safely. Plant data now feeds enterprise analytics without anyone touching control networks directly.

Specialty chemicals manufacturer with plants in India and Southeast Asia (composite) · IT/OT Convergence

Unified Namespace and Plant Data Platform for Multi-Site Manufacturing

Challenge

Security and change-control concerns from OT teams. We worked within plant MOC processes, used read-only connections, and segmented networks so no inbound connection reached the control layer.

Approach

Edge gateways at each site collect data via OPC UA and Modbus from PLCs and DCS systems, and from existing process historians. Data is published to an MQTT broker using a Sparkplug B, ISA-95-aligned topic hierarchy (enterprise/site/area/line/asset). A DMZ architecture following ISA/IEC 62443 zones and conduits keeps OT networks isolated, with one-way data flows to the IT side. In the cloud, data lands in a time-series store and lakehouse for OEE dashboards, energy analytics and batch comparisons.

Outcome

Consistent, contextualised data model across plants Cross-site OEE and energy benchmarking without manual exports Illustratively ~30–50% less engineering time spent gathering data Stronger OT security posture with defined zones and conduits Foundation for predictive maintenance and advanced analytics

✓Consistent, contextualised data model across plants
✓Cross-site OEE and energy benchmarking without manual exports
~30–50%Illustratively less engineering time spent gathering data

Problem solved

Each plant had different historians and naming conventions, and engineers exported data manually to spreadsheets to compare performance.

What we built

Edge gateways at each site collect data via OPC UA and Modbus from PLCs and DCS systems, and from existing process historians. Data is published to an MQTT broker using a Sparkplug B, ISA-95-aligned topic hierarchy (enterprise/site/area/line/asset). A DMZ architecture following ISA/IEC 62443 zones and conduits keeps OT networks isolated, with one-way data flows to the IT side. In the cloud, data lands in a time-series store and lakehouse for OEE dashboards, energy analytics and batch comparisons.

Benefits

Consistent, contextualised data model across plants Cross-site OEE and energy benchmarking without manual exports Illustratively ~30–50% less engineering time spent gathering data Stronger OT security posture with defined zones and conduits Foundation for predictive maintenance and advanced analytics

OPC UAModbusMQTTSparkplug BISA-95ISA/IEC 62443Lakehouse

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