This class of solutions encompasses control and monitoring systems for:
- Industrial laboratories and R&D facilities
- Industrial test stations
- Pilot plants and processes
ICON Technologies has extensive experience developing systems that address the unique requirements of these types of facilities for industries including mining and materials handling, electrical power, transport infrastructure, manufacturing, process industries, agribusiness, and engineering services.
The Unique Operational Requirements of Industrial R&D and Industrial Test Systems
Monitoring and control systems for industrial R&D facilities must address two distinct and partially opposing sets of operational requirements.
They are industrial facilities with equipment at a scale that can be dangerous if operated incorrectly. They must be industrially robust, and meet all appropriate workplace standards and engineering certifications, with an emphasis on safe, reliable, and predictable operation. Operationally this means that system stability is prioritised over variation, and operators are traditionally isolated from changing, or even accessing, the low-level functionality of the system.
However, their primary purpose as R&D, pilot, or test facilities is to measure performance both inside and outside normal operating ranges, and to experiment with new and innovative equipment & procedures. This demands that they be highly flexible, and easily reconfigured to meet changing R&D and test requirements. Operators need to access and change the system configuration and functionality as required. But flexibility and change can come at the expense of system stability.
ICON Technologies has the skills, toolset, and experience to ensure that both sets of operational requirements are addressed equally and effectively. So the system is safe, reliable, and industrially robust, without sacrificing the flexibility required of an R&D, pilot, or test facility.
