Connecting software to industrial operations

Context

Bexley’s founder co-founded and led a software and engineering company, building its engineering organisation from the ground up. Its work combined enterprise software with the control systems and electronics that physical operations depend on, for manufacturing and municipal operations.

Challenge

• Equipment and production processes needed dependable automation and control.
• Off-the-shelf hardware did not always fit the operational need, so purpose-built devices were required.
• Information from equipment and field operations had to reach the enterprise and GIS systems that people used to plan and manage work.

What was done

As co-founder, chief executive and chief technology officer, Bexley’s founder:

• Built PLC automation and industrial control systems for operational environments.
• Developed microcontroller firmware on platforms including Microchip PIC and ARM Cortex-M3, using FreeRTOS where real-time scheduling was needed.
• Delivered custom hardware-software interfaces linking equipment to software for manufacturing and municipal operations.
• Delivered enterprise systems, GIS applications and national-scale software solutions.

Architecture and approach

Each solution was designed across the boundary between physical equipment and software: control logic in PLCs or firmware close to the equipment, and well-defined interfaces carrying information to enterprise applications and databases. Building both sides within one team kept those interfaces explicit and testable.

How this applies to your organisation

If your operations rely on equipment, controllers or devices that do not yet connect cleanly to your software and data, the work starts with the interfaces between them. See Development and Data Architecture & Engineering.