In 2013, CIAT employed a workforce of 2,100 people (1,150 in the Rhône-Alpes plants) with a turnover of 256 million Euros. Keeping a steady workforce was an important piece of the upgrade to CIAT. Protecting the environment and using energy wisely were two other components CIAT vowed to never compromise on, and pledges that these are still core business values. Its development subscribes to optimizing energy consumption, improving air quality and ensuring a comfortable atmosphere inside buildings, while providing the best support available to clients.
Self-described as a company dedicated to the world around them, it is essential to CIAT to stay current with cutting-edge industry trends and research. Due to these priorities, CIAT decided it was time to investigate 64-bit monitoring systems that aligned with their values for innovation and sustainability. This search ultimately led them to ICONICS due to their best in class 64-bit solutions, Microsoft Gold certification, and their Web-client connectivity, as well as the scalability of the solution. CIAT was also impressed with the unification and standardization of communications with all their equipment (e.g. meters, compressors, etc.) through OPC technology. ICONICS software provided the ability to integrate information from a broad range of equipment and systems used without breaking existing connections.
“Today we must design living and working spaces that are safe, comfortable and sustainable,” said Eric Blancard, CIAT’s Project Manager. “CIAT is strongly committed to environmental protection and has made this concern an integral part of its development strategy. CIAT’s expertise is based on three fundamental axes: air quality, comfort and energy optimization.”
Luckily, ICONICS’ values and software fit perfectly into these priorities. In initial planning meetings, CIAT broke the implementation process out into phases. The first involved laying the foundation of the solution, (including designing the hardware and software architecture). Then CIAT began the implementation of ICONICS software and rolled it out across the entire facility over the course of one year. The CIAT Group has six industrial plants based in France (with four plants, three of which are located in Rhône-Alpes), Spain and Italy. With one server and 500 tags, the project modernized the way that CIAT had been operating.