Schneider Electric transforms airports with IPOC – a new generation integrated platform operations control center

Schneider Electric presented IPOC – a new platform, which connects energy, assets and airport operations in a unified, real-time environment. The solution was created to improve efficiency, sustainability and decarbonization of airports, which are expecting to double the traffic up to 2040, BalkanEngineer.com was informed by the company.

Schneider Electric has announced the market debut of its integrated platform operation center (IPOC) – an intelligent platform, developed onto AVEVA software, which combines energy data, automation and industrial intelligence in one operation environment. The solution is meant to address key challenges that airports face, such as the control of over 30 isolated systems and growing energy expenditure, which present around 10-15% of combined operational costs.

IPOC offers a complete, connected image of processes at terminals, ground and airport areas, by providing operational context between systems and interested parties. This improves coordination and decision making in real time. The platform allows for problems to be discovered much quicker and easier prioritization of incidents, by improving the reaction during interferences and the flight experience. By integrating energy data in real time IPOC allows the user to get to the core issue, without negatively impacting the experience of the passengers.

The template-based and object-oriented architecture allows for asset standardization and accelerated deployment, as models can be created once and used repeatedly across different terminals at no additional cost.

The solution has already proven its efficiency. At the Barcelona El Prat platform the AVEVA System Platform replaced 20 fragmented systems and increased the monitoring from 35,000 to over 700,000 signals. This enabled integrated management of terminal operations, baggage systems, HVAC installations and the power plant, reducing energy and resource losses and supporting the expansion of the airport with a new terminal, runway and additional building. Thanks to this improvement, the airport serves over 29 million passengers annually.

IPOC was officially presented during the Passenger Terminal Expo at the end of March this year.

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