How to Integrate an Engineering Office with Your IT and Automation Systems
How to Integrate an Engineering Office with Your IT and Automation Systems
Integration between engineering offices, IT systems and automation is one of the most frequent challenges in industrial projects. Engineering offices design, integrators implement, and IT teams manage infrastructure. But when these three worlds don't communicate, projects stall.
The Problem: Three Worlds That Don't Talk
The Engineering Office Designs
The engineering office produces technical specifications, P&IDs, electrical schematics. It thinks in terms of functionality, regulatory compliance, theoretical performance. But it doesn't always know the real operational constraints.
The Automation Integrator Implements
The automation integrator programs PLCs, configures SCADA, commissions equipment. It follows the engineering office's specifications, but often discovers that operational reality doesn't match theoretical specifications.
The IT Team Manages Infrastructure
The IT team manages servers, networks, databases, integrations with enterprise systems (ERP, MES). It often receives integration requests last, when automation systems are already designed.
Result: Systems that work individually but not together. Complex integrations added afterward. Delays that extend, budgets that explode.
Why Integration Fails
1. Absence of System Vision from Design
The engineering office designs automation without thinking about IT integration. The IT team discovers integration needs too late. Result: complex workarounds, fragile systems.
2. Specifications That Ignore Operational Reality
Engineering office specifications are theoretical. They don't take into account real constraints: production cycles, maintainability, team training. The automation integrator discovers these constraints during implementation.
3. Lack of Technical and Operational Bridge
No one connects the three worlds. The engineering office doesn't understand IT constraints. The automation integrator doesn't understand operational needs. The IT team doesn't understand automation issues.
The Solution: A Technical and Operational Bridge
The Role of the Senior Consultant
A senior consultant who understands all three worlds can bridge them:
1. Translate Operational Needs into Technical Specifications
Understand what operational teams really need, and translate these needs into specifications that the engineering office can use.
2. Validate Technical Feasibility Before Implementation
Verify that engineering office specifications are achievable with existing IT systems, and that integration is possible without complex workarounds.
3. Coordinate Integration Between the Three Worlds
Ensure that the engineering office, automation integrator and IT team work together, not in silos.
How to Succeed in Integration: Practical Approach
Phase 1: Initial Alignment
Before the engineering office starts designing:
- Bring together engineering office, automation integrator, IT team, and operational teams
- Define constraints together: existing IT systems, communication protocols, operational constraints
- Validate that integration is possible before designing
Result: Specifications that take integration into account from the start.
Phase 2: Design with Integration in Mind
During design:
- The engineering office designs with knowledge of existing IT systems
- Communication interfaces are defined from the start
- Operational constraints are integrated into specifications
Consultant's role: Validate that the design is integrable, and translate operational needs into technical specifications.
Phase 3: Coordinated Implementation
During implementation:
- The automation integrator implements according to validated specifications
- The IT team prepares infrastructure in parallel
- Integration tests are planned from the start
Consultant's role: Coordinate implementation, resolve integration problems, ensure the three worlds advance together.
Phase 4: Validation and Transfer
At the end of the project:
- Complete integration tests between automation, IT and operations
- Integration documentation for future maintenance
- Team training on using the integrated system
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Let the Engineering Office Design Alone
Problem: The engineering office designs without knowing IT and operational constraints.
Solution: Involve IT and operations from design.
Mistake 2: Add IT Integration Last
Problem: IT integration is thought of after automation is designed.
Solution: Think integration from design.
Mistake 3: Ignore Operational Constraints
Problem: Specifications are theoretical and ignore operational reality.
Solution: Involve operational teams in defining specifications.
Use Case: Takeda Project
On a recent project for Takeda, we played this bridging role between engineering office, automation integrator and IT team.
The challenge: A new fill & finish line had to integrate with existing IT systems (MES, ERP) and existing automation systems (Siemens, Rockwell).
Our approach:
1. Initial alignment: Meeting with engineering office, integrator, IT and operations to define integration constraints 2. Validated design: Validation that specifications allowed integration before implementation 3. Coordination: Coordination of implementation between the three teams 4. Integration tests: Complete automation-IT-operations integration tests
Result: Successful integration without workarounds, commissioning on time, maintainable system.
Conclusion: Integration as a Key Skill
Integration between engineering offices, IT systems and automation is not a technical problem. It's a coordination, communication, and system vision problem.
A senior consultant who understands all three worlds can bridge them, translate needs, validate feasibility, and coordinate implementation. It's this integration skill that makes the difference between a project that stalls and a project that succeeds.
At Vanguard Systems, we regularly intervene as a technical and operational bridge between engineering offices, automation integrators and IT teams. We translate operational needs into technical specifications, validate integration feasibility, and coordinate implementation.
[Learn more about our integration approach →](/solutions)