Building Resilient and Sustainable Industrial Infrastructure in terms of Engineering, Design and Support Services

Are you an end-user Industrial Manufacturing Organization? If yes then this may be an interesting topic for you.

In today's dynamic business environment to ensure the sustainable and efficient introduction and continuous updates of technologies in existing design specifications and standards for industrial infrastructure projects, consideration of the following multi-faceted approach would be beneficial:

1️⃣ Vendors and Partner Risk Ranking and Lifecycle Transparency

▶ Establish a Vendor Risk Ranking Framework: Create a risk ranking system for vendors and future service partners (who are going to be part of your business and lifecycle) based on factors like lifecycle support, safety and security resilience, compliance with standards, and transparent service and support commitments demonstrated by history to at Organization level, within industry OR by global presence. This can help in partnering with vendors who can sustain long-term, secure, and reliable support.

NOTE: Usually Organizations have approved vendors list while make sure if pre-qualification criteria covers comprehensive lifecycle based risk assessment criteria as well.

▶ Lifecycle Management Commitments: Require vendors to commit to clear lifecycle management plans for components, covering updates, security patches, and support, reducing the chance of “end-of-life” surprises that can lead to downtime or security risks.

2️⃣ Incorporate Non-Process Equipment in Reliability and Risk Assessments

▶ Reliability-Based Design for Non-Process Systems: Begin by assessing the downtime risks associated with non-process equipment like industrial elevators, HVAC systems, and drainage systems and many more. Include failure modes, environmental conditions, and predictive maintenance plans for these assets in project specs to ensure they do not become weak points in productivity.

▶ Localized Environmental Adjustments: Customize specifications according to specific environmental shift in the region, such as extreme raining conditions, temperature tolerances, corrosion resistance, and dust-proofing for harsher climates.

3️⃣ Adopt Secure, Modern ICS Communication Protocols

▶ Transition from Legacy Protocols: Proactively phase out legacy communication protocols that lack security, and instead specify modern, secure, and open protocols such as OPC UA or MQTT. These should be integrated with industrial cybersecurity principles to ensure they remain robust against evolving threats.

▶ Modular and Scalable Designs: Include scalability in specifications for protocols and systems, ensuring updates are easy without needing significant redesigns, and helping future-proof the facility and be part of proactive end-users community.

4️⃣ Prioritize Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in Design Updates

▶ LED Lighting Conversion: Standardize LED lighting in design specifications to replace conventional lights of course in consideration to area classification, detailing energy savings, maintenance cost reduction, and lifespan. This can improve plant energy efficiency and cut emissions, aligning with green initiatives.

▶ Green Technologies Assessment: Include a technology evaluation checklist in all new project designs to ensure energy-efficient options and renewables are considered wherever possible, with documented environmental impact metrics.

5️⃣ Integrate Digital Transformation and Predictive Maintenance into Design

▶ Predictive and Condition-Based Maintenance: Specify predictive maintenance capabilities for both process and non-process assets that predict failures and schedule maintenance during low-impact times.

▶ Data-Driven Decision Making: Use operational data, leading & lagging indicators as well as asset management system-enabled sensors and monitoring systems to gather real-time data from all critical assets, making adjustments possible based on data insights rather than reactive maintenance. Ensure data compatibility with existing analytics platforms for comprehensive asset health tracking and critical decision making for business supported by data.

Implementing these strategies promotes a forward-looking, sustainable, and efficient approach to industrial infrastructure engineering, design and upgrades, minimizing future risks and supporting operational resilience.