AUTOMATION | MODERNISATION
have a limited amount of time on
the ship itself, so it was critical that all
parties felt comfortable with our plan.
The concept lab was an excellent way
to do so.”
Once the project was officially
given the green light, it quickly
became necessary for Logimatic to
go beyond the land locked lab and
set out to sea with the ship’s crew,
regardless of the 20-year history
working with the Danish Navy. They
needed to gain a stronger first-hand
understanding of the pain points,
naval requirements and best-case
solutions required for ThinManager
implementation.
Everything considered standard
practice with civilian clients went
overboard when the Logimatic
team began working directly with
the crew of the naval support ship.
Seemingly simple issues such as
switching between screens, pressing
a button or even the size of a standard
mouse needed to be considered as a
potential matter of life or death.
By gaining a deeper level of
understanding and appreciation of the
conditions that the IT infrastructure
would need to perform under,
the Logimatic team developed a
specifically tailored ThinManager
solution. Purpose designed software
was programmed into carefully
considered hardware,
with multiple sources
integrated into single
display terminals instantly
capable of reading and
reacting to constantly
incoming data from all over
the ship’s IP cameras, FactoryTalk
View SE SCADA system and other
third-party software packages.
Once the initial system was
By gaining
a deeper level of
understanding and
appreciation of the
conditions that the IT
infrastructure would need
to perform under, the
Logimatic team developed
a specifically tailored
installed, the Logimatic team
continued to sail with the Danish Navy
onboard the newly refitted HDMS
Absalon (L16). Testing and refining
the infrastructure in real life scenarios
throughout Norway and Scotland
allowed for a collaborative effort to
hone systems, hardware and protocols.
What was a heavy system of
aged hardware and countless subsystems
had been upgraded with
customised server-based software
and virtual machines at each user
terminal. Easily accessed by assigned
personnel and seamlessly delivering
the content that is most relevant to
each situation, the HDMS Absalon
(L16) had taken a giant leap forward
from its fifteen-year-old self that had
been hoisted into dry dock only
months earlier. So-much-so that sister
ship HDMS Esbern Snare (L17) was
quickly approved for a complete
technological overhaul.
“Any unforeseen downtime at
sea can be dangerous, especially
in potential combat situations,”
shares Søren Præsius, project
manager, electrical power and
automation, Danish Ministry of
Defence Acquisition and Logistics
Organisation.
LIFE OR DEATH
“Having the ability to work on
terminals with a consistent,
lightning-quick speed can literally
be a life or death situation. Our crew
members are now empowered to
quickly act, under any level of stress,
with a system that is consistent and
intuitive to use.”
Lowered cost of operation is also
one of key benefits the Danish Navy
has experienced as a result of the
ThinManager implementation.
Excessive and expensive-tomaintain
hardware has been
removed in place of more
modern, efficient controls
together with HMI
software. ThinManager
is also scalable to
allow for any number of
adaptations and necessary
changes over the coming
years, which translates to a
reduction in costs especially
when compared to the legacy
system.
Security in any armed forces is
paramount and nothing more so than
a naval vessel at sea or dockside
where all precautions need to be
taken against malfunctions and
the threat of outsiders bringing
computers or USB’s onboard for
example. Logimatic implemented
the ThinManager system to employ
the highest of security measures.
While the new system is still an ‘open
system,’ the architecture makes
executing protective means far more
efficient and effective.
“We’ve seen a very positive
impact on the entire Danish Navy via
of this project,” says Præsius.
“The new technology provides
a blueprint for improvements to be
made throughout the rest of our fleet.
The successful upgrades to both
HDMS Absalon and Esbern Snare
has paved the way for enhancements
to three of our Naval frigates. We’re
looking forward to seeing what else
we can accomplish together.” !
ThinManager
solution
24 WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JANUARY 2020
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