Complex IT puzzle on the Afsluitdijk

How do you ensure that all system installations are connected and work flawlessly? Batenburg Industrial Automation took on this challenge in the role of technical integrator. The biggest challenge was in translating requirements into a technical design. Division Director Michael Derksen tells more about development lines, typicals, challenging processes and indispensable technical knowledge.

"We went deep with our technical knowledge," Michael begins. "The Afsluitdijk is a special project, so the automation is anything but straightforward. Also considering the size of the project and the lead time of five to six years from design to realization of the automation." At Batenburg, they know what they are talking about when they talk about automation and electrification. As a system integrator, they deliver customized Operational Technology solutions. More concretely: with their solutions they stabilize installations at sea, they make locks flow better, they know how to purify water cleaner, they make cyber more secure and machines more efficient and let people and machines work together better. For example, they worked on larger infrastructure projects in the Netherlands, such as the IJmuiden sea lock and the safety of the Kethel tunnel on the A4 between Delft and Schiedam, as well as a tunnel at Schiphol Airport. 

Technical integrator

Back to the Afsluitdijk: initially, Batenburg was asked to participate in the design phase to achieve the best possible system designs. Subsequently, the automaker also realized much of the software development, hardware deliveries and panel construction, as well as the commissioning of all installations. As for the installations; these range from public address systems and surveillance cameras on the Afsluitdijk to the technical integration of the new floodgate at Den Oever. "In fact, our role is that of technical integrator. That means we integrate all the subsystems software-technically into the total system. That sounds simpler than it is, but you have to deal with different suppliers and all this has to be well coordinated."

Radar as a whole

How do you tackle a project of this magnitude? "It starts with a good collaboration with construction consortium Levvel, in which you express trust to each other and put the right people with the right expertise at the table," answers Michael. "After all, this project is such a unique project that the knowledge and expertise is indispensable. The main challenge was in translating the requirements into a technical design. All the requirements regarding security, the complete electrical installation, the laying of fiberglass and a cybersecurity network relate to our work. A lot of parties are involved to achieve a well-considered design. We from Batenburg are a radar in the whole and connect at the right moment. We are also responsible for the configuration of the network and the division of the virtual networks and everything that comes with it. Good planning is therefore crucial. We achieved several important milestones throughout this project that we look back on with pride, including in December 2022. Then we realized the automation of the floodgate at Den Oever. Testing here often took place at night, to minimize the obstruction of shipping traffic." 

Development Street

Batenburg realized a development street, generating the software and the necessary documents. A development street is a series of structured processes supported by smart software solutions in which code is written. "This is one of the innovations we applied in this project. From documents, or the requirements package, we generated the software. By developing our software in a so-called development street, we keep our software consistently high quality and secure. After all, when you start writing software, you try to make it as flexible as possible so that any later modifications can be implemented quickly without having to code everything all over again. We work with typicals as much as possible. So if you have written the software, so to speak, for a public address system with all the features of its functions, then this is the basis for all the public address systems on the Afsluitdijk." 

Extensively tested

Where software is written, there is a lot of testing. Levvel had a copy of the various live setups built in Dordrecht and maintained by UIP. Batenburg contributed to this. "Here we tested everything in advance, including cybersecurity, redundancy and the operation of the software. These are fun and challenging processes."

Key to success

Looking back on the collaboration and the project, Michael is especially proud. "The cooperation with Levvel and Rijkswaterstaat has been the key to its success. You have to address each other at the right time, act on it and be open to each other's challenges. All in all, it has been a challenging project for our people, which makes us happy."