And Wonderware hits the jackpot in China...

June 9, 2009

Wonderware makes the trains in China run on time! Using what they claim is the largest industrial application of Microsoft SQL Server, Wonderware announces a massive SCADA project for China Railways that will, by 2010, amount to over 1.5 million I/O points.

Here's the release:

Wonderware makes the trains in China run on time! Using what they claim is the largest industrial application of Microsoft SQL Server, Wonderware announces a massive SCADA project for China Railways that will, by 2010, amount to over 1.5 million I/O points.

Here's the release:

China Ministry of Railways on Track to Deploy Wonderware SCADA Solution for Passenger Railway Line
 
Cheadle Royal, Cheshire, UK June 9, 2009 -- Wonderware, whose products are sold and supported in the UK by Wonderware United Kingdom, a division of SolutionsPT limited, today announced that China’s Ministry of Railways has selected Wonderware System Platform as the SCADA system to operate the country’s national railway.  The project will extend to 2020 and involves the automation of all power monitoring points for a majority of the Chinese railroad system and will feature 3 million I/O points.

The Wonderware SCADA project integrates a large part of the country’s railway lines running from Beijing in the north to Guangzhou in the south.  The project’s estimated budget is approximately 3.5 trillion yuan (USD $512 billion).  The China Ministry of Railways company expects a 6-year return on investment.

“When the China Railway system is completed it will carry both passengers and goods, reaching a distance of 4,000 kilometres in just a few hours,” said Chen Qizhi, vice general manager of Chengdu Jiaoda Guangmang Industry, the Wonderware system integrator managing the project.  “This is a big leap from the normal multi-day trip it takes right now and is indeed a huge improvement in our country’s transportation system.”

            The initial rollout of Wonderware System Platform software involves approximately 100,000 I/O points.  By the end of 2009, the SCADA solution will expand to 300,000 I/O points as more stations are added, and will increase to 1.5 million I/O points by 2010.  It is expected that by the time the project is completed in 2020, the Wonderware SCADA solution will manage more than 3 million I/O points and will include the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railroad currently under construction.

 “Wonderware System Platform was chosen by the China Ministry of Railways because it is able to accept large I/O systems into a single, integrated solution,” said Mark Davidson, vice president of Wonderware global marketing.  “The scalability of the software makes it possible to execute the project in stages, enabling China Railways to operate only the system that is required at a certain time.  This allows railway managers to budget resources properly.”

The China Ministry of Railways’ Wonderware SCADA system will be the largest-scale industrial project to date involving the Microsoft SQL Server platform.  Wonderware has standardised its automation and control systems on Microsoft’s industry-standard platforms, such as Microsoft SQL Server, because they provide the highest levels of security, reliability and scalability for business-critical applications, as well as the ability to create and deploy data-driven solutions quickly.

“The China Ministry of Railways selected the Wonderware System Platform on Microsoft SQL Server to meet its unprecedented scalability challenge without sacrificing reliability and security,” said Chris Colyer, global director of manufacturing operations strategies, Microsoft Corporation.  “Microsoft and Wonderware offer a solid and secure SCADA system built on an open, highly scalable and fully integrated architecture.  Together, we remain dedicated to providing robust, easy-to-use automation software based on Microsoft technology.”