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The boTec data integration platform primarily supports our customers, particularly in the process and production industries, in optimising their business processes by providing decision-relevant data and information. In doing so, it fosters business outcomes for our customers, such as enhanced data-based decision-making, improved efficiency, cost reduction, and increased revenue.

By providing critical capabilities for data integration, the boTec integration platform facilitates the implementation of business-relevant software solutions across entire enterprises within the contexts of digital transformation, energy transition, decarbonisation, Industry 4.0, and more. Typically, the boTec data integration platform delivers added value to our customers by optimising business processes among others in the following areas:

• Operational Efficiency
• Production Planning and Scheduling
• Supply Chain Management
• Asset Performance and Maintenance
• Predictive Maintenance and Reliability
• Energy Efficiency
• Sustainability, Resource Savings, and Emission Reduction
• Safety and Risk Management
• Customer Experience

boTec Data Integration Platform

From an IT perspective, the boTec data integration platform is a horizontal enterprise software solution that seamlessly integrates data to optimise various end-to-end business processes and assets. Its architecture allows it to model processes and assets as digital twins, meeting a variety of high-standard IT enterprise requirements. The boTec data integration platform provides an application framework that enables easy and rapid development of applications for mobile, desktop, and cloud environments. For bidirectional integration, it includes interfaces to best-in-class applications commonly used across industries and makes the integration layer readily accessible through a consumption API, aligning among others with the requirements of digital transformation.

Data Connectivity

Many types of business software cannot typically communicate directly with each other to exchange data or business rules. Today, most of these applications follow a monolithic model and often do not support easy data flows between best-in-class solutions from different vendors. Such information silos lead to inefficiencies, despite the fact that unrestricted data and process exchange between all connected applications or data sources within the organisation is crucial to success. A best practice is to connect each system to the integration layer only, rather than linking each of the systems directly, as this significantly reduces the number of connections required. The boTec data integration platform provides over 100 connectors to best-in-class applications and systems across industries for:

• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
• Production Planning and Scheduling
• Process / Industrial Control System (PCS / ICS)
• Laboratory Systems
• Document Management
• Distribution Planning
• Computer-aided design (CAD)
• Environmental Management
• Accounting Systems
• Stock and Price Systems

If data is available in files or requires manual input, there are options to ingest it. The data can then be structured and stored in the integration layer. In this way, (un)structured data is digitised and converted into consistent and reusable data for systematic business support.

In a todays single production site a significant number of enterprise systems and applications support various business processes and sub-processes. While connecting many different systems is generally manageable, the real challenge lies in making data fit for purpose when it is not harmonised or standardised across multiple systems. The complexity of integration naturally increases with a growing number of enterprise systems, leading to multiple data silos and varied user interfaces. The boTec data integration platform addresses these challenges and helps reduce maintenance costs when enterprise applications are modified, added, or retired.

Uwe Rupp, Director Products and R&D, boTec GmbH

Data Storage

In some information integration concepts, data from connected systems is often fully copied into the integration layer, with data validation and consistency checks performed. Work processes then tend to rely on data from the integration layer rather than accessing data from the best-in-class source system. However, data used in such a “copy integration approach” may be outdated when accessed. Discrepancies between the source system and the integration layer can lead to reduced trust in corporate KPIs, business analysis, or legal reporting. Since data correctness, completeness, consistency, and sustainability are crucial, data should ideally remain in the connected source systems, with the integration layer linking to the data. In certain cases, it may be beneficial to store (dis)aggregated or otherwise processed data in the integration layer. The boTec data integration platform allows flexibility to make this decision case by case, rather than copying all data by default.

Integrated Business Model

The integration layer acts as a data and information hub once various business systems are connected, enabling effective business process support by modelling the business processes accordingly. Enterprise information integration requires not only data-level integration but also a common understanding of semantics across the connected and linked business applications. The boTec data integration platform provides a two-step approach: First, a Business Application Model is created for each business application, providing a lightweight layer on top. Second, an overall Integrated Business Model can be created on top of one or more “Business Application Models.” Both models serve as reference models, generally not storing data themselves but linking to objects from each business application or respective “Business Application Model.”

As the Business Application Model references the underlying data of the source system in real-time, new data becomes immediately available in the “Business Application Models” when it is introduced in the source application. No additional data transformation or replication tasks are required.

Full ownership by process owners of their best-in-class business applications and their corresponding business models has proven to be best practice for achieving sustainably integrated business models, as it effectively aligns business and information technology.

Jörg Schneider, Senior Solution Architect, boTec GmbH

The Business Integration Model allows for the specification of a shared refinery business model across the integrated business applications, facilitating communication between systems, collaboration among users, and improvement of business processes. It provides a mapping of all nomenclatures of the integrated systems and enables dynamic drill-down into object details while exposing data through existing and new solutions.

Furthermore, the concept of “Business Integration Models” enables the feasible management of changes in the business application landscape. Changes are regarded as the default rather than the exception. One notable benefit of business integration models is that the total cost of ownership does not change significantly, as large migration projects are not necessary to adapt the solution interfaces. In this sense, “Business Integration Models” help to save costs and enhance the availability of services.

Making Data fit for Purpose

When creating business application and integration models data needs to make fit for purpose, which is supporting and optimizing the various business processes. The boTec data integration platform considers among other topics the following:

• Harmonisation Over Standardisation
• Time Dependency
• Unit Of Measures

Harmonisation Over Standardisation: Various different terminologies are challenging when integrating data and models from different sources especially in respect to a smooth collaboration between users. Instead of trying to standardise terminologies the boTec data integration platform harmonises models. According mapping establishes a shared understanding in a layer on top of the individual models and conservs the understanding of each individual model.

Time Dependency: Much information is time dependent. Data and systems change constantly over various time periods. Therefore, the boTec data integration platform provides references to data and model with time as a separate dimension, so that aggregating and disaggregating data can be done easily. The “Business Integration Model” keeps the according complexity away from the user, who can focus then rather on the task to do instead of the impacts caused by time.

Unit Of Measures: Business applications store data in different formats and units. Especially when international collaboration and communication is involved in multi-site business processess, the integration layer manages unit of measure transformations accordingly. Hereby, it is secured that the related processes are stable and do not need adaption in case business applications do change.

Optimising your Business Process

The optimisation of business processes varies depending on the specific objectives of each process. The boTec Data Integration Platform offers seamless integration of diverse data sources—from operational process data through laboratory data to control systems for production workflows. The close interconnection of these systems enables access to both current and historical data across all locations at any time.

For over 25 years, the boTec Data Integration Platform has enabled the visualisation and modelling of complex industrial business processes to support optimised decision-making. At the same time, it provides a foundation for informed decisions through complex analyses, calculations, simulations, and forecasts, ensuring efficient control and optimal adaptation of industrial production processes.

Data and Information Visualisation

• Flow Diagrams: Visualisation of process flows for plants and equipment groups
• Trends: Display of historical and real-time data for analysing process trends to efficiently control processes
• Reports: Custom calculations and visualisations

Production Management and Process Optimisation

• Laboratory Data: Supports quality assurance through regular analyses of raw materials and end products.
• Scheduling: Manages and optimises production planning to ensure efficiency and availability.
• Pumping Planning: Organises material transport between production stages, ensuring smooth operations.

Raw Material and Inventory Management

• Crude Oil Delivery: Monitors and manages the delivery and storage of crude oil to ensure production supply.
• Manual Oil Movement Logging: Documents manually conducted oil movements, ensuring precise inventory control.
• Tank Accounting: Manages and balances inventory levels of crude oil and intermediate products for transparency and inventory accuracy.

Maintenance and Asset Management

• Asset Monitoring: Monitors the condition and performance of assets to prevent failures and ensure operational efficiency.
• Oil Monitoring: Analyses oil quality in equipment and machinery to minimise wear and optimise maintenance intervals.

Energy, Environmental, and Safety Management

• Energy Monitoring: Tracks and analyses energy consumption to enhance efficiency and reduce energy costs.

Logistics and Business Administration

• Mass Balancing: Records and balances all material flows for accurate inventory valuation and compliance assurance.
• Refinery Balance: Generates a comprehensive balance of all refinery processes to meet regulatory requirements and optimise processes.

A valuable integration of enterprise information allows companies to start with one or two business processes and manage increasing complexity and diversity as the number of applications and (sub)processes involved grows. Therefore, valuable integration of enterprise information is not only suitable for traditional production processes but also applicable to any future combination of production methods.