Ignition SCADA · OT Engineering

Ignition systems
engineered for the plant floor.

Harts Consulting is an independent Ignition SCADA and OT engineering consultancy. From PLC integration and tag architecture through to Perspective HMIs, alarming, historian and reporting — built to be clean, maintainable and ready for production.

Ignition 8.1 Perspective Vision OPC-UA MQTT Siemens Rockwell Multi-vendor PLC SQL / Historian

What I Deliver Start a Project

Gateway · Tag BrowserConnected

[default]Line1/Pump01/RunningtrueGOOD

[default]Line1/Pump01/Flow_m3h42.7GOOD

[default]Line1/Tank02/Level_pct68.3GOOD

[default]Line1/Valve07/ZSCtrueGOOD

[default]Line2/Motor03/Current_A11.9GOOD

[default]Line2/Comms/Heartbeat—STALE

PLC / OPC-UA / MQTT → Gateway → Alarm Pipeline → Historian

About Harts Consulting

Controls-minded engineering, not just screens.

Harts Consulting is a UK limited company delivering contract SCADA development and industrial automation consulting, with a focus on Ignition by Inductive Automation and vendor-neutral integration across Siemens, Rockwell and other PLC platforms.

Good SCADA starts at the controller and ends at the operator. I design the whole chain — tag structure, UDTs, alarm philosophy, data model and HMI — so the system is easy to operate, diagnose and extend long after handover.

Ignition by Inductive Automation - Certified Integrator

8.1

Ignition platform expertise

OT/IT

Convergence experience

PLC→HMI

End-to-end ownership

System Architecture

From field device to operator screen

A typical Ignition deployment, and where I add value at every layer.

Level 1

Control Layer

Siemens S7
Rockwell / Allen-Bradley
Other PLCs, drives & I/O

Connectivity

Drivers & Protocols

OPC-UA · MQTT
Native PLC drivers
EtherNet/IP · Modbus

Level 2

Ignition Gateway

Tag providers & UDTs
Alarm pipelines
Scripting & Named Queries

Data

Historian & SQL

Tag history
Store & Forward
Alarm journal

Level 2/3

Clients & Reports

Perspective (web/mobile)
Vision (thick client)
Reporting & dashboards

Segregated networks · Least-privilege security zones · IT/OT aware design

What I Deliver

SCADA & OT Engineering Services

Focused, hands-on delivery across the full Ignition lifecycle.

Ignition SCADA Development

Full-cycle builds on the Ignition platform: gateway architecture, tag providers, UDT design, security and project structure, through to deployment and handover.

GatewayUDTsTag ProvidersSecurity Zones

Perspective & Vision HMI

Operator-focused, consistent screens that follow high-performance HMI principles. Reusable templates and embedded views keep large projects fast to build and simple to maintain.

PerspectiveVisionTemplatesMobile / Web

Multi-Vendor PLC Integration

Reliable connectivity between Ignition and the control layer, whatever is on the floor. Siemens and Rockwell are everyday work, with other PLC platforms and devices connected via native drivers, OPC-UA or Modbus. Tag structures mirror the PLC data model and stay maintainable.

SiemensRockwell / Allen-BradleyOther PLCsOPC-UAModbusEtherNet/IP

MQTT & IIoT Connectivity

Publish and subscribe architectures for edge devices, remote sites and cloud or enterprise systems. Broker integration, topic and payload design, and Sparkplug-style data models alongside traditional PLC polling.

MQTTBrokersTopic DesignEdge / Cloud

Alarm Management

Alarm pipelines, notification and escalation, shelving and prioritisation, plus analysis of alarm data to cut nuisance alarms and improve operator response.

Alarm PipelinesRationalisationNotificationAlarm Analysis

Historian, SQL & Reporting

Tag history, Named Queries and SQL integration for operational analytics and compliance, with Ignition Reporting and dashboards that turn raw data into decisions.

Tag HistorianNamed QueriesReportingMS SQL / PostgreSQL

Audits, Upgrades & Migration

Health checks on existing SCADA, performance and risk reviews, version upgrades and migrations from legacy platforms to Ignition, planned to minimise plant downtime.

System Audit8.1 UpgradesLegacy MigrationBackup / DR

Training & Handover

Documentation, standards and hands-on knowledge transfer so your controls and maintenance teams can run, diagnose and extend the system themselves.

StandardsDocumentationTeam Training

Contract & Project Support

Available for short or long-term contracts, working remotely or on site. Slots into your project team and delivers against your programme.

Day RateFixed PriceRemote / On-site

Example Interface

What a Perspective operations screen can look like

An illustrative data centre overview: power, cooling and environmental status on one clean, modern screen.

Data Centre Overview SITE-01 › Hall A › Overview

Simulated data

0 2 1

--:--:--

IT Load

1,482kW

▲ 1.2% vs 1h

Facility Power

1,836kW

Capacity 3,200 kW

PUE (Instant)

1.24

Target < 1.30

Avg Cold Aisle

24.1°C

ASHRAE A1 envelope

Power Demand · Last 60 min

Facility IT Load

Power Distribution

CRAH Units · Hall A

7 run · 1 standby

Rack Inlet Temperature

Rows A–F

22°C

32°C

Active & Recent Alarms

Alarm journal

Time	Priority	Source	Message	State

Illustrative example only · all values are simulated · built to show the look and feel of an Ignition Perspective operations screen

Tech Stack

Tools of the trade

The platforms, protocols and practices behind every build.

Ignition Platform

Ignition 8.1 Gateway & Designer
Perspective & Vision modules
Alarm Notification & Reporting
Tag Historian & SQL Bridge
Jython scripting

Controls & Protocols

Siemens S7 PLCs
Rockwell / Allen-Bradley (Logix)
Other PLC platforms
OPC-UA & MQTT
Modbus TCP & EtherNet/IP

Data & Analytics

Named Queries & SQL
Historian design & retention
Alarm & event analysis
HTML / dashboard reporting

Engineering Practice

UDT-driven, scalable tag design
High-performance HMI principles
Version control & backup strategy
IT/OT network & security awareness

How I Work

A clear path from brief to handover

Scope & Survey

Understand the process, the controls layer, existing systems and operator needs before a single tag is created.

Architect

Define gateway layout, tag and UDT structure, alarm philosophy, data model and security approach.

Build & Test

Develop screens, logic and integrations, and test against simulation or the live PLC before commissioning.

Commission & Handover

Support go-live, document the system and train your team so you are fully in control afterwards.

Why Harts

What sets us apart

Senior-level, hands-on

You work directly with the engineer building your system. No account managers, no hand-offs, just focused technical delivery.

Ignition specialists

Deep, practical knowledge of Ignition from Designer to Gateway configuration, including scripting, alarming and historian design.

Vendor-neutral controls knowledge

Comfortable on both sides of the PLC-to-SCADA boundary across Siemens, Rockwell and more, so integration issues get solved rather than passed between teams.

Flexible engagement

Day-rate contracts, fixed-price projects or retainer support, delivered by a registered UK limited company.

Ignition systemsengineered for the plant floor.