Vatajankoski enhances energy production with cloud-based data collection solution

Vatajankoski Oy is an innovative player in the energy sector, transforming the industry and promoting regional vitality by continuously developing new ways to use, save, and produce energy more efficiently. The company has been involved in the development of a sand battery innovation used in the district heating network of the city of Kankaanpää. The innovation has gained significant international attention, as Time magazine, for example, has listed it among the world’s best innovations.

The project in a nutshell

Challenge
For a long time, Vatajankoski’s energy production plants’ process data was scattered across different systems, making data management and access challenging. The company sought a solution that would make all production plant data easily accessible from a single system.
Solutions and Services
Etteplan introduced Vatajankoski to a cloud-based service solution that collects and visualizes production data in a scalable way. The solution was implemented into Vatajankoski's existing Azure environment.
Added value
Vatajankoski now has centralized, cloud-based access to production data, enabling faster troubleshooting, improved monitoring, and continuous optimization. The solution is cost-effective, fosters innovation, and promotes a data-driven culture.

For a long time, Vatajankoski’s energy production plants’ process data was scattered across different systems, making data management and access challenging. The company sought a solution that would make all production plant data easily accessible from a single system.

Cloud-based solution for leveraging production data

Etteplan introduced Vatajankoski to a cloud-based service solution that collects and visualizes production data in a scalable way. The project began with a joint assessment of opportunities to utilize data and AI, as well as the existing infrastructure. Based on this assessment, the most value-adding use cases were prioritized, and a suitable architecture was selected. Etteplan's strong industry expertise in energy production and deep knowledge in data and cloud services made it an excellent partner for Vatajankoski.

“Etteplan provided a solution that met our needs—cost-effective, lightweight, and functional. The cloud-based implementation of the data platform was appealing, and we didn't need to make new hardware investments for the project.”

Aleksi Granfors

Development Manager at Vatajankoski

Etteplan implemented the data management platform into Vatajankoski's existing Azure environment. The solution offers a clear interface for Vatajankoski's personnel to monitor plants and equipment, as well as to compare and analyze measurement data.

“Through the user-friendly interface built on the cloud service, Vatajankoski’s staff can compare and analyze measurement data from different plants. Easy access to data also enables innovation of new data and AI driven solutions," says Matti Partanen, Etteplan's Service Solutions Director.

The accumulating historical data supports both reporting and continuous production optimization, enabling deeper insights into process performance.

More efficient troubleshooting and faster response

With this solution, Vatajankoski has increased its data-driven approach in district heating production. Quick access to data and its visualization has accelerated responses to process deviations and simplified fault detection.

“We can now monitor the functionality and energy efficiency of heat production processes more effectively and optimize operations based on data. Troubleshooting various fault situations, for example at our new electric boiler plant, has also become significantly easier.”

Aleksi Granfors

Development Manager at Vatajankoski

Furthermore, the solution has inspired the personnel to actively explore data, fostering the development of a data-driven culture throughout the organization.

Together towards more efficient, data-driven energy production

With data-driven production development Vatajankoski aims to:

Increase uptime
Improve the energy efficiency of the district heating system
Streamline reporting
Make alert and fault detection processes more efficient

Etteplan partners with Vatajankoski on its journey toward modern, efficient, and increasingly data-driven energy production. Etteplan’s strong expertise in the energy sector and versatile capabilities in data and cloud technologies enable solutions that integrate technology, processes, and business benefits into a unified whole.

Read more about Vatajankoski: www.vatajankoski.fi/en/ (Opens in new window)