NEXA software from Citect: an integration solution for automated engineering systems.
The Citect company has been a software supplier and a successful player in the market of automation of buildings, infrastructure, housing and communal services for more than 30 years.
To solve this class of problems, Citect offers the Nexa software product, the main functions of which are: centralized control and management of ventilation, heating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, as well as additional functionality for monitoring, managing power distribution, security systems, elevators and other systems. Anna Nesterova, head of the coordination and marketing center of RTSoft, the exclusive distributor of Citect in Russia and Belarus, talks about the competitive advantages of this software product.
– The well-known Citect SCADA system is a powerful, universal and multifunctional system , used in various industries.
Many years of practice have shown that the concept embedded in Citect is practical and extremely convenient to use, which probably explains such active use of this company’s products. Systems based on Citect software products have proven their functional effectiveness in many industries, including oil, gas, chemical, food, metallurgy and energy. In addition, an important area for Citect is the use of software products it develops for managing life support systems of buildings, structures and municipal facilities. It is for this market segment that Citect has released special software Nexa (formerly CitectFacilities). Based on the needs of the automated life support market, Nexa includes specialized symbol libraries to speed up the application development process. New drivers targeted at the life support automation sector, such as EIB and BACnet, are planned to be included soon.
The advantage of Nexa is that it is a universal system that allows you to integrate equipment from various subsystems. The attractiveness of the price also plays an important role, since Nexa is supplied under special conditions, and the development package is free.
– What is the range of integration solutions based on Nexa software?
– It is obvious that in the process of creating automated systems it is necessary to ensure the implementation of a number of diverse tasks. For example, there are several systems in a building for which separate solutions are provided — air conditioning and ventilation systems, security systems and others. Naturally, the customer’s desire is to see all this as a single whole. And Nexa can become just such a single integrating solution, thanks to the presence of seamless communications, which allows for centralized management of buildings of any size and even entire complexes.
– Many equipment manufacturing companies now provide their hardware for building automation. To what extent can Nexa work regardless of which company has already supplied the equipment?
– Currently, the market is actively developing open universal protocols.
Large manufacturers use protocols and communications that allow integration with third-party systems. For Nexa software, Citect supports all major integration capabilities on the market, including OPC+ interfaces, database communications, and a set of built-in Nexa drivers that allow communication with various controllers and data acquisition devices.
– Which companies use Citect software?
– Citect’s customers include companies such as Alcoa, BMW, BP, NASA, Mars, Pratt & Whitney, Urenco, Mitsubishi, Siemens and many others. In Russia, users of this software are: Business+center “Nevsky, 38”, dispatch control and temperature control system for Sheremetyevo+Cargo warehouses. One of the most famous applications of Citect in Russia is the climate control system of the Moscow Kremlin museums, in particular, the modernization of the automated air conditioning, ventilation and heating systems of the Assumption Belfry of the Moscow Kremlin.
– That is, essentially, speech is it only about large companies and business projects?
— Not only. Based on the realities of today, we can even formulate a unique slogan for the future: “SCADA system for every home!” This system has potential applications in multi-apartment residential buildings, primarily in the areas of heat, water supply, ventilation and access control control. For example, in Holland SCADA systems are already used in apartment complexes and even individually in apartments and apartments. They can integrate electrical, water, and heat calculation systems individually for each consumer.
– What does RTSoft offer?
– For those who systematically develop applications using Citect software, Citect offers a partner program that includes priority technical support, free upgrades to the latest versions, access to the knowledge base and partner resources of the citect website, discounts on licenses that CIP ( Citect Integration Partner) purchases for its customers. In turn, the RTSoft company, as the exclusive distributor of Citect in Russia and Belarus, offers documentation translated into Russian, preferential training conditions at the RTSoft Training Center, as well as technical support by phone and e-mail.
– What is the strategy for developing partnerships between RTSoft and other Russian companies?
– Our company is a member of the Association for Building Automation and Control Systems for Engineering Equipment Based on the BACnet Protocol — BIG-RU, which is designed to unite all participants in the smart buildings market, which creates a platform for cooperation, discussion of existing problems, their solutions and exchange of experience.
– What upcoming events will be held where you can get acquainted with all the advantages of the Nexa software product?
– Undoubtedly, the most detailed information about the Nexa software product can be obtained at annual conference, organized by RTSoft, with the direct participation of Citect and the assistance of its partners — Microsoft and JSC Schneider Electric. The conference “Integration of automated life support systems for buildings, structures and municipal facilities” will take place on October 19, 2006 at the Izmailovo Group of Companies.
Author: Anna Nesterova, head of coordination -marketing center of the RTSoft company