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Delivering Significant Energy Savings with Data-Driven Dashboarding Powered by Ignition HMI

  • Writer: GPA
    GPA
  • 10 hours ago
  • 2 min read

A leading phosphate producer operating one of North America’s largest mining and processing facilities faced mounting challenges in managing and optimizing electric consumption across its 36-square-mile site. The location encompassed mining, ore refining, and chemical production operations—each contributing to a complex energy profile with fluctuating demand and high-power costs.


The Challenge

The existing power management system lacked real-time integration and centralized visibility, leading to inconsistent reporting, limited forecasting accuracy, and reactive decision-making. Without predictive insights or reliable cost data, the site struggled to effectively plan and budget for monthly usage, resulting in elevated operational costs and inefficiencies.


Recognizing the opportunity to improve control and transparency, plant leadership challenged the engineering team to significantly reduce power costs.



GPA's Solution

Screenshot of a software interface titled "Billing Configuration" within an Administration dashboard. The window displays multiple sections for configuring cost centers, billing allocations, and circuit mappings. Buttons labeled “Load Billing Allocation,” “Update Billing Allocation,” “Cost Center Budget,” “Circuit Configuration,” and “Add Circuit Mapping” are visible. A bar graph at the bottom right shows power distribution percentages across various circuits, color-coded in green for Facility and blue for Maintenance. Additional metrics on the right display unallocated power, total usage, and static allocation values in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

Global Process Automation (GPA) designed and implemented an integrated energy management application within the Ignition HMI environment to give the facility real-time and predictive visibility into its electric power usage.


Key elements of the solution included:

  • Ignition HMI Integration – GPA updated the existing ControlLogix application and implemented an Ignition-based interface that unified energy data from multiple cost centers into a single, interactive dashboard.

  • SQL-Based Data Architecture – GPA developed stored procedures and custom SQL logic to calculate and project power consumption, rates, and allocations dynamically, providing reliable data for budgeting and forecasting.

  • Adjustable Bill Allocation Interface – The new interface enabled users to configure and reallocate costs between departments or facilities, improving accountability and budget precision across the mine, processing, and production operations.


By aligning engineering requirements with financial visibility needs, GPA delivered a solution that combined the immediacy of HMI-level data with the long-term power of predictive analytics.


Results

The implementation of GPA’s Ignition-based power solution exceeded expectations and achieved the project’s financial goals. Real-time visibility and automated reporting allowed leaders to proactively adjust usage and improve budget accuracy across all operations.

Dashboard displaying a “Power Usage – Maintenance” report with a bar and line chart. The green bars represent total cost by cost center, and a black line with square markers indicates percentage values. Below the chart is a data table listing cost centers (Maintenance, Mine Maintenance, Stores Warehouse, Phos Acid), corresponding accounts, response codes, total usage in kilowatt-hours (KWH), and total costs in dollars. A blue “Totals” row summarizes overall usage and cost.

Key outcomes included:

  • Attained significant savings in power costs

  • Improved forecasting and cost-allocation accuracy through automated daily and weekly email reports

  • Streamlined visibility into real-time and projected energy usage across the mine, processing, and production facilities

  • Strengthened collaboration between engineering and finance through consistent, data-driven insights


Conclusion

Dashboard labeled “Facility Power Overview” showing monthly and departmental energy usage data. A green bar chart at the top visualizes power costs from April through July. To the right, a “Bill Breakdown” box displays electricity service charges, administrative charges, and the total amount. Below, a “Power Breakdown” table lists on-peak and off-peak kilowatt-hours (kWh), billed usage, service rate, cogeneration (COGEN) kWh, and COGEN savings. The “Area Usage” table at the bottom details power consumption and costs by group, including Phos Acid, Mill, Mine Services, Maintenance, and Engineering.

Through the integration of Ignition HMI, SQL-based analytics, and a structured automated reporting framework, GPA helped a major phosphate producer modernize its approach to energy management. The resulting system provided not only immediate financial savings but also a sustainable foundation for predictive budgeting, operational transparency, and long-term cost optimization.

This project shows how GPA combines technical precision with real business understanding, helping industrial clients turn raw data into results they can measure, repeat, and rely on.


It’s estimated that the facility’s monthly energy savings could reach eight figures, marking a major reduction in operating costs.

Electronic Circuit Board

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