Hitachi Energy’s software innovation MicroSCADA has its roots in the city of Vaasa, Finland, where it was first developed. After 40 years, Vaasa and Finland are still the centre of research and development for the software that is today used all over the world.
MicroSCADA is an advanced energy automation software for managing and monitoring critical infrastructure. Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, the software is today used in over 170 countries.
“MicroSCADA monitors the electricity supply of an estimated 10% of the world’s population,” says Matti Vaattovaara, CEO of Hitachi Energy Finland.
Following a few years of development work, MicroSCADA was launched in Vaasa in 1983. Matti Vaattovaara says that there was and still is a strong local market in Finland for this type of innovation.
“In Finland, there are many technically demanding applications, and people are often eager to try new solutions,” says Matti Vaattovaara.
Matti Vaattovaara comments that it is amazing that a product created for local and national usage would do so well on the global market. Vaattovaara takes this opportunity to thank the entire team that works or has worked with MicroSCADA.
Currently, 50-60 people are working on product development for MicroSCADA, most of them in Vaasa. Vaattovaara emphasises that many other professional groups have contributed to the product’s success, not least in field application.
“Much of the work rests on strong engineering know-how as well as the ability to live with the times and deliver what customers want,” says Matti Vaattovaara.
Much of the work rests on strong engineering know-how.
Matti Vaattovaara says that a major advantage of MicroSCADA is its scalability. Today, the software is used by anyone from small property owners to large hospitals, electrified train lines, metros and national grid operators.
MicroSCADA has of course been updated many times over the years. However, its main purpose of controlling and monitoring the electricity supply has not changed.
“We continuously develop new functions and improved user interfaces,” says Matti Vaattovaara.
Today, MicroSCADA is available in many different versions and in several languages. The level of automation has increased over the years. In addition to controlling and monitoring, the system can be used for e.g. troubleshooting and analytics.
Electrification is an ongoing megatrend, affecting everything from vehicles to entire transportation systems. The green transformation, evident for example through increasing investments in water, wind and solar power, also creates a growing market for MicroSCADA.
“MicroSCADA is a product with a purpose and is itself part of the energy transformation,” says Matti Vaattovaara.
Apart from its 40th anniversary, MicroSCADA reached another big milestone a couple of years ago with the release MicroSCADA X. This was a major software update.
“It was an extensive but successful effort that led to a more intuitive interface,” says Matti Vaattovaara.
Hitachi Energy internally celebrates MicroSCADA’s 40th anniversary with coffee and cake.