Problem

Prior to this project, MVP Holdings relied on a third-party managed Wonderware and Geo SCADA systems to support control center operations. This approach created several limitations, including reduced flexibility, slow development cycles, inconsistent user experiences, and limited MVP’s ability to integrate analytics or modern data workflows.

Additionally, many of MVP’s operational processes relied on manual data entry and spreadsheet-based reporting, resulting in inefficiencies, data inconsistencies, and underutilized operational data. The organization lacked full ownership of its SCADA systems, making it difficult to standardize design, implement improvements, or align with industry best practices such as API 1165.

The project presented both technical and organizational challenges:

• Migrating from legacy SCADA systems to a modern platform without disrupting operations
• Bringing control center operations fully in-house while maintaining reliability
• Standardizing multiple systems across different regions and asset types
• Designing an HMI aligned with API 1165 high-performance standards
• Network infrastructure aligned with API 1164 cybersecurity standards
• Eliminating manual workflows and replacing them with automated, data-driven processes
• Integrating large volumes of real-time and historical data into a unified system
• Developing scalable architecture to support future growth and acquisitions

Solution

MVP Holdings implemented a fully in-house Ignition Perspective SCADA platform, designed specifically for control center operations.

MVP built the solution on a distributed MQTT-based architecture with a SQL server historian, enabling scalable, real-time data integration across four major systems: GSPP Oklahoma, GSPP Kansas, Kansas Gas (KPC), and Echo Canyon (ECP).

Key aspects of the solution include:

• API 1165-aligned HMI design, using grayscale-first visualization and standardized alarm prioritization
• A template-driven UI framework ensuring consistency across all systems
• Extensive use of embedded views and reusable components for scalability and rapid development
• Dynamic CSS-based alarm borders applied directly to equipment symbols, reflecting real-time alarm state and priority
• Automated 7AM–7AM reporting, hourly data processing, and alarm analytics
• Integrated cross-functional workflows, replacing manual data entry with automated SCADA-driven processes
• Analytics embedded at every level of the application, including dashboards, process views, and equipment popups
• Live system line balancing in Echo Canyon, enabling real-time operational insight

Unlike traditional SCADA systems where analytics are isolated, this platform integrates real-time data, historical context, and operational analytics directly into the operator workflow, enabling more informed decision-making.

Result

This project is more than a SCADA upgrade: it is a strategic transformation of control center operations.

By replacing a third-party controlled Wonderware system with a fully in-house Ignition platform, MVP Holdings gained complete ownership of its SCADA environment, enabling faster innovation, improved standardization, and long-term scalability.

This implementation delivered significant operational and business improvements:

• Eliminated manual reporting and spreadsheet-driven workflows
• Improved control center situational awareness through standardized, real-time visualization
• Reduced alarm response times through contextual alarm integration
• Accelerated troubleshooting and root cause analysis, using embedded analytics
• Increased data consistency and reliability across all systems
• Enabled collaboration between operations, scheduling, and engineering teams with shared, trusted data

The Ignition solution brought SCADA development and control center operations fully in-house, allowing MVP Holdings to rapidly implement improvements, maintain strict API 1165 alignment, and continuously evolve the platform.

The system now serves as a centralized “Operational Intelligence Platform,” transforming SCADA from a monitoring tool into a decision-support system and enabling a shift from reactive operations to proactive, data-driven decision-making.

Project Team

This project was designed, developed, and deployed entirely in-house by MVP Holdings’ Operations Technology team.

The platform was primarily built and implemented by Ben Schoen, Manager of Operations Technology, and Ryan Burris, SCADA Project Manager, who served as the lone engineers and the developers for the system from initial architecture through testing and final deployment. Working as a focused, two-person development team, they were responsible for the full lifecycle of the platform, including system architecture, HMI design, tag structure and data modeling, alarm philosophy, analytics integration, and deployment across all systems. This level of direct ownership enabled rapid development, consistent design standards, and a highly cohesive system built specifically for control center operations.

The team worked closely with control center operators, schedulers, area managers, and engineering teams to identify operational needs, eliminate manual processes, and ensure the system was built specifically for real-world control center use. This cross-functional collaboration enabled the platform to align directly with operational workflows and deliver measurable improvements across the organization.

Project Scope

• Start Date: October 2025

• Deploy Date: February 2026

• Tags: 50,000+

• Screens: 500+

• Clients: 25-50

• Alarms: 8,000+

• Devices: 100+ including PLCs, RTUs (Advantech), flow computers, and field instrumentation across multiple pipeline and production systems

• Architecture: Distributed Gateway architecture with MQTT (Sparkplug) data integration and edge device connectivity

• Databases: MSSQL servers (multiple instances for historian and reporting databases)

• Historical data logged: Tens of millions of historical records across thousands of tags' on-change data for control center operations

• Number of people on team: 2