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Introduction | Our Lessons Learned Debrief October 2026 - aeSolutions Technical Team — Many companies run a lessons learned debrief after a difficult project. Very few publish what comes out of it. aeSolutions recently closed out a large brownfield modernization project. The scope covered control system migration, safety system upgrades, electrical infrastructure modifications, and startup support. Several phases of the work were more difficult than they should have been, and our team held a debrief afterward to understand why. Validate Existing Documentation Before Design One of the most notable lessons from our debrief was the importance of thorough front-end planning, particularly validating existing documentation against actual field conditions. In operating facilities, modifications are often made under time pressure and never added to the drawings. Devices get swapped for whatever is available. Wiring gets rerouted during a turnaround, and the only person who knows about the change is the electrician who did the work. Each of these is a gap in change management, and over years of operation they accumulate. Proposals, budgets, and schedules are all built on documentation. When the documentation is inaccurate, the estimates based on it are inaccurate too. Field teams then spend days, or weeks, tracing wire, verifying device function, and reconciling drawings against field conditions, time that was never in the plan. Like most effective solutions, the fix is unglamorous. Before detailed design begins, assess the site and validate the existing documentation against what is installed in the field. Verifying documentation ahead of time costs money, but doing so during an unplanned, extended outage with the clock running and the client’s leadership team asking, every day, when they can have their plant back is far more costly. This work belongs in front end project development, before optimistic assumptions get locked into a budget. Identify and resolve all interfaces with systems that are staying in place. Confirm how equipment is operated today, which devices and equipment function properly, which do not, and which are running in bypass. Then understand what new functionality operations desires from the new system, which of those functions are proven through experience from other production lines, and which are going to be mini-R&D efforts during startup. Establish clear project boundaries and decide whether the work will be phased. Build the Shutdown Schedule from Field Conditions Shutdown windows are coordinated with production planning, sometimes years ahead. That is a legitimate business constraint. The trouble starts when the shutdown duration is reverse engineered to fit an artificial production condition without regard for the actual field conditions. A control system migration cutover schedule has to account for wiring migration, field verification, I/O checkout, device troubleshooting, commissioning, startup testing, and punch list resolution. Each of these has a duration that can be estimated from measurable work: points to check, terminations to make, and loops to verify. When schedules are built from those metrics, the shutdown duration presented to production is based on the actual scope of work. Reserve time for discovery, since brownfield projects often uncover unexpected conditions. A schedule with no room to absorb surprises will absorb them out of testing. Readiness Is a Decision A recurring issue during the project was that multiple prerequisite activities had not been completed before startup support arrived on site. A formal readiness review before mobilization can prevent this. The review should verify installation completion, cable routing and termination, device calibration, conduit installation, power availability, contractor readiness, and safety system verification. It should produce a documented and approved go- or no-go decision. Facilities operating under OSHA Process Safety Management already have a version of this in the pre-startup safety review (PSSR) required by 1910.119(i), which confirms that construction and equipment match design specifications and that procedures and training are in place before highly hazardous chemicals are introduced. An established PSSR process within your PSM program can serve as a model. A commissioning readiness checklist applies the same logic earlier, before the decision to mobilize. A checklist moves the difficult conversation earlier, when the plant is still running and delaying the shutdown, if necessary, is still an option. Define Ownership, Especially During Startup Brownfield modernizations involve plant personnel, engineering contractors, electricians, system integrators, and specialty subcontractors, often working in the same areas at the same time. Without clearly assigned ownership, the results can include duplicated effort, tasks left undone because each party assumed another had them, conflicting work in the same area, and miscommunication during startup. Responsibility for construction, testing, troubleshooting, documentation, and startup support should be defined before mobilization. Configuration control is especially important during commissioning. When several people can modify the control system configuration, system integrity becomes difficult to guarantee. Controlled access procedures, configuration management, a single owner for programming changes, tracked forces and bypasses, and defined startup authorization reduce that risk. The same discipline applies to scope changes, which are common on brownfield projects as field conditions become known. Additional instrumentation, revised control strategies, changed operational expectations, and unexpected interfaces are typical examples. A structured change process keeps design, documentation, programming, and field work aligned as changes occur. Changes made informally during commissioning, agreed to verbally and never documented, create confusion and increase risk. Sites with PSM covered processes already have a framework for this in the management of change requirement at 1910.119(l), and the same rigor is worth applying to the automation scope even if the process is not covered. Make Factory Acceptance Testing Reflect Plant Conditions Factory acceptance testing (FAT) is an important quality check before installation. A FAT limited to the expected sequence only confirms that the system works under normal conditions. Effective factory acceptance testing includes failure scenarios, device fault conditions, restart behavior, interlock verification, and abnormal operating situations. Where practical, include operations and maintenance personnel in the test. They are likely to test conditions the design team did not consider, and problems found during FAT are easier to correct than problems found during startup. The closer factory acceptance testing comes to real plant conditions, the fewer surprises during startup. Safety Considerations for Brownfield Work Legacy facilities can contain unknown wiring conditions, undocumented modifications, and equipment that has evolved over decades. The conditions that complicate the schedule also increase risk to personnel during execution. Formal lockout and tagout procedures, clearly defined startup authority, an actively reinforced stop work authority, verification of field device status before work begins, and validation of safety instrumented functions all carry more weight here than on a new build where energy sources have not yet been introduced. Establish these expectations at kickoff and reinforce them through commissioning and startup. Commissioning Readiness Checklist Before startup support mobilizes, confirm and document each of the following: • Installation work is complete and verified against approved drawings • Cable routing and terminations are finished and checked • Conduit installation is complete • Field devices are calibrated and their status is documented • Power is available and stable to all new equipment • Contractors are staffed, briefed, and on site • Safety systems are verified and functional • Roles for testing, troubleshooting, and startup are assigned by name • Control system access and configuration ownership are defined • Forces and bypasses have a tracking mechanism in place • A named individual holds go- or no-go authority Any item that cannot be confirmed should be resolved before mobilization. The Takeaway | Address Execution Risk Before Field Work Complex brownfield modernizations rarely unfold as planned. Existing infrastructure, incomplete documentation, evolving scope, and field discoveries all introduce conditions that are difficult to fully anticipate at the proposal stage. Our debrief found that most of the challenges on this project were execution challenges: insufficient planning depth, optimistic scheduling, and inadequate readiness verification, ownership clarity, and communication. Each of these can be addressed before the field work begins. Projects like this depend on everyone involved being open about schedule risk, resource constraints, technical obstacles, scope limits, and what is being found in the field. Open communication lets a project team make good decisions quickly. We published this article because we hope your next project can benefit from what this one taught us. If you are scoping a brownfield modernization and would like a review of the plan before the schedule is set, our project development and automation and control teams can help. Reach out and we will talk through it with you.

September 2026 - Ken O'Malley - I recently completed a couple of ethics training courses to renew my Professional Engineering license, and they got me thinking about ethics and leadership—not just in engineering decision-making, but in everyday leadership situations. That thinking led me back to a paper written by my former colleague Chris Powell, PE, CFSE, The Courage to Intervene: Developing Ethical Leadership in the Next Generation of Process Safety Professionals, prepared for the 2026 AIChE Global Congress on Process Safety. Chris opens with a story that has stuck with me. A safety-critical system had been commissioned and, from a procedural standpoint, the project was ready to move into startup. But a senior safety leader concluded that some of the work, performed under significant schedule pressure, had not been completed with the rigor it deserved. There was no regulatory violation, and there was no clear technical failure. The leader simply wasn't comfortable that the work met the standard of his organization. So, he required the most critical portions of the commissioning to be performed again under more controlled and thoughtful conditions. That decision delayed startup; it cost real money. And the decision had to be justified to his leadership team without a clear and compelling safety case that made the choice obvious. There is an important lesson in that story that extends well beyond process safety. Our values are most tested when honoring them costs us something. Today's leaders operate under tremendous pressure to perform. Grow revenue. Protect margins. Move fast to win market from competitors. Hit quarterly goals. Do more with less. These are all legitimate responsibilities of leadership. When Small Compromises Start to Look Reasonable Problems creep in, though, when small compromises begin to look reasonable in service of those goals. "We're technically compliant." "It's good enough." "We'll address it later." "It's only this once." Chris describes how individually defensible decisions like these can begin to normalize deviation. The extraordinary becomes acceptable, and eventually, it becomes normal. There is another dimension that I think is easy to overlook: When a leader faces a difficult decision, there can be real value in letting the team see some of the forces at work behind the scenes. Help them understand and appreciate the financial and schedule pressure, the reasons why the easier choice might have been attractive and technically defensible, and then why the harder path was chosen anyway. This visibility is important. If the team only sees the outcomes and consequences of a difficult decision, they miss an important part of learning what it means to be a leader. They need to see experienced leaders wrestle with competing responsibilities and ultimately decide where the line is. Certainly, not every leadership discussion can be shared broadly. But some difficult decisions can become great teachable moments, and those opportunities should not be wasted. The Takeaway Chris closes his paper with an idea I think is worth reflecting on: the most enduring legacy of experienced leaders may not be their technical or commercial knowledge, or even their ability for strategic thinking, but rather the examples they set for others to follow. I agree. Someday, the people being developed today will face their own versions of these decisions—when doing what's right has a real and immediate cost and the justification is opaque. What are tomorrow’s leaders learning from watching us today? Credit: Chris Powell, PE, CFSE, The Courage to Intervene: Developing Ethical Leadership in the Next Generation of Process Safety Professionals, prepared for the 2026 AIChE Spring Meeting and 22nd Global Congress on Process Safety.

Updated August 2026 — During my 24+ years in alarm management, I have collaborated with various companies on their distributed control systems (DCS) across the United States and throughout 20 other countries. Although every system is different, there are more commonalities than you might imagine. I am consistently asked what my favorite and least favorite control systems are to work on. My answer is always the same, “my favorite system is the one I just finished for obvious reasons, and my least favorite is the one I’m working on right now.” This is because all alarm management systems have issues, but naturally, these issues are different from system to system. That is why I felt it was important to discuss how to prevent the five most common industrial alarm management issues. Avoiding Unnecessary and Misused Alarms for Effective Industrial Alarm System Management One tenet of alarm management is that alarms will only be used for abnormal situations. I cannot tell you the number of times that I have found alarms configured on systems for things that should never have an alarm. Some of these were obviously designed for convenience. A typical example of a convenience alarm is a low-temperature alarm on an ambient sensor located just outside the control room door. Although there are a few circumstances when this could be necessary (e.g., an extremely low ambient temperature could adversely affect the viscosity of a process fluid), most of the times that I have encountered this type of convenience alarm, it is simply to let the operator know if it is cold outside. Once, a senior operator in upstate New York actually told me that without the alarm, he wouldn’t know if he should put on a coat or not. The alarm was removed. Another relatively common misuse of industrial alarm systems occurs when a system timer alarm set up thirty (30) to sixty (60) minutes before the end of the shift in order to remind personnel to fill out shift changeover paperwork before going home. In situations where I have found these, the alarms have descriptions like “Time for Turnover Paperwork” or “Call-in Reading to Foreman.” In one of these cases, the description was “Wake Up and Pack Up to Go Home.” In this case, not only was the alarm removed from the system, but the tag was removed as well, and the person this applied to was told to buy an alarm clock. Ultimately, avoiding unnecessary or misused alarms will improve your industrial alarm system’s effectiveness. Ensuring Operator Action — Proper Alarm Criteria and the Use of Alert Systems Another principle of alarm management is that every alarm requires an operator action. When designing an alarm philosophy, one of the steps is to determine the time to respond (how much time is available to take action to avoid the consequences) vs. the severity of consequences matrix, as shown in Table 1 below. Table 1 - Alarm Priority Determination - aeSolutions As you can see in the table above, if there are no consequences or the time available is more than thirty (30) minutes, the parameter does not qualify to be an alarm. Although the operator may need to know that an instrument has reached a certain point, that does not mean that it should necessarily be an alarm. This condition can cause concern when these points support operations and do not meet the necessary qualifications of an alarm but still need to be viewed or accessed as part of operational efficiency. For those items that do not qualify as an alarm, there should be a separate mechanism to inform the operator (e.g., an alert system). I have encountered many types of alert systems, and there are numerous ways to implement them. One of the most common is to set up an alert as a separate “priority” on the DCS that has no visual or audible actions tied to it. This will result in the alerts going to a separate screen designated just for them. The operators will have to become accustomed to checking the screen multiple times during a shift, however these alerts should not be short-time critical (e.g., <1 hour or the potential to be a HIGH priority). If the alarm has the potential to be a HIGH priority, then it should be re-engineered to the point that the time available is 30 minutes or less. Implementing Effective Single Alarms for Each Cause or Action | Industrial Alarm Management Creating a single alarm for each cause or corrective action is another doctrine of effective industrial alarm management. In other words, you should not have to be told more than once to do something. This issue most often occurs with multiple levels of alarming (e.g., High (H) & High-High (HH) or Low (L) & Low-Low (LL)). Below is an example of multiple level alarming being used correctly and incorrectly. Correct use of multiple levels of alarming example: A tank is ten feet in height and will overflow at that ten-foot level. There is a high-level alarm (H) set at nine feet with a HIGH priority to notify the operator to take action, stopping the level rise. There is a high-high level alarm (HH) at the do not exceed height of 9.5 feet, with a LOW priority and a corresponding automated action that stops filling the tank. The alarm located at nine feet notifies the operator that action is needed. The alarm at 9.5 feet notifies the operator that the action taken was not effective and the DCS — or in some cases — the safety instrumented system (SIS), has shut the process down to avoid over-filling the tank. Incorrect use of multiple levels of alarming example: A client had a 40-foot naphtha tank with a high-high alarm set at 39 feet, designated with emergency priority, and a high alarm set at 38 feet, designated with high priority. There were no automated shutdown systems on this tank, and during operations, they overfilled the tank and had a loss of containment (LOC) incident. In an attempt to remedy this issue, the client contacted the DCS vendor and had a custom code written to add a high-high-high (HHH) alarm at 39 feet with an emergency priority, a high-high alarm at 38 feet with an emergency priority, and a high alarm at 37 feet with a high priority. Much to the chagrin of the client, this attempted resolution left their problem unresolved, and once again, they overfilled the tank and had a subsequent loss of containment (LOC) incident. This cycle repeated several times until they performed an alarm rationalization project. At the beginning of this project, the client’s setup was: High-High-High-High-High (HHHHH) Alarm at 39 ft with an EMERGENCY priority High-High-High-High (HHHH) Alarm at 38 ft with an EMERGENCY priority High-High-High (HHH) Alarm at 37 ft with an EMERGENCY priority High-High (HH) Alarm at 36 ft with an EMERGENCY priority High (H) Alarm at 35 ft with a HIGH priority Not only was this bad practice for industrial alarm system management, but the operators became so numb to the alarms that they were ignoring them and setting themselves up to run the tank over again. The results of their alarm rationalization study findings suggested reverting back to the original two (2) alarms and adding an automated shutdown at 39.5 feet with a LOW priority to notify the operator that control has been taken away from the operator and that an automated shutdown has occurred. Preventing DCS Alarm Floods with Advanced Suppression Techniques Another common issue in industrial alarm system management is the prevention of DCS alarm floods (e.g., having more than ten alarms in ten minutes). A leading cause of alarm floods is the absence of the configuration of advanced alarming techniques such as suppression. Many of the newer DCS systems now have some form of suppression built into them; however, this feature is often underutilized. Automated suppression is when the DCS automatically disables (suppresses) an alarm’s audible and visual indicators and sends the alarm to an event log or journal instead. Suppression can be used to support alarm flooding in multiple ways; one way is that it allows a single indication of an issue to be alarmed while hiding all the similar alarms the issue causes. An example of this would be a compressor trip. When the compressor is running, it has numerous alarms configured and enabled, such as the run status, high & low suction pressure, high & low discharge pressure, bearing temperatures, and vibrations — just to name a few. If the discharge pressure goes high while the compressor is running, it can be a big issue. You may have a plug downstream or someone may have accidentally closed a wrong valve. These things need to be taken care of quickly. However, if the compressor shuts down without suppression configured, the result each time will be a run status alarm along with alarms for the high suction pressure, low discharge pressure, all the bearing vibrations as it spools down, and potentially many other alarms. Typically, the only alarm needed is the run status alarm because if the compressor shuts down, a good operator knows that all of these secondary issues are due to the shutdown. If they are allowed to alarm, they become a distraction and hindrance to the mitigation of the issue. Enhancing DCS Security — The Importance of Firewalls and Controlled Internet Access Lastly, the largest issue in industrial alarm system management — which thankfully is seen less and less these days — is the lack of firewalls between the DCS and the outside world. Ideally, a control system would be “air-gapped” in order to minimize the possibility of introducing intrusions or viruses. However, this is not always possible. Typically, the DCS will be protected by firewalls, and often, those firewalls will be in their own layer between the control system and the rest of the company assets. The firewalls will only have a minimum number of obscure ports opened, and those ports will only allow one-way (outbound) traffic. This helps to minimize potential hijacking and infections. The most egregious example of not having firewalls that I have encountered was a few years ago on a project outside the US. One of the client’s complaints was how slow their DCS was running, and they were asking for suggestions on how to improve it. Upon entering the control room, my colleague and I were greeted by what is inarguably the nicest control room I’ve ever seen. The room was brightly lit and immaculately clean. The two (2) main operator stations were laid out in a huge arch in the middle of the room with sixteen (16) monitors each. Sitting perpendicular on the right end was the foreman’s station with four (4) monitors. In the back left corner was the utilities operator station with another twelve (12) monitors, and dead center of the front wall were eight (8) 55” monitors that networked together to make two (2) giant screens that were each two screens high by two screens wide. It was impressive, to say the least — until I realized that the giant screen on the right had more flashing red alarms than I have fingers to count. No one was paying attention to them because the operator on the left was using his giant screen to play an online video game. That’s right, the DCS had a direct connection to the internet. My first suggestion was to disable the internet connection and establish firewalls and the second was to delete all non-business required software from the system. Amazingly, within a week of implementing the suggestions, the system speed had more than doubled. While there are many more issues that could be discussed, these are the five most common issues that stand out in my career. Does your plant suffer from any of these issues or others not mentioned here? The Takeaway | Common Industrial Alarm Management Issues Addressing the most common industrial alarm management issues is crucial for ensuring operational efficiency, safety, and system reliability. By avoiding unnecessary and misused alarms, setting proper alarm criteria, implementing single alarms for each cause or corrective action, preventing alarm floods through advanced suppression techniques, and securing the DCS with firewalls and controlled internet access, companies can significantly enhance their alarm management systems. These ISA-approved best practices not only streamline operations but also empower operators to respond effectively to true emergencies, thereby minimizing risks and maintaining optimal system performance. Implementing these strategies will lead to a more robust and responsive alarm management framework, ultimately contributing to the overall success and safety of industrial operations. If your alarm system issues have you scratching your head, the experts at aeSolutions are always available to help identify and mitigate your industrial alarm system problems.

Learn how aeSolutions was able to help our clients overcome their unique and challenging difficulties. Also see the Industry, Geography, Unit Operation, Governing Autority of the site Project Success Stories Learn how aeSolutions was able to help our clients overcome their challenges. Heater Controls Upgrade Improves Safety and Resilience of Arctic Pipeline Pump Stations The client engaged aeSolutions to evaluate and modernize their aging heater and heater control systems supporting critical pipeline pump station operations in an Arctic environment. These heaters provide essential building heat, ensuring pump stations remain operational during extreme cold conditions. Through a phased, lifecycle-based approach, aeSolutions supported the client from... Read More Custom SI-BMS Solution Enhances Reliability and Safety for Critical Pipeline Transportation Facility A critical pipeline transportation facility required a custom Safety Instrumented Burner Management System (SI-BMS) upgrade for their incinerator operations. The project involved implementing a SI-BMS compliant with NFPA 86, integrating alarm and first-out features, and establishing seamless communication with their existing Distributed Control System (DCS)... Read More Achieving a High-Risk Systems Overhaul on an Accelerated Schedule When TGES America, Ltd. needed a critical overhaul of the complex control system and instrumentation for the central utilities plant (CUP) of a specialty materials manufacturing plant, they turned to aeSolutions, a Siemens Solution Partner. Subsequently, due to the need to complete the project four months early, the planned cold cutover to the new systems had to be done as a hot cutover without disrupting production. TGES America, aeSolutions, and Siemens made it happen, much to the delight of the customer. Read More Multi-Fuel Boiler BMS Upgrade for Chlor Alkali Production Facility A multi-fuel boiler project for a chlor alkali production facility resulted in significant modernization and operational improvements. The client's legacy relay-based Burner Management System (BMS) was upgraded to a DeltaV CHARM Safety Logic Solver, providing enhanced visibility, safety, and operational flexibility. This project not only modernized the client's system but also ensured compliance with NFPA 85 codes and met all Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) requirements. Read More Chemical Facility FEL3 & Detail Design Achieves PSM OSHA Compliance Under Total Installed Cost Budget | A Masterclass In aeSolutions’ Lifecycle Solutions Capabilities aeSolutions was tasked to provide Front-End Loading (FEL) and Detail Design for a newly acquired legacy agricultural chemical facility in order to meet full compliance with PSM OSHA 1910.119 standards and the client’s corporate safety requirements. Read More Designing and Implementing a Fire & Gas Detection System for a Hydrogen Production Plant aeSolutions was challenged to create an effective detection system that could handle the complexities of hydrogen's properties while ensuring the safety of personnel and the facility. Read More A Strategic Integration of SIS, BMS, and PSM in a Boiler Fuel Conversion Project Implementing Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) and Burner Management Systems (BMS) within tight deadlines and supply chain disruptions is challenging. A recent project converting boiler fuel from coal to natural gas with a Safety Instrumented BMS met strict safety standards despite these hurdles. Read More Alarm Management for a Greenfield LNG Facility A Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility was being newly constructed (i.e., Greenfield) and the company wanted to conduct an alarm rationalization on the process prior to initial startup. Existing facilities (i.e., Brownfield) have the benefit of historical operating trends and data during a rationalization session to recognize whether setpoints are effective and which alarms might give troubles. Read More Pharma Company Detecting Natural Gas Leaks in Boiler House A pharmaceutical client determined they needed a natural gas leak detection and isolation system for a utility building based on a PHA recommendation. aeSolutions installed a combustible gas leak detection system to shut off the gas supply to the boiler, bringing the facility into compliance with the safety program requirements. Read More Large Specialty Chemical Company Reduces Alarm Floods A large specialty chemical company was facing alarm floods in their utility unit. With aeSolutions guidance, the site was able to effectively prioritize and reduce alarms through the rationalization process, which includes reviewing, validating, and justifying alarms needed for avoiding potential process upsets or abnormal deviations from normal operation. Read More Simplified, Cost-Effective, and Consistent Acidic Compound Detection New acid detector placement philosophy led to reduced maintenance , lowered costs, a reduced the likelihood of confusion during leaks, and helped create a uniform response strategy. Read More Energy Company Reduces Regulatory Compliance Costs Saving Almost $50 Million A client was facing a lengthy compliance process to upgrade a fleet of fired heaters. With aeSolutions guidance, the client reduced their compliance scope by 50%. Focusing on the NFPA 86 prescriptive design applicable to waste gas thermal oxidizers and applying our experience in Process Safety Management (PSM)... Read More Water Cannons Protect Community from Anhydrous Ammonia Leaks Client needed to reduce liability and risk associated with anhydrous ammonia storage tanks. aeSolutions provided a leak detection and suppression system that alerts personnel and provides the means to contain the resulting vapor cloud to the storage tank area using high-pressure, high-volume water cannons integrated with the control system. Read More Pharmaceutical Company Required Toxic & Combustible Gas Detection System A large-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing facility needed to develop and implement a gas detection system at their site to mitigate risk to personnel and equipment from a potential combustible or toxic gas leak. The project progressed from the assessment stages of developing a gas detection philosophy to ultimately integrating an industrially designed GDS 1400 MK II panel for the gas detection control and alarm system. Read More Complex Hot Cutover of Large Natural Gas Processing Facilities Due to facility siting factors, control rooms of one of the world’s largest natural gas (NG) processing and compression facilities were relocated from a possible blast zone to a Blast Resistant Modules (BRMs). This complex cutover for personnel relocation needed to be accomplished without a shutdown (S/D) of either interdependent ... Read More Specialty Chemical Site’s Increasingly Complicated Cutover When a project that began with standard safety system upgrades quickly expanded to a much broader scope of engineering with tight deadlines, aeSolutions responded with an experienced engineering workforce to deliver above-quality expectations while meeting key deadlines. Read More “Fit for Purpose” Solution Reduces Planned Downtime by 66% aeSolutions’ hybrid safety system design enabled the client to maintain safe continuity of their fired equipment, meet NFPA compliance, and significantly lower planned downtime. Read More Protecting Personnel with Practical Gas Detector Placement A pharmaceutical company needed to implement gas detectors at their facility to protect personnel from potential leaks of toxic and combustible gases. aeSolutions evaluated the gas detector placement and number of detectors that would provide the earliest warning to personnel based on the expected dispersion and behavior of specific gas release scenarios. Read More Alarm System Rationalization and Safe Operating Limit for Energy Production A current client was adding a new energy production unit with an innovative process to an existing site and wanted to ensure the new design incorporated the site’s existing alarm management practices that were previously set up by the aeSolutions alarm management team. Read More

aeSolutions - A consulting, engineering and system integration company that provides industrial process safety, fired equipment and automation lifecycle solutions and tools. We can help with Toxic Gas Detection, Machinery Safety, Alarm Management, Safety Instrumented Systems, and more. An engineering and systems integration company specializing in automation and industrial process safety. — Resilience Isn't a Bonus, It's a Benchmark — We provide critical system solutions that empower our clients through more resilient operations and safer communities where they operate. Our unique approach is to pair risk-focused industry experts with a proven project delivery team. Speak With One of Our Experts Today About Your Facility's Resilience — If It’s Critical, We Have it Covered — At aeSolutions we help clients reduce project chaos and strengthen performance by integrating the safety lifecycle with the full project lifecycle, and our PMO professionals ensure structure, accountability, and measurable progress. We work with your team to close gaps, clarify responsibilities, and convert fragmented practices into a unified approach that protects people, assets, and uptime. We help you move from risk to resilience with clarity and confidence. — Trusted By Industry Leaders — Chemical Manufacturing Energy & Power Generation Hydrogen Production & Processing Battery Materials & Minerals Processing Ag Chem Utilities & Critical Infrastructure Specialty Chemicals & Advanced Materials Renewable Fuels & Bioenergy Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Manufacturing Petrochemicals & Hydrocarbon Processing Metals & Mining Processing Oil & Gas Production & Processing Chemical Manufacturing Energy & Power Generation Hydrogen Production & Processing Battery Materials & Minerals Processing Ag Chem Utilities & Critical Infrastructure Specialty Chemicals & Advanced Materials Renewable Fuels & Bioenergy Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Manufacturing Petrochemicals & Hydrocarbon Processing Metals & Mining Processing Oil & Gas Production & Processing Chemical Manufacturing Energy & Power Generation Hydrogen Production & Processing Battery Materials & Minerals Processing Ag Chem Utilities & Critical Infrastructure Specialty Chemicals & Advanced Materials Renewable Fuels & Bioenergy Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Manufacturing Petrochemicals & Hydrocarbon Processing Metals & Mining Processing Oil & Gas Production & Processing Click Here to Chat With Our Industry Experts — DON'T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT — Evidence-Backed Results Heater Controls Upgrade Improves Safety and Resilience of Arctic Pipeline Pump Stations Custom SI-BMS Solution Enhances Reliability and Safety for Critical Pipeline Transportation Facility Achieving a High-Risk Systems Overhaul on an Accelerated Schedule Multi-Fuel Boiler BMS Upgrade for Chlor Alkali Production Facility Chemical Facility FEL3 & Detail Design Achieves PSM OSHA Compliance Under Total Installed Cost Budget | A Masterclass In aeSolutions’ Lifecycle Solutions Capabilities Designing and Implementing a Fire & Gas Detection System for a Hydrogen Production Plant A Strategic Integration of SIS, BMS, and PSM in a Boiler Fuel Conversion Project Alarm Management for a Greenfield LNG Facility Pharma Company Detecting Natural Gas Leaks in Boiler House Large Specialty Chemical Company Reduces Alarm Floods Simplified, Cost-Effective, and Consistent Acidic Compound Detection Energy Company Reduces Regulatory Compliance Costs Saving Almost $50 Million Water Cannons Protect Community from Anhydrous Ammonia Leaks Pharmaceutical Company Required Toxic & Combustible Gas Detection System Complex Hot Cutover of Large Natural Gas Processing Facilities Specialty Chemical Site’s Increasingly Complicated Cutover “Fit for Purpose” Solution Reduces Planned Downtime by 66% Protecting Personnel with Practical Gas Detector Placement Alarm System Rationalization and Safe Operating Limit for Energy Production Heater Controls Upgrade Improves Safety and Resilience of Arctic Pipeline Pump Stations Custom SI-BMS Solution Enhances Reliability and Safety for Critical Pipeline Transportation Facility Achieving a High-Risk Systems Overhaul on an Accelerated Schedule Multi-Fuel Boiler BMS Upgrade for Chlor Alkali Production Facility Chemical Facility FEL3 & Detail Design Achieves PSM OSHA Compliance Under Total Installed Cost Budget | A Masterclass In aeSolutions’ Lifecycle Solutions Capabilities Designing and Implementing a Fire & Gas Detection System for a Hydrogen Production Plant A Strategic Integration of SIS, BMS, and PSM in a Boiler Fuel Conversion Project Alarm Management for a Greenfield LNG Facility Pharma Company Detecting Natural Gas Leaks in Boiler House Large Specialty Chemical Company Reduces Alarm Floods Simplified, Cost-Effective, and Consistent Acidic Compound Detection Energy Company Reduces Regulatory Compliance Costs Saving Almost $50 Million Water Cannons Protect Community from Anhydrous Ammonia Leaks Pharmaceutical Company Required Toxic & Combustible Gas Detection System Complex Hot Cutover of Large Natural Gas Processing Facilities Specialty Chemical Site’s Increasingly Complicated Cutover “Fit for Purpose” Solution Reduces Planned Downtime by 66% Protecting Personnel with Practical Gas Detector Placement Alarm System Rationalization and Safe Operating Limit for Energy Production View More Case Studies Here — News & Resources — Brownfield Control System Modernization | Lessons from a Recent Project What Are Tomorrow's Leaders Learning From Us Today? A Lesson in Ethical Leadership Whitepaper: The Courage to Intervene | Developing Ethical Leadership in the Next Generation of Process Safety Professionals aeSolutions Recognized with 2026 CSIA Social Responsibility Award Whitepaper: Six Feet Under | How to Dig Yourself Out of a Recommendations Graveyard The PHA Recommendation Playbook | Part 3 | Managing Scheduling and Operational Disruptions — Let's Discuss Your Facility's Needs —

Our industrial automation services supply complete, fabricated, configured, and tested safety and control systems, including Basic Process Control Systems (BPCS), Process Control, Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS), Burner Management Systems (BMS), High Integrity Pressure Protection Systems (HIPPS), and Fire and Gas, systems integration, Rockwell, Triconex, Safety systems, critical controls Transforming Through Integrated Control & Safety Systems Network & Architecture Gaps Persistent Downtime Complex I/O Cutovers Does this sound familiar? Ready for Relief? Let's Chat Unsupported Hardware & Software — Our Control System Capabilities — Integrated systems are essential for building operational resilience in complex industrial facilities. With a structured strategy and disciplined approach to migrations, upgrades, and system integration, facilities avoid costly outages, fragmented documentation, unclear cutover planning, and internal strain on operations and engineering teams. Effective control system modernization isn’t just a one-off technology project, it’s a risk-aware, outcome-driven program that strengthens reliability, enhances visibility, and supports smarter, more predictable decision-making across your operation. Conceptual & Preliminary Engineering Systems Integration Detail Design UL Certified Fabrication Installation & Ongoing Support Click Here to Speak with an Control System Expert About Your Facility's Resilience — The aeSolutions ResiliencePath™ Method — We’re an integrative specialist with a proven methodology that we call ResiliencePath ™ that embeds safety into every stage of the project lifecycle — from concept to closure — for compliance today and resilience tomorrow. Empowering — Not Enforcing Rather than checking boxes, we help you identify the right questions early to prevent costly late-stage corrections and avoid years of OpEx fixes. Each ResiliencePath™ step is driven by one goal: empowering resilient, value-aligned decisions that stand the test of time. EPC & Subcontractor Integration ResiliencePath™ is adaptable to collaborate seamlessly with EPCs and subcontractors, integrated into a structured workflow designed to adapt to real-world project dynamics without compromising on results. Your Process, Our Expertise At aeSolutions, we help clients reduce project risk and strengthen operational performance by integrating the control system lifecycle with the project lifecycle. Our capabilities span front-end engineering and conceptual design, functional requirements development, architecture and network design, I/O cutover planning, system configuration, panel fabrication, and commissioning support, all delivered with expertise and a focus on disciplined execution. We work alongside your operations, maintenance, and engineering teams to preserve process knowledge, minimize downtime, and transform fragmented legacy systems into a modern, resilient automation environment. Whether you're planning a phased migration or a full platform replacement, aeSolutions helps you move from risk to resilience with clarity and confidence. Learn More About the aeSolutions ResiliencePath ™ Methodology — DON'T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT — Evidence-Backed Results Heater Controls Upgrade Improves Safety and Resilience of Arctic Pipeline Pump Stations Custom SI-BMS Solution Enhances Reliability and Safety for Critical Pipeline Transportation Facility Achieving a High-Risk Systems Overhaul on an Accelerated Schedule Multi-Fuel Boiler BMS Upgrade for Chlor Alkali Production Facility Chemical Facility FEL3 & Detail Design Achieves PSM OSHA Compliance Under Total Installed Cost Budget | A Masterclass In aeSolutions’ Lifecycle Solutions Capabilities Designing and Implementing a Fire & Gas Detection System for a Hydrogen Production Plant A Strategic Integration of SIS, BMS, and PSM in a Boiler Fuel Conversion Project Alarm Management for a Greenfield LNG Facility Pharma Company Detecting Natural Gas Leaks in Boiler House Large Specialty Chemical Company Reduces Alarm Floods Simplified, Cost-Effective, and Consistent Acidic Compound Detection Energy Company Reduces Regulatory Compliance Costs Saving Almost $50 Million Water Cannons Protect Community from Anhydrous Ammonia Leaks Pharmaceutical Company Required Toxic & Combustible Gas Detection System Complex Hot Cutover of Large Natural Gas Processing Facilities Specialty Chemical Site’s Increasingly Complicated Cutover “Fit for Purpose” Solution Reduces Planned Downtime by 66% Protecting Personnel with Practical Gas Detector Placement Alarm System Rationalization and Safe Operating Limit for Energy Production Heater Controls Upgrade Improves Safety and Resilience of Arctic Pipeline Pump Stations Custom SI-BMS Solution Enhances Reliability and Safety for Critical Pipeline Transportation Facility Achieving a High-Risk Systems Overhaul on an Accelerated Schedule Multi-Fuel Boiler BMS Upgrade for Chlor Alkali Production Facility Chemical Facility FEL3 & Detail Design Achieves PSM OSHA Compliance Under Total Installed Cost Budget | A Masterclass In aeSolutions’ Lifecycle Solutions Capabilities Designing and Implementing a Fire & Gas Detection System for a Hydrogen Production Plant A Strategic Integration of SIS, BMS, and PSM in a Boiler Fuel Conversion Project Alarm Management for a Greenfield LNG Facility Pharma Company Detecting Natural Gas Leaks in Boiler House Large Specialty Chemical Company Reduces Alarm Floods Simplified, Cost-Effective, and Consistent Acidic Compound Detection Energy Company Reduces Regulatory Compliance Costs Saving Almost $50 Million Water Cannons Protect Community from Anhydrous Ammonia Leaks Pharmaceutical Company Required Toxic & Combustible Gas Detection System Complex Hot Cutover of Large Natural Gas Processing Facilities Specialty Chemical Site’s Increasingly Complicated Cutover “Fit for Purpose” Solution Reduces Planned Downtime by 66% Protecting Personnel with Practical Gas Detector Placement Alarm System Rationalization and Safe Operating Limit for Energy Production View More Case Studies Here — Trusted By Industry Leaders — Chemical Manufacturing Energy & Power Generation Hydrogen Production & Processing Battery Materials & Minerals Processing Ag Chem Utilities & Critical Infrastructure Specialty Chemicals & Advanced Materials Renewable Fuels & Bioenergy Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Manufacturing Petrochemicals & Hydrocarbon Processing Metals & Mining Processing Oil & Gas Production & Processing Chemical Manufacturing Energy & Power Generation Hydrogen Production & Processing Battery Materials & Minerals Processing Ag Chem Utilities & Critical Infrastructure Specialty Chemicals & Advanced Materials Renewable Fuels & Bioenergy Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Manufacturing Petrochemicals & Hydrocarbon Processing Metals & Mining Processing Oil & Gas Production & Processing Chemical Manufacturing Energy & Power Generation Hydrogen Production & Processing Battery Materials & Minerals Processing Ag Chem Utilities & Critical Infrastructure Specialty Chemicals & Advanced Materials Renewable Fuels & Bioenergy Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Manufacturing Petrochemicals & Hydrocarbon Processing Metals & Mining Processing Oil & Gas Production & Processing Click Here to Chat With Our Industry Experts — Our Control Systems Whitepapers — Whitepaper - Lessons Learned on SIL Verification and SIS Conceptual Design Control System Migrations | Best Practices for Installation, Testing, & Commissioning Control System Migrations | Developing Scope, Schedule, & Budget View More Whitepapers Here — Let's Discuss Your Control System Needs —