Industry
- Food & Beverage Manufacturer
Technology Used
- Ignition by Inductive Automation
- Ignition Perspective 8.1
Project Overview
Lindt needed to upgrade its Ignition 7.9 system to Ignition 8.1, as the older version had begun creating maintenance challenges and operational inefficiencies. To manage the complexity and ensure a smooth transition, Lindt selected NeoMatrix, a premier Ignition system integrator, to create a new version of the LPW project using Ignition Perspective, retaining the same form, fit, and function of the original Vision project for four key applications. One project was a data analysis and asset performance tool, one was a planning and scheduling tool, and the other was a task management application.
As support for Ignition 7.9 is sunset, organizations still running on the legacy platform face increasing risk in terms of security, scalability, and maintainability. Ignition 8.1 offers significant enhancements including a more modern, mobile-first design through Perspective, improved performance with distributed architectures, and access to long-term support. For companies like Lindt, making the shift now means avoiding disruption later, while unlocking a more flexible, future-proof platform.
Challenges
Lindt faced several key issues with its system architecture and/or the aging Ignition 7.9 platform:
- Deployment & Accessibility:
Ignition 7.9 required local installation of Java and Vision clients on each machine—creating significant IT overhead and manual, troubleshooting when issues arose. - System Architecture Constraints:
With the company’s previous architecture, all applications were hosted on a single Ignition server, causing application crashes and performance bottlenecks due to system overload. - Maintenance Burden: Maintaining and troubleshooting individual workstations was time-consuming and inefficient for IT and operations teams.
Solution
Lindt upgraded its infrastructure to include new servers and additional licensing to handle higher loads and improve application stability. NeoMatrix focused on the application conversion and approached the project with a scalable, modernized architecture in mind. Key elements of the solution included:
- Migration to Ignition Perspective 8.1:
In Ignition 7.9, HMI screens were built using the Vision module, which required a local Vision client and Java installed on each machine. This posed deployment and maintenance challenges. With Ignition Perspective 8.1, Lindt’s HMI screens are now browser-based, enabling centralized deployment, easier updates, and access from any device. - Improved UX & Performance: The migration enabled NeoMatrix to redesign the HMI screens to take advantage of modern layout tools, mobile responsiveness, and better performance across multiple Ignition gateways.
Results
By addressing both infrastructure and application-level challenges, Lindt was able to streamline operations and reduce technical overhead. The benefits of this modernization were immediate:
- Streamlined Deployment: One-click deployment and browser-based access significantly reduced IT overhead and improved reliability.
- Stability and Scalability: Multi-gateway architecture eliminated application crashes and enhanced system performance.
- Reduced Maintenance: Centralized troubleshooting and deployment cut down manual IT intervention.
- Future-Ready Platform: Lindt is now positioned to scale and maintain applications with ease, leveraging ongoing support from Inductive Automation and NeoMatrix.
With this successful upgrade in place, Lindt will be in a much stronger position to seamlessly transition to Ignition 8.3 when it’s released, further enhancing their ability to scale, innovate, and stay ahead of industry demands.
How can we help with your Ignition upgrades?
Leading with our client-first approach for over 20 years, we’ve helped hundreds of manufacturers and industrial automation companies transform and optimize their processes to meet the standards of Industry 4.0. Interested in not just nailing a project, but establishing long-term, collaborative relationships, we’re proud of the trust we’ve earned.