Founded in 1938, Kouvolan Vesi is a responsible and forward-looking operator whose core services include delivering high-quality drinking water, maintaining a reliable network, and ensuring environmentally sustainable wastewater treatment. Wastewater originates from properties within Kouvolan Vesi’s service area as well as from water cooperatives and other partners. All wastewater is treated at the Mäkikylä plant.
Insta and Kouvolan Vesi began the automation renewal project in 2023, updating the logic controllers and the main control system. The reporting system was also renewed as part of the project.
Insights from Previous Implementation Guided the Upgrade
Automation Engineer Pasi Kauppila and Production Engineer Sari Pilli explain that the plant’s automation system was nearing the end of its lifecycle.
“The old system based on S7-300 series controllers had worked well with few card failures, but components had become end-of-life products. Development needs were particularly evident in the control room. The goal was to bring the system up to modern standards to ensure several more years of operation,” they note.
Updating the control room alongside the logic controllers kept overall costs reasonable and avoided multiple process shutdowns. Insta was selected through a competitive bidding process, and AVEVA was chosen as the control system.
“We explored Insta’s automation solutions at the Lahti plant. The visit provided ideas and insights for the upgrade. We defined the new automation requirements together with the designer, and the procurement was handled through competitive bidding. Insta scored highest and was chosen as the contractor,” Kauppila and Pilli explain.
Redundant Control System Ensures Reliability, Physical Security was Enhanced
One of the biggest challenges was maintaining continuous plant operation during the upgrade. To keep the plant running without interruption, processes were renewed step by step, with manual control from the field when necessary.
“Since the plant cannot be stopped, logic controllers were replaced one subprocess at a time. Manual operation was needed only briefly, and the transition went smoothly thanks to skilled personnel,” Kauppila says.
The most significant improvement was made to the control room servers: one server was replaced with two redundant servers, ensuring operational continuity—if one fails, the other takes over. This provides substantial additional reliability for plant operations.
Efficient Reporting with Insta Wahti® and PowerApps
As part of the upgrade, Kouvolan Vesi adopted the Insta Wahti® Reporting system and Insta Wahti® Alarms for monitoring plant operations.
According to Kauppila, Insta Wahti® Alarms offers a clear interface for defining alarms and delays. Redundant alarm modems add security—if one fails, the other ensures alarms reach the on-call personnel.
Pilli notes that Insta Wahti® Reporting makes report generation easy and offers more customization options than before. Insta also delivered a PowerApps-based reporting solution to complement Insta Wahti® Reporting, as regulatory reporting needs exceeded the capabilities of the previous system.
“PowerApps is an excellent tool for entering lab results and bypass volumes, calculating reductions, and generating regulatory reports in line with environmental permits on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis,” Pilli explains.
24/7 Remote Support Brings Peace of Mind
When asked about the maintenance and lifecycle agreement between Insta and Kouvolan Vesi, Kauppila and Pilli summarize that it primarily brings peace of mind. According to them, problems often occur during holidays or at least outside regular working hours, and the 24/7 phone and remote support ensures that expert assistance is always available.
In addition to support, Kouvolan Vesi uses a spare parts service, which provides access to critical spare parts not only from its own inventory but also from Insta. For ordering work, the company has started using the Insta Wahti® Support system, which streamlines maintenance process management. In the Support system, all ordered and completed tasks are visible in one place, giving the customer an easy overview of the current situation.
Professional Execution and Ongoing Development
Pasi Kauppila and Sari Pilli feel that customer needs were met and that Kouvolan Vesi was offered the most suitable solutions for the project.
“Minor changes were made to process control during the renewal, and these have worked well,” they say.
“Insta had a highly skilled team on site. The installer and Paavo Nieminen, who worked on the automation system, did an excellent job. It was clear they had experience with similar projects and weren’t doing this for the first time.”
Work at the treatment plant has continued, including integrating solar energy into the automation system, which makes it easier to monitor energy consumption. Until now, the production of three solar power plants built at different times has been monitored through their own applications, but after integration into the automation system, production and reports can be viewed in one place.
In summer 2025, automation for the septic sludge reception station was also connected to the main automation system.
Overall, the collaboration has met expectations and created a solid foundation for future development.
“Insta is a reliable partner—hopefully for many years to come,” Kauppila concludes.