Assessment and Implementation of an Automatic Deployment Tool for Industrial Automation Applications
Sorvala, Inka (2026)
2026
Automaatiotekniikan DI-ohjelma - Master's Programme in Automation Engineering
Tekniikan ja luonnontieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2026-04-09
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202604093804
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202604093804
Tiivistelmä
The modernization of industrial automation continues to increase the number of interconnected devices and the degree of digitalization in production environments. As systems become more complex, companies must update their engineering practices to maintain efficiency and competitiveness. Despite this technological progress, many industrial processes, such as the deployment of automation applications, remain inefficient due to manual and repetitive workflows. This creates a growing interest in applying established software engineering methodologies to industrial automation in order to streamline workflows and reduce manual effort.
This thesis investigates opportunities to automate parts of the deployment process for automation applications within a newly adopted, web-based Distributed Control System (DCS). The introduction of this modern DCS platform provides an opportunity to reassess and update the deployment workflow traditionally used to deploy these applications. To identify feasible areas for automation, the research examines deployment methodologies commonly used in traditional software development and evaluates their applicability in industrial environments.
The current deployment process was analyzed through discussions with production and engineering professionals, a review of existing documentation, and a detailed field study of an ongoing project. This analysis indicated that the application generation phase presents opportunities for improvement, as it involves manual and repetitive tasks that could be effectively supported through automation.
Based on these findings, the thesis designed, implemented, and tested a Proof of Concept (PoC) tool aimed at automating selected steps of the deployment workflow. The PoC was evaluated in a controlled test environment and with feedback from engineers, who reported positive experiences and confirmed that the tool effectively executed key deployment stages. The evaluation demonstrated that the PoC provides a solid technical foundation for future development toward a production ready deployment solution.
Overall, the results indicate that such a solution can substantially improve deployment efficiency, reduce manual engineering workload, and support the broader digitalization efforts taking place in industrial automation.
This thesis investigates opportunities to automate parts of the deployment process for automation applications within a newly adopted, web-based Distributed Control System (DCS). The introduction of this modern DCS platform provides an opportunity to reassess and update the deployment workflow traditionally used to deploy these applications. To identify feasible areas for automation, the research examines deployment methodologies commonly used in traditional software development and evaluates their applicability in industrial environments.
The current deployment process was analyzed through discussions with production and engineering professionals, a review of existing documentation, and a detailed field study of an ongoing project. This analysis indicated that the application generation phase presents opportunities for improvement, as it involves manual and repetitive tasks that could be effectively supported through automation.
Based on these findings, the thesis designed, implemented, and tested a Proof of Concept (PoC) tool aimed at automating selected steps of the deployment workflow. The PoC was evaluated in a controlled test environment and with feedback from engineers, who reported positive experiences and confirmed that the tool effectively executed key deployment stages. The evaluation demonstrated that the PoC provides a solid technical foundation for future development toward a production ready deployment solution.
Overall, the results indicate that such a solution can substantially improve deployment efficiency, reduce manual engineering workload, and support the broader digitalization efforts taking place in industrial automation.