🏢Types of Industrial Facilities

Site Facility

Process and discrete manufacturing industries produce products at site facilities. A site is usually physically secured within a fence or other enclosure. The tools and personnel who support the equipment are usually physically located at the site, and can therefore react quickly to any potential issues.

Transmission Facilities

Transmission facilities can span counties, states, or countries. They are the transmission lines or pipelines that carry electricity, oil, gas, and water over long distances. Transmission facilities include the railways and highways that trains and trucks use to carry goods from the manufacturing facilities to distribution warehouses. Transmission facilities are usually unmanned. Maintenance and operational staff only visit these facilities when scheduled or called out for emergency repairs. Most transmission infrastructure, such as pumps and compressor stations, are in remote locations, which are also difficult to secure.

Generation Facilities

Generation facilities produce energy. They consist of electric generators and auxiliary equipment for converting mechanical, chemical, hydro, wind, solar, or nuclear energy into electric energy. Larger facilities are usually physically secured, but some facilities such as dams, wind or solar farms, and other remote operations are publicly accessible.

Distribution Facilities

Distribution facilities are used to distribute products to the customers. They provide the infrastructure to deliver electricity, water, and natural gas to our homes and businesses. Distribution facilities are located throughout the country, and many remote stations are generally unmanned. A fence or other barrier physically protects most distribution stations. The controls and safety systems within these facilities are accessible through on-site visits and, increasingly, through remote access. Distribution facilities may be monitored and controlled from a central control center, or may be stand- alone systems. Communications to the central control center are crucial for monitoring and controlling many of the more remote distribution facilities: and because the communications paths are routed beyond the fence line, securing data transmission paths becomes a concern.