Between 23rd and 28th October 2023, a team consisting of a sales specialist and software implementation and development engineers had the pleasure of being on a business trip to Sweden. The trip was related to the contract Mikronika has with one of the distribution system operators, Ellevio. As a reminder - our companies established cooperation in 2020, when Ellevio announced a tender related to the automation of the medium-voltage network, called Vision 2030. Unlike its other Scandinavian partner, Finnish operator Elenia, in addition to SO-52v21-AUT controllers with built-in short-circuit signalers, delivery of complete control cabinets with local control panels, batteries and MV and LV measurement sensors is expected. The delivery is also to include a server for firmware and configuration management of multiple controllers (the so-called DM-server).
The first meeting between representatives of the two companies took place in September 2021, when the Swedish delegation came for a so-called proof of concept organized at our headquarters. At that time, engineers observed prototypes of controllers in versions expected to be delivered, testing basic functions, data transmission to their SCADA system, or cyber security issues.
Our trip this year began at Poznań's Ławica airport. After traveling by plane and car for several hours, we found ourselves in Karlstad, where Ellevio is headquartered. This town of 60,000 people is the capital of the Värmland region and lies about halfway between the capitals of Scandinavia's two largest countries - Stockholm and Oslo. This time our destination was the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT). The quality, efficiency and compliance with technical documentation of a total of 6 telemechanical cabinets, intended for three types of MV/LV substations, were checked. The functional tests lasted three days, with one day devoted to discussions regarding optimization of solutions for the next phase of the project. Our host was mainly a representative of an external company that is conducting the tender proceedings for Ellevio, and communication throughout the trip was in English. The tests took place in a complex of office and commercial buildings originally occupied by the military.
Although Karlstad is not a major entertainment center, we managed to spend one of our evenings watching ice hockey games. For some of us it was the first opportunity to see this sport, learn the rules and observe live a rather curious spectacle. Färjestad BK club plays its games at Löfbergs Arena, and we ended up at a meeting of the women's team, playing in the second division of the NDHL. The opponents from Västerås IK were outclassed by the home team, which, maintaining the winning streak, won as much as 22:0. Two of the players - Emma Muren and Katerina Mrazova scored as many as 7 points each.
We spent our remaining free time watching the Champions League soccer matches and taking leisurely walks around the capital. We had the opportunity to travel by an express train connecting Stockholm Central Station with Arlanda Airport, covering the distance of nearly 50 kilometers in 18 minutes.
Returning to the main purpose of our trip - our solutions were received positively. Many thanks are owed to all the people who devoted their time, energy, experience and knowledge to make our products appreciated. In addition to the employees of the headquarters, the project involved people from local branches in Krakow and Zamosc..
