01The Challenge
A customer was standing up Fiix by Rockwell Automation as the CMMS for a newly constructed gas processing facility. The heaviest task in the whole implementation was the one nobody wanted: building the Functional Location Hierarchy that the system loads against.
Done by hand, that hierarchy is weeks of work with a high tolerance for inconsistency — and the facility had a startup date that would not move.
Requirement: a complete hierarchy covering every equipment category, structured to Fiix's data model and validated against the facility's operational process systems.
02The Approach
155 P&IDs were processed through IDP to extract asset information and equipment tags across the entire facility.
Output: complete asset inventoryThe highlighted process systems on the drawings became the structural guide, shaping the hierarchy around how the plant actually operates.
Output: hierarchical structureThe structure was presented visually inside IDP so the client could confirm it against their technical requirements before anything was exported.
Output: approved hierarchyThe approved hierarchy exported to Excel in Fiix's data structure, ready for direct import with no reformatting.
Output: import-ready package03What the Hierarchy Covers
Vessels, tanks, and heat exchangers across all process units.
Pumps and compressors, tagged and placed within their operating systems.
Control devices and relief systems mapped to their functional locations.
Circuits and connections structured for inspection planning from day one.
04By the Numbers
| Metric | Traditional | Automated | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timeline | 50 days | 5 days | 10× faster |
| Man-hours | 600 | 100 | 83% reduction |
| Accuracy | 85–90% | 100% | Full accuracy |
| Cost | $90,000 | $15,000 | $75,000 saved |
