Citect

Citect is an industrial software brand associated primarily with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), human-machine interface (HMI), manufacturing execution, and related automation technologies. Its principal product was CitectSCADA, a software platform used to visualize plant operations, monitor equipment, collect process data, manage alarms, and provide operator control across industrial sites. The platform was designed to communicate with a broad range of programmable logic controllers and other industrial devices through native and third-party drivers, including OPC-based connectivity. The business traces its origins to 1973, when it operated as the Control Instrumentation subsidiary of Alfa Laval. It was later renamed Ci Technologies and subsequently Citect, a change that aligned the corporate identity with the established name of its flagship software. Although the company was widely recognized as a software developer, professional services were also an important part of its offering. Implementation, engineering, configuration, integration, and support services helped customers deploy automation systems in sectors where software had to be adapted to specific plants, machines, communication protocols, and operating procedures. Citect's early development reflected the expansion of PC-based operator-interface systems. Citect for DOS, released in 1987, provided a graphical interface for monitoring programmable industrial equipment at a time when PC-based control software was relatively limited. Its architecture used configuration databases, bitmap graphics, animation points, and device tags to represent real-time equipment states. A major selling point was its ability to communicate with different industrial devices and to support additional drivers for new protocols. Early versions used a dedicated DSI co-processor because contemporary personal computers lacked sufficient processing capacity for the runtime environment. Citect for Windows followed in 1992 as Windows became the dominant PC operating environment and hardware performance improved. The Windows version removed the need for the DSI card and made configuration more accessible while retaining the product's core approach to tags, graphics, alarms, and device communications. Subsequent releases expanded graphics, communications diagnostics, runtime stability, engineering tools, and SCADA functionality. Cicode, Citect's Pascal-like programming language, enabled users and integrators to add application logic, concurrent tasks, synchronization mechanisms, logging, and other custom behavior. The product line developed through successive Windows versions and later CitectSCADA releases. Version 7, released in 2007, introduced support for newer Microsoft operating systems, while later updates added features such as Windows 7 support and Pelco camera integration. The 2015 release and Version 8 in 2016 continued the transition toward modern user interfaces and Windows 10 support. Later releases adopted year-based naming and added capabilities involving OPC UA, industrial graphics, alarms, equipment models, embedded historian functions, web content, Windows 11, Windows Server 2022, and cybersecurity. Citect Pty Ltd was acquired by Schneider Electric in 2006. At the end of 2008, Citect ceased trading as an independent company and its remaining operations were absorbed into Schneider Electric. The Citect product identity subsequently continued through Schneider Electric's industrial automation activities and later through AVEVA, following AVEVA's incorporation into the Schneider Electric software ecosystem. CitectSCADA was later renamed AVEVA Plant SCADA. The Citect name therefore remains associated with an established installed base and technology lineage, even though the original company no longer operates independently. Today, the brand's practical role is as a legacy and product-line identity within AVEVA's HMI, supervisory, and control offering rather tha…

Citect began in 1973 as the Control Instrumentation subsidiary of Alfa Laval. The business initially focused on automation and control technology and later adopted the name Ci Technologies before becoming Citect. The final name was selected in part because Citect had become strongly identified with the company's flagship software product. The company's early product development was shaped by the emergence of personal computers as industrial operator stations. Citect for DOS was released in 1987 in response to the limited availability of PC-based operator-interface software. It represented industrial equipment through configuration databases, bitmap graphics, animation points, and tags linked to programmable devices. The system could communicate through several serial and industrial protocols, and its capacity to support a wide range of devices became an important competitive attribute. Because early PCs did not provide enough processing power for the runtime environment, the initial system used a DSI co-processor installed in an ISA expansion slot. Citect for Windows was developed and released in 1992. It eliminated the dedicated DSI hardware requirement and adapted the configuration model to the Microsoft Windows environment. The project was reportedly prompted by requirements associated with Argyle Diamonds, which contributed to the development effort. Later versions incorporated broader graphics capabilities, improved communications handling, diagnostics, stability, and increasingly sophisticated SCADA functions. A major installation at BHP Iron Ore's Port Hedland operation helped drive the development of Version 2 and encouraged improvements to graphics configuration and application functionality. Versions 3 and 4 concentrated on robustness, device-communication status, and 32-bit Windows NT support. Versions 5 and 6 were developed in a more competitive market and added functionality intended to maintain Citect's position in PC-based operator-interface software. The product moved beyond basic polling and visualization toward a fuller SCADA environment, while retaining its emphasis on device connectivity and extensibility through Cicode. Version 7 was released in August 2007 and added support for Windows Vista. Version 7.20, released in 2010, added Windows 7 support and features including Pelco camera integration. A CitectSCADA 2015 release followed in July 2015. Version 8 arrived in 2016 with a redesigned user interface and Windows 10 support. Later year-based releases, including 2018, 2020, and 2023 editions, continued the product line with updated operating-system support, web and HTML5 capabilities, alarm and equipment improvements, embedded industrial graphics, historian integration, OPC UA functionality, and cybersecurity-related enhancements. Citect also developed a broader industrial software portfolio. Ampla addressed manufacturing execution systems, while Cicode supplied a Pascal-like programming language for application logic within Citect SCADA. Citect's professional-services organization supported configuration, integration, engineering, and deployment, making services a significant complement to the software business. Schneider Electric acquired Citect Pty Ltd in 2006. By the end of 2008, Citect had ceased trading as a separate company and its remaining activities had been incorporated into Schneider Electric. The technology and product lineage continued under Schneider Electric and later AVEVA. CitectSCADA was eventually renamed AVEVA Plant SCADA, leaving Citect as an important historical product identity and installed-base reference within AVEVA's current monitoring and control portfolio.

• 2022

  Version 2023 released

  [1]Citecten.wikipedia.org

  The version marketed as 2023 was released in 2022 with updates covering UI, OPC UA tag writing, alarms, equipment, web content, historian integration, newer Windows platforms, and cybersecurity.

• 2016

  Version 8 released

  [1]Citecten.wikipedia.org

  Version 8 introduced an overhauled user interface and Windows 10 support.

• 2015

  CitectSCADA 2015 released

  [1]Citecten.wikipedia.org

  A CitectSCADA 2015 release was announced on 2 July 2015.

• 2010

  Version 7.20 introduced newer platform and camera support

  [1]Citecten.wikipedia.org

  Version 7.20 added Windows 7 support and included Pelco camera integration.

• 2008

  Independent company operations ended

  [1]Citecten.wikipedia.org

  Citect ceased trading independently and its remaining operations were absorbed into Schneider Electric.

• 2007

  Version 7 released

  [1]Citecten.wikipedia.org

  Version 7 was released with support for Windows Vista.

• 2006

  Acquisition by Schneider Electric

  [1]Citecten.wikipedia.org

  Schneider Electric acquired Citect Pty Ltd.

• 1992

  Citect for Windows released

  [1]Citecten.wikipedia.org

  The Windows version removed the need for the DSI co-processor and modernized the configuration and runtime environment.

• 1987

  Citect for DOS released

  [1]Citecten.wikipedia.org

  Citect introduced a PC-based operator-interface system for graphical monitoring of programmable industrial equipment.

• 1973

  Control Instrumentation subsidiary established

  [1]Citecten.wikipedia.org

  The business that later became Citect began as Alfa Laval's Control Instrumentation subsidiary.

Industrial automation software for monitoring, visualization, supervisory control, alarm management, plant connectivity, and manufacturing operations.

• SCADA and HMI software

  CitectSCADA

  CitectSCADA is the brand's principal supervisory control and data acquisition platform. It provides operator graphics, real-time monitoring, alarms, trends, equipment visualization, data acquisition, and control functions. The software supports a broad range of industrial controllers through native drivers and third-party connectivity such as OPC. Users configure plant graphics with Citect Graphics Builder and can extend applications with Cicode. The product lineage later continued under the name AVEVA Plant SCADA.

• Operator-interface software · 1987

  Citect for DOS

  Citect for DOS was an early PC-based industrial operator-interface product released in 1987. It represented plant equipment through bitmap graphics and animation points connected to tags in configuration databases. The runtime displayed real-time states such as running, stopped, or faulted conditions and communicated with programmable industrial devices through serial and other supported interfaces. Its early runtime depended on a DSI co-processor because contemporary PCs had limited processing capacity.

• SCADA and HMI software · 1992

  Citect for Windows

  Citect for Windows was released in 1992 as the Windows successor to the DOS product. It retained the core tag, graphics, and communications model while removing the requirement for a DSI hardware card. Later versions added improved object-based graphics, communications diagnostics, stability, Windows NT support, and more advanced SCADA capabilities. The line formed the direct foundation for later CitectSCADA releases.

• Industrial programming language

  Cicode

  Cicode is the programming language used to customize Citect SCADA applications. Its syntax and structure are similar to Pascal, while its runtime model supports industrial application requirements such as concurrent tasks, semaphores, file operations, logging, and interaction with SCADA data. It allowed integrators to implement behavior that was not available through standard configuration alone.

• Manufacturing execution system

  Ampla

  Ampla is manufacturing execution software associated with the Citect portfolio. It addresses the layer between plant-floor automation and higher-level business systems, supporting manufacturing information and operational processes. The product extended Citect's scope beyond real-time supervision into production management and execution workflows.

• SCADA engineering and visualization tool

  Citect Graphics Builder

  Citect Graphics Builder is the design-time environment used to create operator-interface screens and industrial equipment graphics for Citect SCADA applications. It supports the visual representation of plant assets, process states, controls, alarms, and real-time values within configured supervisory systems.

• 2008

  Citect operations absorbed into Schneider ElectricStrategy

  Background

  Following the 2006 acquisition, Schneider Electric consolidated Citect's remaining corporate operations.

  Action taken

  Citect stopped trading as an independent entity and its operations were absorbed into Schneider Electric.

  Aftermath

  The Citect product identity continued as part of a larger industrial software portfolio rather than as a standalone company.

  Source

• 2006

  Schneider Electric acquired CitectM&A

  Background

  Citect had developed an established industrial automation software portfolio centered on SCADA, HMI, and related services.

  Action taken

  Schneider Electric acquired Citect Pty Ltd and incorporated the business into its industrial automation activities.

  Aftermath

  Citect ceased trading as an independent company in 2008, while its technology and product lineage continued within Schneider Electric and later AVEVA.

  Source

• CitectSCADA renamed AVEVA Plant SCADAGeneration change

  Background

  The SCADA product lineage continued after Citect's corporate absorption and subsequent changes in industrial software ownership and portfolio structure.

  Action taken

  CitectSCADA was renamed and marketed as AVEVA Plant SCADA.

  Aftermath

  The software remained available within AVEVA's monitor-and-control portfolio, although the CitectSCADA name became primarily a historical and installed-base reference.

  Source

1. 1Citecten.wikipedia.org
2. 2Citect SCADA and AVEVA Plant SCADAsw.aveva.com