From Cloud APIs to Opening Real Valves: Engineering an IT/OT Edge Bridge at Vopak

Today marks my last day at Vopak.

Whenever I drive to the beach and pass by Europoort, I look out the window at those massive industrial storage tanks. Now, I cannot look at them without a big smile. Node.js Code that I wrote completely from scratch runs right there inside those terminals, moving physical liquids and delivering real value.

As a software developer, there is truly no feeling quite like that.

Entering the World of Operational Technology (OT)

Most software engineering happens purely in the digital realm: databases, cloud APIs, web apps, and user dashboards.

Working with Operational Technology (OT) was completely different. In OT, the software you write interacts directly with physical machinery: pipes, pumps, alarms, and valves. If an API has a glitch in a standard web app, someone might see a momentary error screen. In OT, safety is everything. You are interacting with high-stakes physical operations where software bugs have real-world consequences.

Moving from pure cloud systems to edge computing meant rethinking assumptions about latency, failure recovery, and system guarantees. When a pump starts or a valve turns, you cannot just retry an HTTP request blindly. Every signal must be deliberate, verified, and strictly ordered.

What I Built: The DCS Batch Plugin

At Vopak, I took on the challenge of building a critical bridge between the cloud (Vopak's MyService platform) and physical terminal hardware (Distributed Control Systems, or DCS).

Previously, this integration relied on expensive third-party vendor software that added operational complexity and high recurring costs. I designed and wrote a custom edge solution from the ground up to solve this cleanly:

• Real-Time Physical Control: The plugin securely receives commands from the cloud (such as instructing the terminal to open specific valves for liquid transfers) and communicates directly with industrial hardware via industrial protocols like OPC UA.

• Instant Feedback and Safety: It streams live physical measurements, operational states, and safety alarms back to terminal operators in real time.

• Solid Reliability: Physical operations must happen in exact chronological order. I built a strict FIFO queueing engine so commands can never execute out of sequence or collide during execution.

• Security and Self-Healing: Every message is cryptographically signed to prevent unauthorised actions. Built-in watchdogs continuously monitor connection health between the systems and automatically heal dropped network connections without manual intervention.

The result? A high-performance, resilient solution currently operating on Europoort test systems and prepared for terminal rollout globally. It eliminates friction while saving the company roughly €500,000 every year in recurring vendor license fees.

Gratitude to the Team

I want to say a huge thank you to Vopak and all my colleagues.

Thank you for trusting me with the autonomy and responsibility to build this system from zero. Stepping into industrial automation and edge computing alongside such a talented company has been an great experience. Who knows, perhaps our paths will cross again on a future project down the line.

What Lies Ahead

Next week, I am stepping into a new engineering role, and I will share the details very soon.

At the same time, I am continuing to build and grow my own SaaS product, Wordflux, on the side. We already have active paying users, and I love creating practical software tools that solve concrete problems for creators and teams.

Closing this chapter with pride and looking forward to what comes next.

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