Transforming static P&IDs into intelligent digital assets
Written by Tommy Norström
Posted on March 07, 2025
Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) have long been essential tools in industrial engineering, used to visualize process equipment, piping systems, and instrumentation. However, despite their importance, many P&IDs remain static, unstructured, and disconnected from real-world operations.
Traditional P&IDs are often stored as PDFs, scanned images, or basic CAD drawings. These formats may accurately depict process relationships but lack interactive features, metadata, and real-time connectivity. As a result, engineers and operators frequently face challenges when trying to locate asset information, verify design updates, or integrate P&IDs with modern digital workflows.
The consequences of outdated P&IDs
Relying on non-intelligent P&IDs leads to inefficiencies that impact engineering and maintenance workflows. Engineers often spend significant time manually searching for asset details across different documents, which leads to delays and misinterpretations.
Since P&IDs are typically separate from maintenance systems and digital twins, discrepancies arise, creating confusion and potential risks. Without automated updates, outdated information can cause costly mistakes in modifications and maintenance activities. Additionally, when teams across disciplines struggle to align due to a lack of integrated systems, collaboration and efficiency suffer.
Transforming P&IDs into intelligent digital assets
To address these challenges, Cadmatic has partnered with Semantum to provide a comprehensive solution for P&ID digitalization. This partnership integrates Semantum’s Model Broker software with CADMATIC P&ID and eShare digital twin software, offering a streamlined approach to transforming static P&IDs into intelligent, connected, and interactive assets.
Image ©Semantum
The transformation process consists of three key steps:
- First, Semantum’s Model Broker software automates the extraction of structured data from existing P&IDs, including those stored as PDFs or scanned images. This process eliminates the need for manual data entry, significantly reducing errors while ensuring that extracted information is machine-readable and enriched with metadata.
- Once digitalized, the P&IDs are imported into CADMATIC P&ID, where they can be refined, modified, and linked to operational data. This ensures that diagrams reflect real-world facility changes in real time, eliminating the discrepancies caused by outdated documentation.
- Finally, the intelligent P&IDs are published to CADMATIC eShare, where they become part of a fully integrated digital ecosystem. Engineers and operators can access them directly from the digital twin, making it easy to search for and retrieve component details without sifting through disconnected systems. Read about how eShare provides context to industrial piping models.
For a closer look at how this transformation works in practice, check out the video below.
The benefits of intelligent P&IDs
By transitioning from static to intelligent P&IDs, industrial facilities gain instant access to asset information, eliminating the need for time-consuming searches. Clickable P&IDs allow users to retrieve specifications, line numbers, and inspection records effortlessly. Seamless integration with digital twins ensures that P&IDs become a living part of the digital workflow, rather than isolated documents. As a result, maintenance planning and execution become more reliable, reducing operational risks and avoiding costly errors. Improved collaboration between engineering, maintenance, and operations teams also ensures that everyone works with accurate, up-to-date information, leading to more efficient workflows.
Industrial facilities no longer need to rely on outdated, disconnected P&IDs. The tools exist to make them smarter, more interactive, and fully integrated with digital twins – delivering better efficiency, accuracy, safety and operational control.
