Automation

100% fully interconnected and fit-for-purpose automation forms the bedrock upon which modern, market-agile, Industry 4.0, processing solutions market are based. But with so many automation architectures available, what do you choose and – just as importantly – who do you choose, in terms of knowledge, technology & application experience?

Process automation engineers must opt for an automation solution that is founded and fine-tuned by a deep and extensive knowledge of the market’s needs, the machinery, the raw materials, the variables and the exacting processes that create your high-quality end products.

Full integration from the simplest sensor up to enterprise resource planning systems, accurately measures performance and provides real-time data to not only monitor product quality in real time, but also the need for proactive maintenance to keep the system running reliably and consistently. By giving you access to 100% pertinent real-time operational data, we can help you gain a better understanding of what is happening in your plant, which will lead to improved plant performance.

It’s so more than just automation, we write software for live machines. We have 100+ process automation engineers who live, eat and breathe process automation!

They have the industry, manufacturing & process knowledge, the engineering expertise, the market awareness and the experience you need; all of which is coupled to full understanding of international standards and regulatory certifications and frameworks.

At the centre of our automation offering is FactoryExpert Suite, a vendor-independent architecture that deploys reusable engineering applications on open platforms to precisely meet a customers’ automation specifications. Solutions can be tailored to meet every need.

• FactoryExpert Suite leverages on the intimate knowledge we have of our own equipment and delivers full data synergy between processing hardware, automation systems, ancillary equipment and batch & open-source MIS/ MES software.
• With over 25 years of development, we have curated a bedrock solution that is continually developed and continuously improved, to create a class-leading, industry hardened food-and-beverage-specific automation platform.
• We can deliver high quality and technically advanced automation solutions in a fraction of the time and do so financially efficiently.
• Even the most bespoke applications share common foundational elements. As a result, 50 % of the automation you require is already in FactoryExpert Suite. We then supplement this code and tailor it to your application’s precise needs – creating an open and agile yet off-the-peg solution.
• Many solutions are pre-designed, pre-configured, industry proven and extensively tested in relevant vertical industries.
• PLC coding is to AVS03 (SA88) & S95 and a SCADA level template library embeds PLC code modules.

PROJECT SOLUTIONS

• Greenfield – Full bespoke automation of new plants or new lines
• Brownfield – Reconfiguration of production lines, including replacement of dated, obsolete, under-performing third-party solutions

UPGRADES

• Exploit the interconnectivity and power of new technology and the insights available from real-time operational data.
• Plant upgrades give you the control and data necessary to address all possible operational performance metrics.
• CPU/PLC replacement is not always necessary, data capability is the key. We can help you create more data points with smart sensors and better data pathways.
• We can help you collect, collate, decipher, format and disburse data to the people who really need it, when they need it in a form they can put to use immediately.
• Our Factory Expert Report suite is an open-source web-based platform. You can tailor data inputs and graphical outputs to match your precise needs.

TECHNOLOGIES

• All leading automation vendors are available (Rockwell Automation, Siemens, Schneider, Aveva, etc.)
• All programming and logic code is precisely matched to our processing equipment and all possible variations of ancillary systems. We deliver bespoke libraries and instruction sets tailored to our systems.
• Match control solutions to your existing automation equipment. Leverage existing expertise, licenses, familiarity, spares and functionality.
• Nobody knows our processing equipment as well as we do. Slash development times with our reduced programming load and get into production quicker.
• We can build into and upon existing infrastructures and make new code look like old. Don’t lose your look and feel.