Automate
Industrial automation, engineered to be measurable from day one
We design and commission control systems for machines, lines and utilities — and because we also build the software layer above them, the automation we deliver is instrumented, connected and reportable from the moment it goes live rather than years later as a retrofit.
The problem
Automation that cannot be measured is automation you cannot improve
A great deal of industrial automation is delivered as a closed box: it runs, it produces, and it tells nobody anything. Six months later someone asks for OEE, or traceability, or an energy breakdown, and the whole thing has to be opened up again by a different vendor who was not there when it was designed.
- 01
The control system works but produces no usable data
- 02
Adding a report means paying for a second integration project
- 03
Documentation is a folder of unlabelled drawings and a program nobody can read
- 04
Every change requires the original contractor, who may or may not still be reachable
- 05
Manual steps remain in the middle of an otherwise automated process
What we build
Concrete deliverables
Nouns, not adjectives. This is what actually gets handed over.
- 01
Control philosophy and functional design
A written description of what the system does, in what sequence, under what conditions, and what happens when each thing fails — agreed before any code is written.
- 02
Control panel design and build
Schematics, panel layout, component selection, wiring, testing and documentation, coordinated with a panel partner or built to your standard.
- 03
PLC and drive engineering
Structured, commented, maintainable control code with consistent naming and a clear state model. See our PLC programming page for detail.
- 04
Machine and line integration
Interlocking, handshaking and sequencing between machines from different vendors, including safety coordination with your safety engineer.
- 05
HMI and operator interface
Screens designed for the operator's real task, not for the demo — alarms that are actionable and hierarchy that matches the process.
- 06
Commissioning, FAT/SAT and handover
Documented test plans, witnessed acceptance, as-built drawings, source code, and training for your maintenance team.
How it works
The technical path, step by step
Where the engineering decisions actually get made.
- 01
Understand the process
We walk the line, talk to operators and maintenance, and write down the process as it actually runs — including the workarounds.
- 02
Define control philosophy
Sequences, interlocks, permissives, alarm hierarchy, failure behaviour and manual override. Agreed on paper first.
- 03
Design
Electrical schematics, I/O schedule, network architecture, panel layout, and the data model for everything the system will later need to report.
- 04
Build and test
Panel build, code development, simulation and factory acceptance testing before anything reaches your floor.
- 05
Install and commission
Installation in your window, loop checks, dry runs, wet commissioning, and operator training.
- 06
Support and optimise
A defined support arrangement, and — because it is instrumented — the data to see where the process is actually losing time.
Protocols & technologies
Specifics, because vague answers cost you money later
Chosen per site according to what is installed, not according to what we would prefer to work with.
| Technology | Where it is used | Engineering note |
|---|---|---|
| Profinet / Profibus | Siemens-based machine and line control | Standard for Siemens architectures; Profibus still common on installed base. |
| Ethernet/IP | Rockwell-based architectures | Common in automotive-tier and export-oriented plants. |
| Modbus TCP / RTU | Third-party devices, meters, drives | Practically universal; the fallback when nothing else is common. |
| IO-Link | Smart sensors and actuators | Gives you diagnostics and parameterisation from the sensor level upward. |
| OPC UA | Supervisory and IT integration | The clean boundary between control and everything above it. |
| EtherCAT | High-speed motion control | Where cycle times demand it. |
| Safety buses | Profisafe, CIP Safety | Engineered with a qualified safety engineer; we do not sign off safety functions ourselves unless the scope explicitly includes that competence. |
Brownfield
Upgrades without a full line replacement
Most of our automation work is on lines that already exist. That means phased migration, keeping the plant producing, working in shutdown windows, and — frequently — running old and new in parallel until the new system is proven. We plan for reversibility: at every stage there is a defined way back.
Works with
- Existing panels and field wiring where they are sound
- Mixed-vendor lines with equipment from different decades
- Obsolete controllers requiring migration to current platforms
- Existing safety systems, coordinated rather than replaced
- Plants that cannot afford more than a short planned shutdown
Use cases
What people actually ask us for
Each one is a situation followed by the outcome it produces — not a feature list.
Manual process automation
NowA step that is still done by hand because nobody automated it.
AfterSequenced, interlocked, repeatable — and logged, so its cycle time becomes visible.
Line integration across vendors
NowMachines that work individually but do not coordinate.
AfterHandshaking and sequencing so the line runs as a line, with a single view of state.
Obsolete controller migration
NowA PLC that is out of support with no spares available.
AfterMigrated to a supported platform with documented, readable code and no loss of function.
Utility and plant automation
NowCompressors, chillers, boilers, ETP and pumping run independently.
AfterCoordinated control with monitoring and energy attribution.
Batch and recipe control
NowRecipes managed on paper, with operator-dependent results.
AfterRecipe-driven control with parameter enforcement and a complete batch record.
Implementation
How a project runs
Eight stages, each producing something you own. Full detail on the process page.
- 01
Discover
1–2 conversations
- 02
Audit
1–3 days on site
- 03
Design
1–2 weeks
- 04
Engineer
2–8 weeks per phase
- 05
Integrate
1–2 weeks
- 06
Deploy
Your shutdown window
- 07
Monitor
First 4–6 weeks
- 08
Optimise
Ongoing, if you want it
Mixed-vendor machine monitoring rig
Three PLC brands and one machine with no controller at all, read through one gateway and normalised into a single tag model — the situation almost every Indian plant is actually in.
Read the write-upQuestions
Industrial Automation — common questions
Do you build control panels?
We do the design, engineering, programming and commissioning. Panel fabrication is done either by a panel partner working to our schematics, or by your preferred panel builder, or in your own workshop — whichever suits. We take responsibility for the design and for the system working; we are explicit about who is building the enclosure.
Can you work with our existing automation vendor?
Yes, and it is common. We are frequently brought in for the data and software layer above an existing control system, working alongside the incumbent. We do not require ownership of the whole stack to be useful.
How do you handle functional safety?
Safety functions are engineered by a qualified safety engineer and validated according to the applicable standard. We coordinate with that person and design the control system around the safety requirements. We are explicit about scope: where safety sign-off is required and is outside our engagement, we say so before contracting rather than after.
What do we get at handover?
As-built electrical drawings, I/O schedules, the commented PLC and HMI source code, the network architecture, a functional description, test records, and training for your maintenance team. You should be able to hire anyone competent to maintain what we built. That is deliberate.
Can automation be delivered in phases?
Usually, and we prefer it. A phased approach lets you validate the first stage in production before committing to the rest, and it keeps the plant running. We design the phase boundaries so each one is independently useful.
Describe the process
What runs today, what is manual, and what a good outcome looks like. We will come back with a control approach and a realistic phasing.