Automation & ControlsControl panels and PLC, HMI and SCADA programming for meat processing machines and linesControl panels, PLC programs and HMI touch screens designed, built and wired by MACHINE-X's own team, for a single machine or a complete line. SCADA programming adds line monitoring, and digitalization and IIoT integration connect machine and line information, where the operation needs it.Discuss Your Automation ProjectUpgrading controls on an existing MACHINE-X machine? Discuss Your Existing Line
When it fitsFive kinds of automation projectControls for a new machine or line. Panels, programs and screens built with the equipment.Linking machines that run separately. Turning individual machines and conveyors into one controlled line.Adding line monitoring. Giving supervisors one view of an existing MACHINE-X line.Connecting machine and line information. Making selected production information available beyond the single machine, where the project requires it.Replacing controls on existing MACHINE-X equipment. New panels and programs where the current ones are outdated or failing.Still working out which step to automate? See Automate a manual process.
The main decisionThree levels of control. Which one do you need?Not every project needs every level. The right level depends on how many machines are involved and what your team needs to see and change.Machine level. One machine with its own control panel, PLC program and HMI screen. Operators set and adjust it at the machine.Line level. Several machines and conveyors controlled together: start-up and shutdown in sequence, speeds matched between stages, and interlocks so one stage reacts when another stops.Monitoring level. SCADA screens that show the status of the line in one place, so supervisors see what is running and what has stopped.Digitalization and IIoT build on these levels. They make information the controls already handle usable beyond the machine or the line screen, where the project requires it.Not sure which level fits? Describe the process in the form and an engineer will discuss it with you.
Digitalization and IIoTDigitalization and Industrial IoT (IIoT): production information you can useIn many meat and food plants, the information that shows how production is running already exists, but it stays inside individual machines, on separate screens or in paper records. Digitalization means making the relevant part of that information available and usable. Industrial IoT (IIoT) is one way to do it: connecting equipment and process information so it can be seen and used beyond the single machine.LayerWhat it does on a production lineControlMakes each machine carry out the required sequence and logic.AutomationCoordinates machines and stages so less manual intervention is needed, where that makes sense.DigitalizationMakes the relevant operating information accessible and usable.IIoTConnects equipment and process information where the application needs a connected view of production.
When a production operation needs itImportant information sits in separate machines or in manual records, and nobody sees it together.Operators and supervisors depend on fragmented information to understand what is happening on part of the process.New equipment has to work within an existing control environment.An expansion is planned, and the controls should be ready to connect what comes later.How it fits the MACHINE-X approachDigitalization starts where every controls project starts: the process, the sequence of operation, and what operators and supervisors need to see and decide. The information worth connecting is chosen from that, not from a list of technologies. The control panels, PLC programs and SCADA are then designed so that this information is available where the operation needs it, and so that later integration is planned from the start rather than added afterwards.What it can give the operationClearer visibility into how the process is running.Production information that is easier to reach and use.Better coordination between the equipment, the controls and the people running them.A sound foundation for future integration.The scope depends on the application and the production process. Not every project needs it; it is defined with you when the project is scoped.Discuss Your Digitalization / IIoT Requirement
ScopeWhat MACHINE-X builds and programsControl panels. Industrial panels for single machines and full lines, designed, built and wired in-house.PLC and HMI programming. PLC programs and touch-screen interfaces written for your process and your operators.SCADA and line monitoring. Programming for monitoring and control of the line from one screen.Digitalization and IIoT integration. Connecting relevant machine and line information within the control system, where the project requires it.Industrial electrical work. Wiring and electrical controls for machines and lines.Also availableCustom electronic boards built for factory conditions, where a standard part does not fit the machine.
New or existingControls for new machines or for MACHINE-X equipment you already runNew machines and lines. The controls are designed together with the machine or line, so the panel, program and screens are planned with the process from the start. See Production Lines & Factory Planning.Existing MACHINE-X equipment. MACHINE-X designs new control panels and PLC programs for eligible MACHINE-X machines and for systems MACHINE-X supplied or integrated that are already in operation. What can be done depends on the machine's condition and on the information available about it.If the machine also needs mechanical work, start at Service, Upgrades & Retrofit.
How a controls project startsWhat we need to scope a controls projectA short description is enough to start. The more of this you can share, the more specific the first conversation will be.What the process must do, step by stepWhich machines and conveyors are involvedWhat controls they have today, if anyWhat operators and supervisors need to see and adjustIf digitalization or IIoT is part of the project: which information should be available beyond the machine, and to whomAny electrical drawings or manuals you haveAny control equipment standard your site already usesDiscuss Your Automation Project
Do we need SCADA?Not always. A single machine is often well served by its own HMI. SCADA is useful when several machines need to be watched from one place.Does every automation project include digitalization or IIoT?No. It is added where the process needs information beyond the machine or the line screen. Many machines are well served by their own controls.Can you put new controls on MACHINE-X machines we already have?Yes, for eligible MACHINE-X machines and for systems MACHINE-X supplied or integrated, depending on the machine's condition.Which control hardware do you use?It is selected per project. If your site has a standard, tell us and we will take it into account.Which technologies do you use for digitalization and IIoT?They are selected per project, based on the production process and any standard your site already uses.
Planning an automation or digitalization project?Tell us which machines are involved and what you need to control, see or connect. A controls engineer will review it with you.
