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Discovery · industrial automation

What do you need automated?

Common automation scopes, from UL 508A panels to SCADA, safety, and robot cells. Each card says what the work involves and what it changes on your floor, so the first call starts with your actual problem.

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Automation needs by type

Grouped the way plant engineers and facility managers describe the problem: UL 508A listed control panels, robotic arm integration, SCADA / Ignition plant visibility, process and packaging lines, SIL/PL safety, warehouse and material handling, palletizing, Keyence vision, and HMI operator stations. If your project spans two cards, that’s normal. Most do, and one team handling both avoids the hand-off gaps.

Industrial robot arm handling packages in an automated cell

Do you need robotic arm integration?

We tie the robot controller to the line PLC: part-present and place-complete handshakes, zone interlocks, and safety-rated fencing or scanners. The robot and the line stay in step, and a fault on either side is reported to the other with its cause.

Typical scope: Robot-to-line PLC handshakes, zone interlocks, and cell safety on packaging and assembly equipment.

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Ignition SCADA plant visibility dashboard on industrial monitors

Do you need SCADA integration (Ignition / plant visibility)?

An Ignition layer over your PLCs: line overview, an alarm journal with real fault causes, historian trends, and downtime and fault counts by machine. Supervisors can see which machine is losing output, and maintenance gets a recorded fault history.

Typical scope: Ignition overviews, alarm journals, and historian tags for plant and warehouse floors.

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Automated conveyor line with photoeyes and motor drives

Do you need conveyor automation?

PLC logic and drives for zero-pressure accumulation, merges, diverts, and VFD speed matching. The goal is steady flow at rate, fewer jams, and code your techs can read.

Typical scope: PLC and VFD controls for accumulation, transfers, and packaging infeeds — new builds and retrofits.

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UL508A listed industrial control panel with labeled components

Do you need a UL508A listed control panel?

A listed panel with a calculated short-circuit current rating (SCCR) on the nameplate and labeling that matches the drawings. Inspectors and insurers often look for that label, and having it can avoid a field evaluation or a delay before the panel is energized.

Typical scope: UL 508A listed panels with calculated SCCR — main panels and remote I/O for machines and lines.

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Light curtains and emergency stop for industrial safety system upgrades

Do you need safety system upgrades (e-stop, light curtains, SIL/PL)?

E-stop circuits, Keyence and Banner safety light curtains, Keyence safety laser scanners, and safety relays or safety PLCs laid out to the Performance Level (ISO 13849) your risk assessment calls for. Zoned stops and properly engineered muting protect people without one trip stopping more of the line than it needs to.

Typical scope: E-stop chains, light curtains, and safety relays or safety PLCs laid out to the required PL or SIL.

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Warehouse shipping and distribution center

Do you need warehouse / shipping & distribution line automation?

Outbound sortation, divert, and dock-door sequencing tied to your WMS. The goal is fewer mis-sorts, less manual re-handling, and trucks loaded on time.

Typical scope: Outbound, sortation, and dock sequencing with WMS interfaces and supervisor HMIs.

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Palletizing cell with gantry robot and stacked cases

Do you need palletizing or sortation cells?

PLC handshakes between case conveyors, layer formers, and the palletizer or sorter, plus divert logic that keeps lanes balanced. Buffers and handshakes are sized so an upstream jam is less likely to starve the pallet cell.

Typical scope: Palletizer and sorter handshakes, lane balancing, and cell safety integration.

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Vision sensor and HMI operator station on a packaging line

Do you need vision, IO-Link, or HMI operator stations?

Keyence vision for label, barcode, and orientation checks, IO-Link sensors that report diagnostics instead of just on/off, and HMI stations where the work happens. Bad labels and reads are rejected before they ship, and techs can see which sensor reported a fault.

Typical scope: Vision OK/NG into PLC reject logic, IO-Link sensing, and line-side operator HMIs.

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Still mapping scope? Take the four-question fit quiz or email [email protected].

Shipping & automated warehouses

Picking, packing & shipping automation

From the pick face to the trailer, each step works better when it’s controlled and connected to your WMS.

Picking

  • Pick-to-light & put-to-lightLights direct pickers to the right location and quantity, cutting search time and errors.
  • Put wallsSort picked items into order cubbies with light confirmation, so batch picking feeds individual orders.
  • Zone picking with conveyor routingTotes travel only to the zones that hold their items and skip the rest.
  • Goods-to-person integrationControls and handshakes for AS/RS shuttles and AMRs that bring product to the picker.
  • A-frame & automated dispensingHigh-speed dispensing of fast-moving small items straight into totes.
  • Voice & RF with the WMSPicker tasks and confirmations tied to the WMS, coordinated with conveyor and lights.
  • Order consolidationMulti-zone orders brought back together accurately before packing.

Packing

  • Auto-cartonizers & right-sized box makersBoxes built to fit each order, reducing void fill and shipping cost.
  • Auto-baggersBagging and sealing of soft goods and small orders at speed.
  • Case erectors & sealersConsistent case forming and sealing, synchronized with the line.
  • Void fillFill dispensed automatically to the amount each carton needs.
  • Pack-station HMIsClear screens that show packers what goes in each order and confirm it.
  • Packing slip insertionDocuments printed and inserted for the right order, with a scan to confirm it matches.
  • Pack-out verificationScans that confirm contents before the carton is sealed.

Shipping

  • Checkweighers & dimensioners (DWS)Weight and dimensions captured and checked against the order for accuracy and rating.
  • Print, apply & verifyShipping and GS1-128 / SSCC labels applied and scanned to confirm they read.
  • Manifesting & carrier integrationCarrier data exchanged through the WMS or WCS so labels and manifests match.
  • Sortation to carrier, route, or doorCartons sorted to the right carrier, route, or dock door lane.
  • PalletizingRobotic or conventional palletizing with stable, consistent load patterns.
  • Truck loadingExtendable conveyors that bring cartons into the trailer and reduce manual handling.
  • Exceptions & rejectsNo-reads, overweights, and mismatches routed to exception handling instead of the truck.

Our role: UL 508A control panels, PLC controls, WCS/WMS integration, safety systems, and commissioning that tie picking, packing, and shipping equipment together into one system, with RFID tracking and inventory automation where scanning alone isn’t enough. For the conveyors that connect it all, see conveyor & MHE controls. For pharmaceutical and healthcare distribution, see automated healthcare & pharma distribution.

Next step

Ready to talk through your project?

Share drawings, I/O lists, or a plain-language description of the line. We’ll reply with fit feedback and a suggested path.

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