PLC / HMI / SCADA design and programming is a systems-integration service in which PiControl engineers design, program, and commission PLC, DCS, HMI, and SCADA systems for new laboratory and industrial automation, or for modernizing and maintaining the systems already running your plant, on platforms including Siemens TIA Portal and SIMATIC PCS 7, Rockwell Automation's Logix Platform, Wonderware, GE, and Inductive Automation's Ignition.
PiControl engineers start with PLC, DCS, HMI, and SCADA system architecture design and hardware engineering, then produce Functional Design (FDS) and Detail Design Documentation (DDS) so the build that follows matches an approved, written specification rather than evolving ad hoc on the plant floor.
Engineers program the PLC layer in accordance with IEC 61131-3 and the DCS layer using CFC, SFC, and SCL, including safety PLC programming and cause & effect matrices for the logic that has to work correctly the first time.
Operator and touch panel graphics, SCADA screens, and ISA S88-compliant batch and recipe programming are built on top of the control logic, so operators see a consistent, standards-based interface into the system underneath.
Before go-live, the system runs through offline simulation and complete testing, including interfaces to third-party vision, RFID, barcode, drive, and robot systems. Installation, commissioning, operator training, and continuous maintenance follow, within and beyond the warranty period.
On the PLC side, PiControl's engineers handle PLC system architecture design and hardware engineering, Functional Design (FDS) and Detail Design Documentation (DDS), PLC programming in accordance with IEC 61131-3, safety PLC programming, programming standards development, advanced algorithms and PIDs, migration of legacy systems, interfaces to third-party vision, RFID, and barcode systems, drives, field instruments, and robots, PLC-based recipes and batch system programming to ISA S88 standards, and simulation with complete offline testing.
On the DCS side, the same team delivers DCS system architecture design and hardware engineering, FDS/DDS documentation, DCS logic development using CFC, SFC, and SCL, DCS graphics development and configuration of operator stations, cause & effect matrix design for safety systems, third-party software and hardware connectivity, migration of legacy DCS, simulation and testing, and operator training systems.
HMI and SCADA design starts with the same FDS/DDS documentation discipline, then builds out graphics for operator panels, touch panels, and SCADA systems using standard objects and templates rather than one-off screens. Configuration is GAMP-compliant with audit trails built to 21 CFR Part 11, which matters directly on the pharmaceutical projects that make up part of our engineering history — see how this fits a plant-wide program on the pharmaceutical industry page. Dynamic process objects get their functions and actions from scripting languages including ANSI-C, VB, and Python, and existing SCADA systems can be migrated or upgraded rather than replaced outright. Custom reporting runs through Crystal Reports, Microsoft SQL Server, SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), Excel, and Access.
Batch systems design follows ISA S88 standards for batch software engineering and configuration, recipe management, batch scheduler and campaign management, batch report generation, and simulation and testing, so recipe-driven production runs on the same disciplined framework as the continuous logic around it.
PiControl delivers mostly automated solutions on Siemens' Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal), the design platform used mostly in small-to-medium manufacturing and in research facilities and laboratories, and on SIMATIC PCS 7, Siemens' Distributed Control System built for large manufacturing industry. On the Rockwell Automation side, the Logix Platform covers small-to-medium PLC systems in manufacturing and research settings. Wonderware, GE, and Inductive Automation's Ignition round out the platforms our engineers design and program on, so the platform choice tracks the scale of the plant rather than a vendor PiControl happens to favor.
In pharmaceutical automation projects, GAMP-compliant HMI and SCADA configuration with 21 CFR Part 11 audit trails is a starting requirement rather than an add-on, so our engineers build the electronic record-keeping into the graphics layer from the first design pass rather than retrofitting it after commissioning.
In refining and power plant work, large-scale integration runs through SIMATIC PCS 7 or an equivalent DCS, where cause & effect matrices for the safety system and DCS logic built with CFC, SFC, and SCL have to hold up under continuous, high-consequence operation rather than a single test run.
Engagements cover new laboratory and industrial automation systems designed from a blank architecture, and modernization or maintenance of PLC, DCS, HMI, and SCADA systems already running in your plant, including PLC equipment installation, testing, operator training, and continuous maintenance of the automation system within and beyond the warranty period.
Above the control layer, PiControl's Manufacturing Execution System (MES) services bridge enterprise planning systems (ERP) and shop-floor control, giving real-time visibility into production so plants can optimize output, hold quality steadier, and drive continuous improvement rather than working from lagging reports.
Knowledge and experience across these platforms and layers comes from laboratory and industrial automation projects in the pharmaceutical, polymer, refining, and power plant industries, spanning research facilities as well as full-scale production units.
Platforms, new builds vs. modernization, compliance, MES integration, and how to get started.
Ready to scope a new automation system or modernize the one you have? Schedule a consultation and a PiControl engineer will review your platform, your plant, and whether the project is a new build, a migration, or an MES integration, before any design work begins.