Industrial Automation, PLC Programming & IT Specialists

Spectrum Automation Ltd specialises in Siemens TIA Portal, Rockwell Automation, SCADA & HMI development, industrial control systems, IT infrastructure, and business applications. We deliver robust, scalable solutions that improve efficiency, reliability, and performance across the manufacturing and process industries.

Industrial automation and PLC programming systems

About Us

We pride ourselves in providing our clients with a quality service which includes the design, development and supply of bespoke software solutions. We are also able to supply electrical design services and Health and Safety advice to the automation industry.

Over twenty years experience of working in this field gives us an invaluable understanding of the automation industry and of the automation solutions available to our clients.

  • Siemens PLC, HMI & SCADA specialists
  • Rockwell PLC, HMI & SCADA specialists
  • IT-based project services
  • IT support for small businesses

The technology involved in automation is constantly evolving and developing and we pride ourselves in being able to constantly adapt and master each new and innovative technological product that appears in the industry market-place.

We believe that one of our many strengths lies in our ability to work closely with a client in order to design, develop and supply a software solution that meets the needs of that client. We also believe in clear and concise explanations of the technical solutions at hand and aim never to confuse our clients with technical ‘jargon’ specific to our field of expertise.

We are always looking for new and innovative technical solutions for our clients to use to improve their manufacturing facilities, product quality and production efficiencies.

Another key element to our success is our ability to work seamlessly with companies from other disciplines within the automation industry, particularly on large multi-million pound projects. We believe that teamwork is essential for any project to be completed successfully to the client’s satisfaction.

Industries

Find out more about the industries we work in

Consumer healthcare

Automation solutions for consumer healthcare manufacturing, packaging, inspection and process control systems

Pharmaceuticals

Validated automation and control systems designed for pharmaceutical production, batch processing and regulatory compliance

Nuclear

Reliable control and monitoring systems for safety-critical nuclear processes, utilities and infrastructure

Food & Beverage

Automation solutions for food and beverage manufacturing, process control, packaging and production efficiency

Water & Utilities

SCADA, telemetry and control systems for water treatment, wastewater processing and utility infrastructure

Telecommunications

Industrial monitoring, remote data acquisition and infrastructure control solutions for telecommunications networks

Automotive

PLC, HMI and robotic automation systems supporting automotive manufacturing and assembly operations

Chemical

Process automation, batch control and safety systems for chemical manufacturing and processing facilities

Conveying/Warehouse

Automated conveying, materials handling and warehouse control systems to improve operational efficiency

Systems

Find out more about the systems we work with

Siemens and Rockwell PLC programming systems
PLC

Programmable Logic Controllers

We have experience with the following PLCs:

Siemens S7-300
Siemens S7-400
Siemens S7-1200
Siemens S7-1500
Rockwell ControlLogix
Rockwell CompactLogix
Rockwell MicroLogix
Rockwell Micro800
Rockwell GuardLogix
...and many more
Industrial HMI development
HMI

Human Machine Interfaces

We have experience with the following HMIs:

Siemens TP1500
Siemens TP700
Siemens IPCs
Siemens MP270B
Siemens MP277B
...and many more
SCADA monitoring and control systems
SCADA

Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition

We have experience with the following SCADA systems:

iFix
FIX32
FactoryTalk View SE
FactoryTalk View ME
...and many more
BATCH
BATCH

Batch Systems

We have experience with the following BATCH systems:

iBatch
FactoryTalk Batch
IT
IT

Information Technology

We have experience with the following IT systems:

Microsoft 365
FIX32
Microsoft Azure
Active Directory
Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft SharePoint
Email
Website Design, Development & Management
Domain & DNS
General IT support
...and many more
Other
OTHER

Other

We have experience with the following other systems:

Zebra printers
Cognex scanners
OPC communications
...and many more

Software

Find out more about the software we work with

Siemens

SIMATIC Manager
STEP7 Professional (TIA Portal)
WinCC Flexible (legacy and TIA Portal)
TIA Portal versions 13, 15, 15.1, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21
...and many more

Rockwell

RSLogix 5000 up to version 20
Studio5000 from version 21 to present
FactoryTalk View
FactoryTalk Batch
...and many more

IT

AspenTech IP21 data historian general usage
Aveva Pi (formally Osi Pi) data historian general usage and advanced system/server configuration and setup
Cisco switch troubleshooting and programming
Rockwell Stratix switch troubleshooting and programming
Rockwell OPC data link configuration
SEW-EURODRIVE MOVISUITE for SEW-EURODRIVE inverter advanced configuration including configuration of MOVIKIT Velocity, Positioning and TouchProbe modes of operation
...and many more

Other

Active Directory (AD) configuration
Microsoft 365 tenant setup, management and configuration
...and many more

Hardware

Find out more about the hardware we work with

Siemens I/O

Siemens I/O setup, programming and commissioning

WAGO I/O

WAGO I/O setup, programming and commissioning

Rockwell I/O

Rockwell I/O setup, programming and commissioning

Zebra Printers

Configuration/setup, label design and printing from a Siemens PLC

Cognex Scanners

Handheld and fixed position scanners: configuration/setup, optimisation and scanning into a Siemens PLC

Siemens Drives

Siemens Sinamics and MicroMaster drive configurations: configuration/setup and basic/advanced operations I/O setup, programming & commissioning

SEW-EURODRIVE MOVIDRIVEs

Configuration/setup and basic/advanced operations

PCs

Setup and basic/advanced configuration

Projects

Find out more about the projects we have worked on

Consumer healthcare 6 mixer control system upgrade

Consumer healthcare 6 mixer and associated raw materials and utilities control system upgrade from Siemens S7-300/S7-400, FIX32 SCADA and Siemens HMIs to Siemens PCS7 (legacy side).

New mixing suite in the UK

New mixing suite in the UK (on site) including main mixer interface, two ancillary tanks, full CIP, HMI & recipe integration.

Full area HMI upgrade

Full area HMI upgrade migration from older Siemens MP270B/MP277B units to new Siemens IPCs (six HMIs in total).

New mixing suite in the USA

New mixing suite in the USA (remote) including main mixer interface, 3 ancillary tanks, full CIP, SCADA, recipe & batch system integration done remotely during the COVID pandemic.

New premix tank

New premix tank with all associated phases being run from a recipe batching system including production & CIP phases and SCADA integration.

New powders control system

New powders control system including two external silos, two buffer hoppers, two big bag stations, 6 receiving hopper vessels with associated vacuum transfer control and HMI/recipe integration.

New automatic liquid dosing phases

New automatic liquid dosing phases added to existing PLC-based recipe system to accurately dose multiple liquids into mixers and ancillary vessels.

Two full high speed filling line upgrade

Two full high speed filling line upgrade integrating systems from various vendors to be controlled by one central PLC with associated overhead screens and HMIs.

Upgrade of full site wide control system units of measure

Upgrade of full site wide control system units of measure for USA customer from lbs to kgs followed by detailed control system and validation testing tasks.

Addition of two new liquid storage tanks

Addition of two new liquid storage tanks and associated sequences to transfer liquid from road tankers to new tanks and from new tanks to existing tanks with recirculation mode to increase site storage capacity.

Tanker intake and day bin re-fill sequences

Tanker intake and day bin re-fill vessel sequence upgrades.

New liquid heating and chilling system

New liquid heating and chilling system controls.

Boiler system upgrades

Boiler system upgrades.

Powder ingredient dispensary systems

Five powder ingredient dispensary systems across a UK consumer healthcare site.

New Sack Tip control system

New Sack Tip control system at a UK consumer healthcare site.

Siemens training

Siemens training for on-site customer technicians and automation engineers.

Warehouse server re-build

Warehouse wrapper PC server re-build.

Plant wide purified water system

New plant wide purified water system integration.

Osi Pi data historian system

Installation & configuration of Osi Pi data historian system at both a large UK site and a large USA site. Multi-site validation & functional testing support working with off-site central Osi Pi customer team.

Third line support at major consumer healthcare sites

General third line support at major consumer healthcare sites both in the UK and USA assisting on site automation engineers with fixing production problems on a regular basis.

On site commissioning

On site commissioning of various new automotive assembly lines.

Frozen pizza dough processing conveyor system

Upgrade of frozen pizza dough processing conveyor system including SEW-EURODRIVE MOVIKIT Velocity, Positioning and TouchProbe modes.

Distribution centre conveyor systems

Installation and commissioning of conveyor systems for distribution centres across the UK.

Downloads

Download information about our company

Company Brochure

A downloadable summary of our website showing the types of work we can do and our experience.

One-Pager: Backup & Recovery

Backups form a critical part in being able to recover quickly from an unforeseen event. A good backup and recovery strategy ensures production can be restarted quickly after one of these events occurs. This strategy often starts with regular backups of your control system equipment. Whether you are looking to perform one-off backups or backups at regular intervals, we can help.

One-Pager: Training

All our training is provided by senior software engineers who have years of experience in working with the control systems they are providing training on. Our senior software engineers can provide a range of training tailored to your precise requirements on a variety of control systems. All training packages are created bespoke and can be done with our specialist training code or with code from your facility loaded on our extensive test rig system.

One-Pager: Document & Protocol Writing

Documentation and protocols are an important part of the validation process for new/existing equipment on sites of all sizes. Our staff have extensive experience and knowledge preparing documentation and protocols for all types of systems. From User Requirement Specifications (URSs) to Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) and Installation Qualification (IQ) and Operational Qualification (OQ) documents, we can help!

One-Pager: Hardware Supply

Do you need control system/computer hardware quickly? Are you struggling to source discontinued or old parts? Whatever your requirements, we can help!

One-Pager: Control System Design

We have years of vast experience designing control systems of all shapes and sizes. If you are looking to install a new control system and you’d like help with the design, look no further than Spectrum Automation Ltd!

Videos

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Contact

Please see below about ways to contact us

Call/WhatsApp Call Us

+44 (0)1772 952131