Projects

The shapes of work I do.

Client names withheld — these are real patterns from real plants. References available on request.

Tannery processing line automation

Problem
Processing drums running on ageing controls and manual recipe steps. Batch results varied between shifts, and nobody trusted the alarms enough to act on them.
Approach
Schneider M340 PLC programmed in Control Expert with recipe-driven sequencing, a Magelis HMI laid out around the operators' actual workflow, and Modbus TCP to the existing instruments.
Outcome
Repeatable batches independent of who's on shift, alarms the operators act on, and as-built documentation handed over with the job.
Rolls of finished leather in a range of colours and embossed grains

Water treatment plant control upgrade

Problem
A legacy PLC long out of support — no spares on the shelf, no source code on file, and a plant that can't simply be switched off while it's replaced.
Approach
Staged migration to a Modicon M340: the existing behaviour documented first, I/O verified signal by signal, and the cutover rehearsed against a written SAT protocol before touching the live plant.
Outcome
Cutover completed inside the planned shutdown, with current drawings and a supportable platform the council's own staff can get parts for.
Aerial view of circular clarifier tanks at a water treatment plant

Industrial wastewater package plant integration

Problem
A vendor-supplied wastewater package plant (dissolved air flotation) arrived as an island: it didn't talk to the site's control system, and its tags and drawings didn't match what was actually installed.
Approach
Network integration over Modbus TCP and EtherNet/IP, instrument loop checks against the process, and the tag list and drawings reconciled with the physical plant — site labels treated as the authority.
Outcome
The package plant runs as part of the site, not beside it, and the documentation finally describes the plant that exists.
Process pipework and valves beside a treatment basin at an industrial water plant

Independent FAT for a machine builder

Problem
A machine builder needed structured, independent acceptance testing before shipping — the client's contract demanded evidence, not assurances.
Approach
FAT protocol written from the functional specification, every I/O point and sequence exercised and witnessed at the workshop, punch list tracked to closure before dispatch.
Outcome
The machine shipped with a signed test record, and site commissioning dealt with site problems instead of workshop ones.

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