Projects

Case Studies

Project briefs from food, ready-mix, greenfield manufacturing, hydroelectric, and chemical work.

Food & Beverage · Midwest, USA

AVEVA PI historian for a large food supplier

IC&E implemented the AVEVA PI System so operations could cut waste and see the plant in real time — from process areas and packaging lines through utilities.

Challenge: The facility needed a durable historian and dashboards for waste rates, line efficiency, downtime, and throughput, with OT devices spread across the plant.
Solution: We stood up a high-availability VMware vSphere environment on Dell R650 servers, PowerStore storage, and PowerSwitch networking — hardware, cabling, ESXi networking, volume presentation, VLAN integration, and Windows Server 2022 templates. PI Data Archive, Asset Framework, PI Vision, SQL Server, and interface nodes were installed, including the Connectivity Pack for OPC UA, Modbus TCP, MQTT, and Active Directory single sign-on. OT devices were connected so teams could build PI Vision displays with the Manufacturing Excellence group.
Result: Operations now has real-time visibility into waste, efficiency, downtime, and throughput across process, packaging, and utilities.

Ready-Mix Concrete · Midwest, USA

Material handling controls for five ready-mix plants

Five similar material-handling systems keep aggregate bins full so batching never waits on the bunkers.

Challenge: As bins emptied, plants needed a reliable call for material — slide gates, conveyors, and a rotating turnhead directing flow to the selected bin.
Solution: IC&E designed, built, and programmed CompactLogix systems with Point I/O and PanelView HMIs, including batch-office panels, remote I/O, motor starters, photo eyes, and turnhead feedback. Electrical drawings, programming, startup support, and one year of on-site coverage were included.
Result: Plants maintain reliable bin levels and continuous batching across five similar sites.

Manufacturing · Kansas City

Greenfield plant commissioning in Kansas City

A team of five controls engineers brought a brand-new manufacturing facility online — more than 100 OEM machines on one plant network.

Challenge: Equipment from multiple OEMs had to be powered, networked, commissioned, and supported after install in a new building.
Solution: IC&E handled project management, initial power-up checks, PLC and HMI communication verification, electrical support, and ongoing startup assistance. The facility runs Allen-Bradley PLCs, Kinetix servos, and Ignition.
Result: Machines were powered, connected to the manufacturing network, commissioned, and supported through startup.

Power & Energy · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Harry S. Truman Dam generator controls

USACE engaged IC&E to upgrade stub shaft bearing oil temperature control on all six hydroelectric generating units.

Challenge: Each unit had its own control system. Raw water piping and electrical controls had to be replaced while oil lines stayed in place. Two existing valves needed to become a single larger modulating valve with new bearing temperature sensors.
Solution: Two valves were replaced with a Fisher 3-inch V-ball modulating valve. Anderson-Negele RTDs were installed in the stub shaft bearings. A CompactLogix L36ERM in a NEMA 4X stainless 24" × 24" panel uses PID from the oil temperature sensors to modulate the raw water valve and to control the oil heater and pressure pumps. IC&E owned the job end to end — electrical and mechanical installation, programming, and startup.
Result: All six generating units received new temperature control, with oil still flowing through the raw water cooler under PID modulation.

Food & Beverage · Midwest, USA

Ethernet controls upgrade at a food plant

Four control panels moved off SLC, Data Highway, and Remote I/O onto a modern Ethernet platform.

Challenge: The panels ran SLC processors and talked Data Highway and Remote I/O — hardware and networks the plant could not keep supporting.
Solution: New backplates were designed and built with CompactLogix 5069-L340ES2 processors, 5069 I/O, Stratix switches, and PowerFlex 753/525 VFDs. Existing PanelView applications were converted, new HMI screens added, and PLC programs rewritten. Engineering covered electrical and SOLIDWORKS panel design, network drawings, as-builts, power verification, simulations, and commissioning.
Result: Four panels now run on Ethernet with current CompactLogix hardware, converted HMIs, and rewritten PLC programs.

Food & Beverage · Midwest, USA

Recipe management across 12 production lines

A large food supplier needed a modern recipe system — Ignition on the operator side, SQL behind it — talking to twelve lines.

Challenge: Recipe setpoints had to be stored, served, and loaded by each line controller so the process ran the right product without tribal knowledge in the PLC.
Solution: IC&E added an Ignition operator interface backed by a SQL recipe database. SQL stored and served recipe setpoints. PLC logic was modified so the line controller could load those recipes and apply them to the process.
Result: Twelve production lines load recipes from a common SQL-backed Ignition interface.

Chemical Processing · Midwest, USA

Reactor process controls for a specialty chemical plant

A new control system for a chemical reactor — dedicated ControlLogix, recipes in the controller, and a full field I/O package.

Challenge: The reactor needed its own PLC and HMI, remote I/O, VFD lineup, and safety/comms, with recipes stored on the controller (100 slots).
Solution: IC&E designed and commissioned a ControlLogix L81E with a PanelView. Hardware included a dedicated PLC panel, two Point I/O remote panels, four VFD panels with Ethernet PowerFlex 753 drives, and a safety/comms panel with a safety monitor and relays. Field I/O covered valve solenoids with open/close feedback, load cells, pressure and temperature transmitters, rupture disks, e-stops, vacuum and hydraulic pumps, and interlocks to the oil system and mixers.
Result: The reactor runs on its own ControlLogix platform with on-controller recipes and complete field I/O and safety interlocks.