Project A

New Machine - Control System Modernisation Project

Project Overview  

This project was initiated to modernise the control system of the UK’s largest cheesecake manufacturer. The factory relied on legacy control systems that lacked manuals, documentation, and any ability to be updated. These limitations prevented the business from improving efficiency, maintaining consistency, or leveraging data for optimisation. 

Why Modernisation Was Needed

The outdated systems could not support automation or provide insights into production performance. By implementing new control systems, it became possible to:  

• Design and run automated production programmes 
• Manage spoiling and contamination risks through controlled processes  
• Access real-time data on processing speed and machinery performance
• Reduce reliance on manual intervention 

Key Challenges 

Absence of Documentation  

None of the machinery had manuals or system specifications. This meant the project team had to build a deep understanding of: 

• How each machine operated 
• What signals were needed to initiate or manage processes  
• How different sensors functioned and communicated 

Complex Production Processes  

The manufacturing environment included multiple machines, each with unique behaviours and control requirements. Without documentation, every element had to be reverse-engineered. 

Technical & Scientific Uncertainties 

To deliver the required advances, several technical uncertainties needed to be solved:

1. Reverse Engineering Production Machinery 

Understanding how to integrate with machinery such as the cheesecake base maker, including: 

• Mixing  
• Pressing  
• Rotary mechanisms 

2. Reverse Engineering Pressure Cooking Systems 

Integration challenges for the pressure cooking systems involved controlling and monitoring: 

• Pressure 
• Heat 
• Chilling 
• Mixing 
• Sensor outputs
  The system needed to support up to six cookers operating simultaneously.

3. Developing a New Adaptive Control System

Using the reverse-engineering insights and client requirements, the team had to design a modern control system capable of: 

• Managing each piece of equipment reliably 
• Creating flexible, automated programmes 
• Minimising manual intervention 
• Reducing risk of spoiled or contaminated product 

Outcome  

The new control system enabled the manufacturer to modernise operations, improve reliability, reduce risk, and gain the automation capabilities necessary for a high-volume food production environment.