Manufacture Smart
Manufacture Smart
Plant Floor Control and Process Automation
Manufacturers face pressure to increase throughput and reduce unplanned downtime while managing the complexity of aging control systems and evolving production demands. Malisko is a CSIA-certified process automation system integrator that designs and deploys industrial control systems that optimize production performance and minimize downtime.
Plant Floor Control Solutions
Malisko builds scalable architectures aligned to the realities of each facility, allowing production teams to have the control and insight they need to operate consistently and respond quickly when conditions change.
We deliver:
- PLC, DCS and PAC programming and configuration services: Our experts develop sequenced, deterministic control logic for machine-level and distributed process control applications, reducing process variability and providing operations teams with consistent, repeatable performance.
- SCADA and HMI design: We design machine-level HMIs and distributed, server-based SCADA architectures that deliver real-time production visibility and allow alarms and events management, enabling faster decisions and quicker response to unexpected conditions across the line.
- Electrical and control panel design: Our team designs and builds purpose-built power distribution and control infrastructure, including motor control centers and variable frequency drives, that support power management across drive and motor applications.
- Process instrumentation and I/O architecture: We deploy field-level signal acquisition systems that deliver data acquisition across analog and digital signals.
- Historian and real-time data collection for reporting and dashboards: Our data infrastructure solutions provide access to the time-series and event-based information operations and production teams can use to identify inefficiencies, support root cause analysis and drive continuous improvement.
Process Automation Solutions
Our expertise in continuous and batch process automation includes:
- ISA-88 batch control and ISA-95 enterprise-control system integration: We implement standardized, recipe-driven production frameworks that reduce batch-to-batch variability and enable seamless IT/OT data exchange, delivering production intelligence to operational and business decision-making levels.
- Rockwell Automation PlantPAx modern DCS implementation: Our team designs and deploys scalable, plant-wide distributed control architectures within a unified environment, providing the flexibility manufacturers need to expand and adapt as production requirements evolve.
- PID loop tuning and control across flow, temperature, pressure and level applications: We optimize loop performance to tighten process control, reduce off-spec production and protect yield across critical process variables.
- Comprehensive documentation and validation services: Our documentation practice produces rigorous, audit-ready deliverables, including IQ/OQ/PQ protocols, P&IDs, process flow diagrams, loop diagrams, and functional specifications, designed for FDA-regulated and GAMP 5-aligned environments.
Industries We Serve
Malisko delivers plant floor control and process automation solutions to manufacturers across a range of process-intensive verticals, each with distinct operational and compliance demands:
- Food and beverage: Deploy batch automation and sanitary process control systems for Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) environments.
- Life sciences and pharmaceutical: Implement control systems and documentation for FDA-regulated environments, with architecture structured to align with GAMP 5 guidelines.
- Consumer packaged goods: Integrate high-speed packaging lines, maximize throughput and minimize line changeover time at scale.
- Specialty chemical: Maintain precise continuous process control, address hazardous area classification requirements and integrate process safety into the control architecture.
Why Businesses Choose Malisko
Malisko provides technical excellence across complex, large-scale automation programs. Over the years, we have worked on various plant floor control and process automation projects.
For example, we partnered with a national dairy producer to deploy a comprehensive PlantPAx-based automation solution that replaced paper-based PMO records with an electronic reporting suite, reduced clean-in-place cycle times and chemical usage, and accelerated maintenance troubleshooting.
We also stand apart by providing:
- Multiplatform expertise: Our knowledge spans multiple automation platforms and control architectures. This expertise means we select solutions for fit and manufacturers get the right technology for their operation.
- Full life cycle support: From initial design and implementation to technical support, our team remains a committed partner post implementation.
- Trusted industry partnerships: Our partnerships with hardware and software solution providers, such as Rockwell Automation allow us to bring vetted technologies to our projects.
Request Industrial Control System Integration
Contact Malisko to schedule a plant floor assessment and receive a tailored approach for your facility.
Plant Floor Control
Industrial Control System (ICS)
- PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), PAC (Programmable Automation Controller)
- Local, Distributed I/O
- Control, MCC, VFD, Power Distribution Panel Design/Build
- Power Monitoring
- ICS Network/Security
- Process Electrical & Instrumentation
Visualization
- Machine-Level HMI
- Distributed Server-based HMI
- Terminal Services & Thin Clients
- Alarms & Events
Data
- Time-Series Historian
- Relational, Event-based Database
- Reporting, Dashboarding
Process Automation
Documentation
- Process Narrative, Sequence of Operations, Functional/Process Description, Detailed Design Spec, Software Design Spec, Hardware Design Spec
- P&IDs – Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams
- PFD – Process Flow Diagram
- Loop Diagrams
- Validation: IQ, OQ, PQ
PID Control
- Flow
- Level
- Temperature
- Pressure
- Analytical
Rockwell Automation PlantPAx Modern DCS (Distributed Control System)
Rockwell Automation Library of Process Objects
ISA-88 Batch Control, ISA-95 Enterprise-Control System Integration
What is the difference between SCADA, HMI, PLC, and DCS?
These are four distinct but complementary technologies. A PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) is a ruggedized industrial computer that executes control logic—reading inputs from sensors and driving outputs to actuators. An HMI (Human-Machine Interface) is the operator display for a control system, providing real-time process visualization and adjustment. SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) collects data from multiple PLCs or controllers across a facility or multiple sites, enabling supervisory monitoring, alarming, trending, and reporting from a central point. A DCS (Distributed Control System) is an integrated platform for complex, continuous process applications, combining control, alarming, historian, and operator interface functions in a tightly integrated architecture. Malisko has expertise in all four and can recommend the right combination based on your process requirements, facility scale, and existing infrastructure.
How much does it cost to implement a plant floor control system?
Cost varies significantly based on facility size and complexity, automation scope, existing infrastructure, and platform selection. Key cost drivers include PLC or DCS programming, SCADA and HMI architecture and licensing, control panel design and fabrication, process instrumentation, historian and reporting infrastructure, and network integration. For facilities with aging or end-of-life systems, hardware replacement and data migration add to the investment. Because every facility is different, Malisko scopes each project individually—conducting a site assessment before providing an estimate to ensure the recommended solution is appropriately sized for your operation and budget.
How do manufacturers choose a systems integrator for SCADA and HMI design?
Choosing a SCADA and HMI integrator requires evaluating technical expertise, industry experience, and support quality. Key factors: demonstrated experience with your specific platforms (Rockwell FactoryTalk, Ignition, Wonderware, etc.); a track record in your industry vertical; engineering rigor including formal specifications, FAT, and commissioning processes; and a clear post-project support model. CSIA certification is a meaningful credential indicating an integrator meets industry standards for technical competency and project management. Malisko is CSIA-certified with more than 30 years of systems integration experience and maintains long-term client relationships as a trusted automation partner.
When should a manufacturer migrate a legacy Rockwell or GE control system?
Manufacturers should evaluate a legacy migration when the existing platform reaches end-of-life and spare parts or support become unavailable, when the system can no longer integrate with modern data systems or IIoT infrastructure, when recurring unplanned downtime from aging hardware increases, or when the architecture cannot support new production or regulatory requirements. Rockwell and GE (now Emerson) systems from the 1990s and 2000s are increasingly reaching these thresholds. Malisko has performed numerous legacy migrations—including Allen-Bradley SLC and PLC-5 to ControlLogix and GE Fanuc to contemporary platforms—preserving existing process knowledge while moving to modern, supported infrastructure.
What are the risks of upgrading plant-floor control systems?
Primary risks include unplanned production downtime if the cutover is poorly staged, loss of process data or configuration if migration is not thoroughly documented, integration gaps if the new system doesn’t communicate correctly with adjacent systems, and compliance exposure if the upgraded system isn’t properly validated. Malisko mitigates these through detailed upfront engineering, parallel system testing prior to cutover, phased implementation strategies, and rigorous FAT and SAT. For regulated facilities, our validation practice ensures every change is documented and the upgraded system maintains its compliance posture from the moment it enters production.
How can plant-floor controls improve OEE, traceability, and downtime response?
Modern plant-floor control systems improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) by providing real-time visibility into availability, performance, and quality metrics, giving operators and managers the data to identify and address losses quickly. Traceability improves when systems capture production events, material inputs, and process parameters electronically, creating an unbroken record from raw material to finished product. Downtime response improves through integrated alarm management and event logging: when a fault occurs, operators see the root cause immediately. Malisko’s manufacturing intelligence practice builds on our control system expertise—designing systems that not only control the process but make the operational data actionable for continuous improvement.
What should be included in a SCADA modernization plan?
A SCADA modernization plan should begin with a thorough assessment of the current architecture—hardware, software versions, network topology, and integration points—to identify obsolescence risks and capability gaps. The plan should define the target architecture: SCADA platform and version, server infrastructure, historian and reporting configuration, and network security posture. It should include a phased implementation roadmap, a testing and commissioning plan (FAT and SAT), and a training plan for operators and maintenance personnel. For regulated facilities, a GAMP 5-aligned validation plan should be incorporated from the start. Malisko develops comprehensive SCADA modernization plans as part of our front-end engineering process, ensuring the migration is well-defined before implementation begins.
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