Controls & Systems Integration for Food & Beverage Manufacturing
Keep the Machine.
Upgrade the Controls.
Your packaging and production equipment is built for decades. The PLCs and HMIs running it are not. When controls go unsupported, one failure stops a line that still has years of mechanical life left in it. That's where we come in.
PLC & HMI Upgrades
Obsolescence doesn't have to mean replacement. We modernize the controls on your existing equipment so it runs reliably for years to come, without the capital cost of replacing machinery that still works mechanically. Deep experience with Allen-Bradley PLC-2, PLC-5, SLC 500, MicroLogix, and Siemens, Mitsubishi, and Omron platforms allows us to modernize legacy controls with confidence.
Discuss a Controls Upgrade →Keep the Machine. Replace the Controls.
Upgrade PLC, HMI, drives, and servos on equipment that is mechanically sound rather than replacing the whole machine.
Multi-Platform Expertise
Rockwell Automation, Siemens, Mitsubishi, Omron, plus Ignition, Wonderware, and FactoryTalk SCADA platforms.
Operator-First HMI Design
Interfaces designed for how operators actually work: clear diagnostics, intuitive navigation, and faster changeovers.
Foundation for Future Integration
Modernized systems ready for SCADA connection, remote monitoring, and plant-floor data collection.
Everything Around
The Upgrade
A controls upgrade is the center of the work, but it's never the whole job. Here's what else we bring to every food and beverage engagement.
Electrical + Controls Under One Roof
Electrical and controls engineering designed together, not handed off between contractors. When mechanical scope is needed, we have that capability in-house as well. One accountable partner from assessment through commissioning.
- No finger-pointing between fragmented vendors
- Faster commissioning when disciplines coordinate from day one
- Mechanical capability for full-scope projects when required
UL508A Certified Panel Shop
When requested, control panels are designed and can be built in-house to UL508A standards. Organized, labeled, and documented so your team can maintain and troubleshoot it without calling us for every question.
- Built for maintenance access, not just initial install
- Integrated with the controls engineering behind it
- Faster inspections and audit-ready documentation
Electrical Design & Accurate Drawings
Field-accurate schematics, riser diagrams, and as-built documentation that reflect what's actually installed. Your team should be able to troubleshoot from a drawing, not from memory.
- Replaces tribal knowledge with documented systems
- Faster fault isolation when downtime occurs
- Updated at every project milestone, not filed and forgotten
SCADA & Real-Time Monitoring
Custom dashboards built around your actual KPIs using Ignition, Wonderware, and FactoryTalk. Know what's happening across your lines before a shift report tells you something went wrong.
- Real-time OEE tracking and fault visibility
- Full integration from PLC through SCADA to MES
- Live data to drive continuous improvement
24/7 Service & Response
When a line stops at 2 a.m., you need someone who picks up, knows your system, and can diagnose remotely or be on-site when it matters. Guaranteed response contracts that replace reactive panic with predictable coverage.
- Remote VPN access for immediate diagnosis
- Guaranteed response timelines under contract
- Prevention recommendations after every event
Ongoing Support & Planned Maintenance
Reactive support is expensive. A scheduled service relationship catches emerging issues before they become stoppages, and keeps one knowledgeable partner current on your full system.
- Scheduled audits catch issues before they become downtime
- Priority response for contract clients
- One partner who understands your system end to end
Controls Without a Partner
vs. Controls With Axis
The gap between running in reactive mode and running on a documented, supported system shows up in every shift.
Running on Institutional Memory
- Aging PLC platforms running past end-of-support with no clear upgrade plan
- Troubleshooting depends on whoever knows the system from experience, not documentation
- Electrical drawings that haven't been updated since the last major install
- Spare parts sourced from secondary markets at premium prices or not available at all
- Controls failures that shut down machines with years of mechanical life remaining
- Multiple vendors with overlapping scope and no single point of accountability
- Reactive support: scrambling after something fails rather than preventing it
Proactive, Documented, Reliable
- A clear controls roadmap with prioritized upgrades aligned to budget and risk level
- Field-accurate documentation your team can actually use to troubleshoot
- Modern, supported platforms with standard spare parts and long-term manufacturer support
- Controls upgrades that extend equipment life without replacing machines that still work
- Single-source accountability: electrical, controls, and panels designed together
- 24/7 response with guaranteed timelines and remote diagnostics capability
- Scheduled maintenance that catches problems before they become production stoppages
Your Equipment Was Built to Last.
Your Controls Weren't.
Packaging machinery like baggers, palletizers, horizontal flow wrappers, filling systems, sheeters, bakery equipment, batching systems and conveyor lines are mechanically sound for decades. A well-maintained machine can run reliably for 20+ years. The controls running that machine have a much shorter shelf life.
PLC platforms get discontinued. Software stops receiving updates. Drive components go out of production. When Allen-Bradley PLC-5 went end-of-life, facilities that had been running it for years suddenly found themselves sourcing components on the secondary market or going without. One failure, and a mechanically strong machine goes dark.
The risk doesn't announce itself. It builds quietly in the background while production keeps moving. By the time it surfaces, you're in reactive mode: tracking down obsolete parts, calling in whoever knows the system, and watching production hours disappear.
Axis Engineering helps food and beverage facilities get ahead of that risk. We assess your controls environment, identify where you're exposed, and build a prioritized upgrade roadmap before something fails.
Your Controls May Be Overdue If Any of These Sound Familiar
- You're running Allen-Bradley PLC-5, SLC 500, or another platform that's no longer receiving manufacturer support
- Spare parts for your controls are backordered, discontinued, or only available on the secondary market
- Troubleshooting a line problem requires one or two specific people who know the system from memory
- Your electrical drawings don't accurately reflect what's actually installed and wired in the plant
- You're seeing increasing minor stops, nuisance faults, or unexplained slowdowns on otherwise healthy equipment
- You've deferred a controls upgrade because replacing the whole machine felt like the only option. It's not.
We've Done This
Before
The controls problem in food and beverage is not theoretical. We've helped facilities modernize aging packaging equipment and restore reliable production without replacing machinery that was mechanically sound.
Flow Wrapper Controls Upgrade: From Degrading Performance to Reliable Production
A food and beverage manufacturer was running a Doboy horizontal flow wrapper that was mechanically excellent but operating on outdated, increasingly unreliable controls. Rather than replace the machine, Axis Engineering upgraded the PLC, HMI, and servo systems. The result was restored production performance and predictable reliability without the capital cost of new equipment.
What It Feels Like
to Work With Axis
Axis Engineering Group is professional, accountable, and responsible. When they say they're going to come in, they're going to come in. We've had other electrical engineers come in and want to bid on the work, but we've been so happy with Axis that I don't think we've even entertained that. Axis is easy to work with. When our lines are down, we lose thousands and thousands of dollars, so it's nice to have the support of a company like Axis. At times, we call them in at some of the most difficult times for the company and I'm very happy with the support they provide us.
Start with a
Conversation.
You don't need a project ready to go. If you're not sure what your controls risk actually looks like, that's exactly where we start. The Controls Obsolescence Audit and Roadmap gives you a clear picture of where you're exposed and what to do about it.
BUSINESS HOURS
Monday–Friday: 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
CONTACT
Axis Engineering Group, LLC
708 W Boundary St Perrysburg, OH 43551
419.872.2500
sales@axisengineering.com
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Manufacturing Peace of Mind
Axis Engineering Group, LLC
708 W Boundary St Perrysburg, OH 43551
419.872.2500 | sales@axisengineering.com