Project Blog – ECS Projects Team
Upgrading ageing control systems is one of the quickest ways for food manufacturers to increase reliability, reduce downtime, and future-proof production capacity. This recent cooker upgrade, delivered for a long-standing ECS customer, is a great example of how a modern design approach can transform an entire line, not just a single machine.
This customer has been expanding rapidly over recent years. One of our earlier machines even featured on Rick Stein’s Food Stories, and it was great to be invited back to support their next phase of growth.
Where the Project Started
The existing cooker panel was ageing, difficult to support, and offered limited visibility to the engineering team. Fault finding was slow, spares were becoming harder to source, and the controls were increasingly out of step with how the rest of the line was developing.
We began by removing the old enclosure and assessing the line architecture around it. It quickly became clear that the customer would benefit from more than a like-for-like panel replacement; they needed a modernised control strategy that would set a template for the whole production line.
What ECS Delivered
1. A New Stainless-Steel Control Panel
Built in-house by ECS, the new enclosure is designed for food production environments, with a hygienic stainless-steel finish and clean routing throughout.
2. Modern Electrical Design
All electrical drawings were developed in EPLAN, allowing for a consistent and scalable panel structure.
3. Integrated Safety and Control
The upgraded system is built around:
- Siemens S7-1200F safety PLC
- Unified Comfort HMI for clear, intuitive operator control
- G120C drives running on Profinet/Profisafe
- A fully re-engineered I/O layout
This gives the customer modern diagnostics, a unified safety philosophy, and a far higher level of control compared to the original system.
4. TIA Portal V20 Software
The software package was developed in TIA Portal V20, giving the customer:
- Structured, maintainable code
- Safe, predictable motion control
- Improved alarm handling
- Simple future software updates
5. A Full Line Master Architecture
Rather than treating the cooker as a standalone upgrade, we designed a Line Master system to sit above all machines on Line 1.
This brings key benefits:
- Single point of control for the entire line
- Unified safety, reducing complexity
- Lower-cost future upgrades — future panels can be built around a simple RIO header and power
- Consistent hardware and software across the line
- An Ethernet backbone for production data, engineering data, and remote diagnostics
This approach turns one upgrade into a long-term improvement strategy.
Before and After: A Clear Transformation
The difference between the original cooker controls and the new ECS system is immediately obvious:
- Cleaner, safer wiring
- Far better component accessibility
- A modern HMI with full visibility
- Hygienic stainless construction
- Consistent Siemens architecture
- A control platform that supports future expansion rather than holding it back
The photos show the journey from the old panel through to build, installation, commissioning, and the final handover.
Commissioning and Handover
The installation was completed with minimal disruption to production. Our engineers commissioned the drives, validated the safety system, tested the new HMI layouts, and walked the customer’s team through the full operation of the new platform.
The system is now live, and the customer’s engineering team are already benefitting from:
- Shorter fault-finding times
- Clearer process visibility
- Simplified maintenance
- A unified line architecture
Why This Upgrade Matters
Food manufacturing environments rely heavily on consistency, traceability, and reduced downtime. By modernising one machine in the right way, the customer now has:
- A blueprint for upgrading the rest of the line
- A safer, more reliable system
- Better access to engineering data
- A scalable control strategy for future growth
This is exactly the kind of long-term value ECS aims to deliver through its Projects team.
Planning a Similar Upgrade?
ECS supports food and beverage manufacturers across the UK with:
- Control panel upgrades
- Software modernisation
- Safety improvements
- Full line control strategy design
- Remote support through ECS Connect
- On-site engineering support through Shift Hero
If your production line is running on ageing controls, or you want to modernise part of your plant to support future expansion, our engineering team would be happy to help.
👉 Contact ECS to discuss your next upgrade.
