Onyx EngineeringCase study · Controls & PLC
Process Control for Three Plants
PLC, HMI, and SCADA logic for a distillery, a food plant, and a wastewater facility.
- My role
- Controls Specialist
- Timeframe
- Onyx Engineering Inc. · May 2022 – Mar 2023
- Team / context
- Onyx Engineering Inc., Windsor, ON, Canada
- Tech stack
- Allen-Bradley · Emerson · Modicon · PlantPAx · Legacy controllers · DCS · SCADA · HMI · AutoCAD Electrical
01
Overview
At Onyx Engineering I designed and developed PLC, HMI, and SCADA programs for three plants: a distillery, a food plant, and a wastewater facility. Each program was written from the plant's process control narrative.
The plants ran on different platforms, so I programmed a wide variety of controllers: Allen-Bradley, Emerson, Modicon, and older legacy controllers. I also learned modern programming methods for plant-wide distributed control systems (DCS) such as Rockwell PlantPAx.
I generated control system schematics and panel layouts in AutoCAD Electrical, responded to field service calls during downtime to resolve customers' production issues, and collaborated with senior professional engineers on highly complex projects.
02
The problem & objective
Three plants in three industries each needed control logic and operator systems, on the platforms they used.
03
My role & responsibilities
Controls Specialist. Delivered as part of my role as Controls Specialist at Onyx Engineering Inc..
- Design PLC logic for 3 plants from their process control narratives
- Design HMI and SCADA logic
- Work across Allen-Bradley, Emerson, Modicon, PlantPAx, and legacy controllers
- Draw schematics and panel layouts in AutoCAD Electrical
- Apply industrial control system and safety standards
- Respond to field service calls and resolve customers' production issues
- Collaborate with senior professional engineers on complex projects
04
Approach & process
Start from the narrative
Each plant's process control narrative defines what the control system has to do.
Adapt to each platform
Work in each plant's control platform: Allen-Bradley, Emerson, Modicon, or PlantPAx.
Design control and supervision
PLC logic for control, with HMI and SCADA for operation and oversight.
Document the hardware
Schematics and panel layouts in AutoCAD Electrical.
Support in the field
Resolve downtime calls when plants needed help.
05
Key features & deliverables
Control logic
PLC logic for a distillery, food plant, and wastewater facility.
HMI and SCADA
Operator and supervisory logic for all three plants.
Electrical drawings
Schematics and panel layouts in AutoCAD Electrical.
06
Challenges & how I solved them
| Challenge | How I solved it |
|---|---|
| Four platforms, three industries | I worked natively in each plant's platform rather than standardizing on one, so the work fit the facility. |
| Legacy controllers alongside modern ones | I programmed legacy controllers as well as current Allen-Bradley, Emerson, and Modicon platforms, so existing equipment could be supported where it was. |
07
Results & impact
- PLC, HMI, and SCADA logic designed for 3 plants
- Schematics and panel layouts produced in AutoCAD Electrical
- Field service calls answered and customers' production issues resolved
08
Skills demonstrated & lessons learned
Skills demonstrated: Process automation · Multi-platform PLC · Distributed control systems · SCADA and HMI · AutoCAD Electrical · Field troubleshooting
Being comfortable across platforms makes you useful wherever the plant already is.
Get in touch
Let's work together
I'm open to Controls Engineer, Automation Engineer, Software Engineer, and Full-Stack Developer roles, remote or on-site. If you're building something where automation and software meet, I'd like to hear about it.
elshark.atef@gmail.com