Automation for the maritime sector and industry
PLC programming, HMI, switchboards and commissioning for vessels and land-based industry. Registered dealer of Siemens Digital Industries.
Control systems that have to keep running. We program, rebuild and commission automation on land-based plants and on board, from a new PLC and operator panel to fault-finding in a system we did not supply ourselves.
What the work involves
Automation is rarely a clean new build. More often it is about making an existing plant run better, or replacing the control system without stopping production any longer than necessary.
Industrial plants
Process and machine control in land-based industry: PLC programming, operator panels, motor control and variable frequency drives, switchboards and instrumentation. We take on both new deliveries and changes to plants already in operation, and plan the work around the shutdowns production already has.
On board
Automation on a vessel comes with different constraints: limited space, systems that cannot be taken out of service at any time, and a service window that is often the time alongside the quay. We work to the vessel's schedule and travel out to wherever the ship actually is.
Retrofit and upgrade
Older control systems stay in service long after spare parts and software support have disappeared. We map what is actually running, document what has no documentation, and replace the control system in stages where that is possible, so the plant can be modernised without a full replacement in one go.
Registered dealer of Siemens Digital Industries
Polytronic is a registered dealer of Siemens Digital Industries. Operator panels and HMI can therefore be supplied, configured and commissioned by the same company that programs the control logic. That shortens the procurement chain, and it removes the argument about who owns the fault when the panel and the logic disagree.
Equipment we work with
What we do
- PLC programming and modification: new logic, extensions and corrections to existing programs.
- Operator interfaces (HMI): screens, alarm lists and process views built for the people who actually stand at the plant.
- Motor control and variable frequency drives: selection, setup, parameterisation and replacement.
- Switchboard work: building, rebuilding and extending control and distribution boards.
- Instrumentation and sensors: installation, signal checks and verification against the control system.
- Commissioning: functional testing of loops and sequences before the plant goes into production.
- Documentation: updated diagrams, I/O lists and a program backup handed over on completion.
- Fault-finding in running plants, including systems we did not supply ourselves.
Questions we are often asked
Can you take over a system somebody else programmed?
Yes, and it is a large part of what we do. We start by reading our way into the program that sits in the controller and comparing it against the documentation supplied with the plant. In our experience the two are not always in step. If the source code is locked or lost, we say so immediately, because it determines both the price and what can be changed at all.
How quickly can you get there when a plant is down?
The emergency line +47 47 177 177 is staffed around the clock, and we travel both within Norway and internationally. How quickly we are physically on site depends on where the plant is. Call first in any case: a great deal can be narrowed down, and sometimes solved, over the phone while you are standing in front of the plant.
Do you only work with maritime automation?
No. Land-based industry is as large a part of the business as vessels, and the two are connected: the requirements for documentation, traceability and uptime are stricter on board, and we bring that standard ashore with us.
Is the plant down?
The emergency line is staffed around the clock, all year. Call us and we will make the first assessment straight away.
+47 47 177 177- Switchboard
- +47 47 444 888
Weekdays 08-16