Visibility & energy500+process variables across 16 assets on one SCADA
A plant that ran blind
- Challenge
- Production and energy data sat in isolated machines, leaving management without a reliable picture of output, downtime or cost.
- Action
- I designed the network, PLC logic and SCADA, adding web access, automated daily management reports and live gas and electricity monitoring.
- Result
- A business-critical system that improved efficiency and reduced downtime, and the data that made the next energy saving possible.
Energy50%reduction in natural gas use
Energy costs out of control
- Challenge
- Four presses drew hot water from a shared boiler, each needing constant operator attention while energy prices climbed.
- Action
- I analysed how the presses and boiler interacted, then designed, programmed and commissioned one PLC control system to coordinate them.
- Result
- Gas use cut by 50%, heat delivered to each press when needed, and an operator released for other work.
Investment case£5.9Msolar PV proposal, up to 52% of annual demand
An investment case without the evidence
- Challenge
- Rising energy costs and a site carbon target, with no engineering-led case for renewable investment.
- Action
- I analysed half-hourly consumption, modelled generation, assessed funding routes and wrote the business case.
- Result
- A proposal taken to the group board with the engineering evidence behind it.
Delivery & leadership17engineers led through full project lifecycles
High-value machines, demanding customers
- Challenge
- A machine builder delivering special purpose OEM machinery under tight commercial commitments and strict safety and compliance requirements.
- Action
- I led the engineering department, owning control architecture, functional safety and UKCA/CE compliance, introducing AI vision where it added value and giving hands-on PLC support when projects needed it.
- Result
- Repeatable, compliant delivery that met commitments, and a team working to one standard.
ReliabilityRoot causefound, fixed and written into procedure
A serious failure with an unknown cause
- Challenge
- A major lifting failure at a high-volume automotive plant. Nobody was hurt, but until the cause was known the risk remained.
- Action
- I led the safe recovery and risk assessment, then the investigation, including independent finite element analysis of the failed component.
- Result
- The cause was an incorrect maintenance procedure. A permanent fix was implemented and the procedure rewritten, removing the risk at source.
Reliability£1,000budget for a machine vision fix
An unreliable process, a small budget
- Challenge
- An array of optical sensors sorted vehicles to holding areas, but unreliably.
- Action
- I specified a machine vision system, secured the funding and commissioned it for £1,000.
- Result
- A simpler, more reliable process for minimal outlay. I later applied the same thinking at scale, with AI vision for robot pick and place and part quality inspection.
