Cobs Fine Foods: line data and OEE integration
Checkweighers, metal detectors and line equipment connected to Ignition, with PLC-level data capture passed to the third-party OFS OEE platform.
Industry · 03
Packaging Line Automation and End-of-Line Integration
Metromotion Controls integrates packaging lines for Australian manufacturers and packaging producers, connecting fillers, checkweighers, metal detectors, case packers and palletisers into one line control, network and data layer.
Packaging is where a line's losses become visible: a checkweigher rejecting good product, a case packer starving the palletiser, or a network delay that slows every machine handshake at once. Most packaging equipment arrives as OEM machines with their own PLCs and HMIs, so the automation work is integration. Separate machines have to start, stop, recover and report as one line.
Metromotion Controls has done this work on Australian snack and packaging lines. For Cobs Fine Foods, every line asset, including checkweighers and metal detectors, was connected to Ignition and its data passed to the site's third-party OEE platform. For Sakata (Smith's Snackfood Company), new production equipment was integrated beside existing assets with EtherNet/IP networking, PLC and SCADA changes delivered as one package. For Orora, a packaging manufacturer, the team traced production-impacting latency on an OT network and documented the as-built Ethernet topology.
Where new machines are still being bought, we help define the communication, handshake and data requirements in the purchase specification, so each machine arrives ready to join the line rather than needing a retrofit after delivery.
Sector Challenges
Problems we solve
01
Rejects nobody can explain
Checkweigher and metal detector rejects are logged inside each machine, if at all. Quality cannot tell whether a reject was bad product, a false trip or a timing fault at the reject gate, and the reject bin is the only record.
02
End-of-line stops that cascade upstream
When the case packer or palletiser stops, upstream machines run until accumulation fills and then stop one after another. Without buffer-aware control and a first-out fault, the restart is slow and the root cause is lost.
03
Network faults that look like machine faults
Machine handshakes, drives, printers and vision systems share the same Ethernet. A flat network or a misconfigured switch adds delay that shows up as intermittent faults on whichever machine is most sensitive to it.
04
Line data that stops at the machine
Counts, states and downtime reasons stay inside OEM HMIs, so the OEE figure is built from manual entry and shift notes rather than from the line itself.
Our Approach
How we deliver
End-of-line integration starts with the handshakes. We define how each machine signals ready, running, blocked and starved, then build the line master logic that uses those states to manage accumulation, start and stop the line in the right order, and report the first-out fault when the line stops. Case packers and palletisers are integrated into that model so an end-of-line stop is contained rather than cascading back to the filler.
Checkweighers and metal detectors are brought into the line control and data layer rather than left as standalone units. Reject confirmation, bin-full and reject-gate faults are handled as line events, and every reject is recorded with its reason, product and time, so quality has a record it can defend.
Packaging lines depend on the OT network more than most. We review topology, device configuration and traffic, segment line traffic from site traffic, and document the as-built network so the next fault can be traced from a current drawing instead of a site walk.
Line data is captured at the PLC and passed to the OEE platform the site already uses, or to a reporting layer we build where there is none. Machine states and reject counts come from the controls, not from manual entry, so the losses reported match the losses on the floor. For the state model behind this, PackML-style states give every machine the same start, stop, hold and fault behaviour.
Typical Work
Projects in this sector
Sakata: new line equipment beside existing assets
EtherNet/IP networking, control philosophies, PLC and SCADA changes delivered as one package so new equipment joined the existing line with a consistent control layer.
Orora: OT network latency investigation
Topology, device configuration and traffic review on a production-critical network, with as-built Ethernet schematics and recommendations to prevent repeat disruption.
Case packer and palletiser integration
Handshakes, accumulation logic and first-out fault reporting between case packing, palletising and upstream machines, so end-of-line stops do not cascade.
Platforms
Technology we work with
Packaging lines mix OEM machine controllers, inspection and coding equipment and plant reporting, so the integration layer has to work with all of them without slowing the line.
01
Automation platforms: Rockwell Logix, Siemens TIA and Schneider depending on line architecture.
02
Inspection and coding: checkweighers, metal detectors, vision systems, printers and labellers.
03
Line networks: EtherNet/IP and PROFINET, with managed switching and documented topology.
04
Data: Ignition, OPC UA, MQTT and SQL-based event storage feeding OEE platforms.
AS/NZS 4024 and ISO 13849 for machinery safety implementation.
GS1-aligned labelling and traceability data structures where required.
Site quality requirements for print verification and reject accountability.
Structured FAT/SAT documentation for packaging line acceptance.
Common Questions
Frequently asked
Can you integrate OEM packaging machines without replacing their controls?
Yes. The integration sits at the communications layer: machine states, handshakes and data are exchanged with the line master and site systems while the OEM keeps responsibility for the machine PLC. That preserves OEM support arrangements and avoids reprogramming equipment that already works.
Do you integrate checkweighers and metal detectors into line control and reporting?
Yes. For Cobs Fine Foods, checkweighers, metal detectors and other line equipment were connected to Ignition and their data passed to a third-party OEE platform. Reject events are captured with reason, product and time so quality and operations work from the same record.
Can you find the cause of intermittent faults across a packaging line network?
Yes. For Orora, Metromotion Controls reviewed network topology, device configuration and traffic behaviour on a production-critical OT network to isolate where latency was being introduced, then documented the as-built network and recommended changes to prevent repeat disruption.
Do you use PackML on packaging lines?
Where it suits the line. PackML-style states give each machine the same start, stop, hold and fault behaviour, which makes line master logic simpler and OEE data more consistent. On lines with existing OEM state models, we map those states to a common model rather than forcing every machine to change.
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Ready to discuss your packaging project?
Tell us the site change, upgrade or support requirement. We'll review the scope, timing and technical constraints and respond with a clear next step.