The main task of PLCs is to control the flow of products on industrial lines. However, control alone is not enough, as each product must be sent to a specific destination. Communication between controllers and higher-order systems, which determine the flow path of the product, is crucial in this regard.
Integration with IT systems
To determine the product route, the control system scans the barcode or reads the RFID code. The information is then sent by the controller to the higher-order system (WMS), which returns information about the product’s destination. PLCs track each product, delivering it through the conveyor system to its destination.
What you gain from integration:
Communication with the WMS master system
Fully automated product flow
Dynamic destination definition
Confirmation of product arrival at destination
In our SCS (Stevia Control Standard), we have blocks that enable communication between PLCs and higher-order systems. During implementation, we adapt our programming blocks to the method of information exchange offered by customer systems.
Depending on the needs, we can perform a more advanced integration with IT systems by creating an intermediary system that will be a connector between two systems: the customer’s WMS and the control system.