Project Overview

An Australian veterinary pharmaceutical manufacturer needed to expand production of veterinary medicines. The new facility (plant D) was designed to produce 1,000 kg annually, with recipes ranging from minutes to several days across reactors, pumps, valves, and centrifuges. Managing such complexity required heavy automation.

SGA designed and delivered the control systems that keep the plant running smoothly, giving operators confidence in a 24/7 process.

Key elements included:

  • Ignition SCADA project tailored to the plant
  • Allen Bradley ControlLogix PLCs as main controllers
  • Integration of auxiliary PLCs, valves, drives, and transducers
  • Operator access via control room, onsite tablets, and remote login
  • Historical data, audit logs, and automated reporting for supervisors
The result is a fully automated, round-the-clock plant with clear visibility, simplified supervision, and reliable traceability.
About the Plant

A Rutherford Veternary Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Plant

Located in Rutherford, NSW, Australia, API Plant D is designed to produce 1000 kg of veterinary medicines per year.

The plant consists of a mixture of valves, reactors, pumps, agitators, centrifuges, and heat exchanges to produce a variety of product recipes. The recipe steps ranged from a couple of minutes to several days, necessitating heavy automation.

This plant is owned by an Australian veterinary pharmaceutical manufacturer developing solutions for livestock producers, veterinarians and pet owners.

  • Ignition SCADA project
  • Allen Bradley ControlLogix L71 PLC
  • Auxiliary PLCs integration – Siemens, Grundfos
  • MySQL Database
  • Configuration of 2 local clients, 1 remote client, and 1 tablet client
  • 110,000+ tags, 40 screens, 110 popups, 660 alarms planned, programmed, and tested
SGA’s Involvement

Enabling 24/7 operations

SAFEgroup Automation (SGA) configured and developed the process control required for successful 24/6 plant operation.

The delivered project provided operators with the ability to monitor and remotely control the plant from several locations including the plant room, on-site, and remotely. It also enabled historical recording of ingredient usage, recipe procedures, and product totals. In addition, custom audit logs were implemented to automatically record operator responses.

  • Developed a vision-based Ignition project
  • Built vision templates to support the Allen Bradley PlantPAX library, reducing PLC development time and leveraging the library’s functionality
  • Configured and programmed an Allen Bradley ControlLogix L71 PLC as the main controller
  • Integrated multiple auxiliary PLCs (Siemens, Grundfos), 54 valves, 35 transducers, and 38 drives
  • Enabled support for two multi-screen clients in the plant and one Windows 10 tablet for on-site SCADA viewing
  • Configured historical data storage in a MySQL database with custom audit logs to capture operator responses
  • Automated reporting for operators, supervisors, and managers with summarised overviews of plant operations and highlighted areas of concern
  • Conducted face-to-face meetings with the client to showcase progress, address challenges, and ensure effective communication throughout the project

The plant now operates 24/7 with full visibility through Ignition’s tag history and tailored data tracking. Operators can monitor and control the system from:

  • The plant room
  • On-site using a tablet
  • Remotely through VPN

SCADA screens are organised by subsystem, giving a clear overview and highlighting issues as they arise.

Automated reporting provides operators, supervisors, and managers with snapshots of plant performance. This helps:

  • Detect and resolve issues quickly
  • Track ingredient usage per recipe
  • Simplify inventory management

During production, interactive popups prompt operator input for alarms or recipe changes. This supports responsive control and real-time decision-making.

  • A custom audit system records every operator action. Each entry is timestamped with recipe, step, input, and user, making reviews and troubleshooting straightforward.