• Automation & Control Service Offerings

• Safety Systems

• Custom Control Panels

• 24 Hour Emergency RESPONSE™

The Smith & Long Integrated Automation & Control Systems Team has many “levers” which are available to be utilized on any proposed automation project…be it a retrofit upgrade or new from the ground up. It starts with a collaborative meeting with all stakeholders to assess what the client needs…plain and simple. We need to fully understand what is driving the project need and then our team can go into action and produce a concise proposal to meet that need.

Given our experience we will in many cases be able to provide options for consideration to deliver additional feature-rich enhancements…that will often cost marginally more if performed as part of the overall automation project.   However, we never lose sight of the original required mandate, not unlike the proverbial cartoon that shows what the client wanted was a simple tire swing and in the end through all the various stages of sales, design, marketing, safety, etc., he potentially ended up with something so beyond what they wanted or needed…or just a rope laying on the ground tied to the tree.

The Smith & Long Integrated Automation & Control Systems Team regularly incorporates key components such as:          

• Motor controls, such as VFDs (Variable Frequency Drives), Servos, DC drives, etc. Enhanced motor control has many features and benefits well suited for automation projects. Furthermore, energy savings rebate opportunities are sometimes available that can help mitigate project costing and drive a better ROI.
• PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) of a wide variety of manufacturers and types, all depending on client preference and required functionality. This can involve remote I/O related to control wiring consolidation, operator stations, etc.
• HMI (Human Machine Interface), OCS (Operator Control Station), GUI (Graphical User Interface), or any equipment requiring enhanced control features that can integrate parameters, formulae, alarms and display real-time and historical information in an alphanumeric and or graphical/pictorial format for operator information, intervention, and control.
• Communications Infrastructure & Methodology that may employ copper, fibre and/or wireless technologies to ensure the most robust, high-speed system network is employed to match the required processing speeds and data transfers within the equipment itself as well as any external reporting mechanism if applicable.

The Smith & Long Integrated Automation & Control Systems Team Delivers – Automation and control over products and technologies noted above and are delivered to our clients in a variety of methods:

• Design, Design-Build, Design Assist – Whether a fully designed and specified project plan has already been developed whereby a client may want us to provide Value Engineering (VE) input in order to meet budget, or perhaps our client is working on a “napkin concept sketch”, whereby we can provide a fully designed and well documented innovative solution. We also actively provide various iterations of everything in between, all depending on client needs and the stage that they are at with regard to project design.

Imperative with any successful design is documented detail. Design review and approval, materials and equipment procurement, fabrication, programming, installation, commissioning, operation, service, maintenance, are all critical elements that depend immensely on quality documentation. In our Integrated Automation & Controls Division, we fully recognize this crucial need and as such take great pride in producing comprehensive documentation packages for all of our projects. According to the project and client requirements, this can include shop drawings, control panel layouts, BOMs (Bill of Materials), schematics, annotated PLC / HMI / GUI programs, FAT (Factory Acceptance Testing) & SAT (Site Acceptance Testing) documentation, Operation & Maintenance Manuals, etc.

• Procurement & Installation – Very often a client will know the “idea” of what they need from a materials and or equipment point of view, but they look to us for technical guidance, product knowledge, buying power, as well as the expertise to install, program and commission the equipment and associated materials and hardware according to manufacturers’ specifications and local codes.
• Moves-Adds-Changes – By their very nature, and new more so than ever, the automation and controls space is very dynamic as companies constantly strive to optimize square footage by reorganizing production lines, retrofit or replace existing production equipment. In order to accomplish this need, there are often many requests for moves, adds, changes (or MAC) that involve electrical, pneumatics and communications technologies and expertise.
• Turnkey Projects – In order to avoid the all too often inevitable issues of finger pointing and “that’s not in my scope / not my responsibility” rebuttals from a variety of unrelated project parties, Smith & Long can provide headache-free “One Stop Shop” solutions for projects by being that vital single point of contact to facilitate seamless project execution with excellence. For any project scope items that we cannot self-perform, we utilize the appropriate quality subcontractors, service providers and vendors to complement our group to assemble a client-focused collaborative project team.
• Program Modifications – Clients who already have a relatively high degree of controls sophistication within their facility, may just need program validation, a slight program alteration or enhancement. As we are technically agnostic with significant experience and expertise in a wide range of manufacturer brands and equipment types including many legacy products, let the Smith & Long Integrated Automation & Control Systems personnel perform and document those modifications for you.
• System Commissioning – In conjunction with an equipment manufacturer, technical representative, engineering firm, third-party consultant and/or client, we regularly provide commissioning assistance as well as direct full commissioning services, all depending on the product, system and if there are proprietary encumbrances involved.