Automation and robotisation in machinery and equipment (OEM)

Prosty rysunek przedstawiający oko z nałożoną na nie okrągłą tarczą i czterema nawiasami w rogach, nawiązujący do koncepcji widzenia, ostrości lub skanowania biometrycznego — przywodzący na myśl precyzję charakterystyczną dla czasopisma „Konstrukcje Mechaniczne”. Linie są pomarańczowe i szare na jasnym tle.

Manufacturers of special machines and industrial equipment face a paradox: they must design and deliver complex automation in shorter lead times, often without enough in-house engineering capacity.

At MDP Engineering we act as an engineering partner for OEM manufacturers — we provide 3D CAD outsourcing in SolidWorks and Siemens NX, complete electrical documentation in EPLAN P8, build turnkey special machines and modernise existing PLC controls from Simatic S5/S7 to TIA Portal or Beckhoff TwinCAT. Virtual Commissioning guarantees that the machine reaches the OEM customer with a tested program — without weeks of debugging on their shop floor.

W ogrodzonej strefie roboczej działa duże przemysłowe ramię robota, które zapewnia automatyzację produkcji wśród paneli sterowania, kabli i maszyn w środowisku fabrycznym. W całym obszarze widać jasne oświetlenie i uporządkowany sprzęt.
Zbliżenie na maszyny przemysłowe w fabryce, na którym widać pomarańczowe i czarne elementy, kable oraz części metalowe — podkreślające rolę automatyzacji produkcji — a w tle widoczne są urządzenia i ogrodzenia zabezpieczające.

Production challenges in machinery and equipment

A special-machine builder faces challenges that grow with order complexity and market lead-time pressure:

Staff shortages in design and automation:

The engineer market is tight — hiring a CAD designer or PLC programmer takes months. The project cannot wait for a new employee.

Ageing controls (end-of-life PLC)

Simatic S5 left production a decade ago; S7-300/400 are approaching end of support. Every failure is downtime, and spare parts have not been on the shelf for years.

Missing documentation of older machines:

Modernisation without electrical schematics and a 3D model is work in the dark — error and delay risk grows exponentially.

Short OEM delivery times:

Customers demand the machine on time. Late delivery exposes the manufacturer to penalties and lost follow-on contracts.

Brownfield integration:

The new machine must plug into an existing line — different communication protocols, different master PLCs, limited installation space.

Our engineering solutions:
why MDP Engineering for OEM manufacturers?

01

3D CAD engineering outsourcing and electrical documentation

When the design office is overloaded or lacks a specific technology — MDP Engineering acts as an external R&D department. We design mechanical subassemblies and complete special machines and deliver documentation in an agreed format without lock-in.

How it helps

You shorten project time without recruiting. You do not carry fixed cost for a peak project — you engage engineering exactly when you need it.

What we can do

Welded structures, frames and machine housings in SolidWorks and Siemens NX. Full electrical and pneumatic documentation in EPLAN P8. FEM, drive and power-transmission selection, workshop drawings, BOM. Power and control hydraulics schematics.

02

Turnkey special-machine building

For clients who need a finished device — not only documentation — we run the full cycle from concept to Factory Acceptance Test. One partner instead of coordinating a weld shop, electricians, programmers and component suppliers from four companies.

How it helps

One point of responsibility for date and quality. You do not spend time managing subcontractors — you receive a machine ready to work.

What we can do

Assembly stations with torque control and result logging. Pneumatic and hydraulic presses with force systems. Functional test stations for electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic components. Special manipulators, rotators and positioners. Siemens TIA Portal, Beckhoff TwinCAT, Rockwell/Allen-Bradley with HMI and SCADA.

03

PLC modernisation and brownfield retrofit

Replacing an obsolete controller without stopping production for weeks is possible — but it needs precise planning, reverse engineering of control logic and parallel build of a new cabinet.

How it helps:

You remove failure risk from unavailable EOL spare parts. You gain online diagnostics, MES/SCADA integration and a base for functional expansion. 3D scanning and reverse engineering recover missing documentation.

What we can do:

Migration from Simatic S5 and S7-300/400 to S7-1500 TIA Portal. Reconstruction of PLC logic from machine observation when the original project is missing. HMI replacement with Siemens Comfort/Unified or Beckhoff CP. Migration downtime minimised: new cabinet built in parallel, switchover in a weekend window.

04

Virtual Commissioning: a tested machine before it reaches the OEM customer

An OEM who ships a machine to a customer cannot afford weeks of live debugging on their floor — every hour of delay is cost, reputation and penalty risk. Virtual commissioning removes that variable.

How it works

We create a complete Digital Twin of the designed machine in Siemens Process Simulate or RoboDK. TIA Portal or TwinCAT code is tested on the simulation before the first mechanical component is ordered.

What we verify digitally:

PLC sequence correctness and safety logic (Safety PLC, E-Stop), motion envelopes and mechanical collisions, cycle times, MES/SCADA interface signals.

Benefit for the OEM:

The machine leaves with a FAT that was fully passed in simulation. SAT at the end customer is 40–60% shorter. Fewer claims, higher margin, better supplier reputation.

Example scope: controller modernisation for a packing-machine OEM

  • Reverse engineering of PLC logic from observation of the running machine (no original program documentation)

  • 3D scanning of the electrical cabinet and reconstruction of schematic documentation in EPLAN P8 as the base for the new design

  • Design of a new electrical cabinet with Simatic S7-1500 and Siemens Comfort HMI

  • Virtual Commissioning — test of the new PLC program on the digital machine model before controller replacement

  • Controller swap in a weekend window — minimising OEM customer production downtime

  • Operator training and maintenance support — technical support in the first weeks after start-up

We also offer service and modernization of existing machines.

Turnkey process: from CAD outsourcing to machine start-up at the customer

  • Requirements analysis and concept: Scope — CAD design, complete machine, or PLC modernisation. Technology selection and quotation.

  • 3D CAD and EPLAN: Complete mechanical and electrical documentation ready for production or handover to the client.

  • Virtual Commissioning (Digital Twin): PLC program, motion sequences and safety logic before the physical machine exists.

  • Build and FAT: Mechanical assembly, cabinet wiring, control and safety tests before shipment.

  • SAT at the customer: Installation in the target plant, calibration, production start-up and operator training.

  • Maintenance service: Optional after-start technical availability.

Discuss your special-machine project with an MDP Engineering engineer

Need CAD design support, a complete turnkey machine or modernisation of an obsolete controller without stopping production? Talk to an MDP Engineering engineer — we will match the scope to your project and deadline.