01 / AUTOMATE
PLC & automation programming
New control software, process improvements, HMI development and integration with existing machinery.
Automation · Control systems · Machine safety
Control the process.
Protect the people.
Keep moving.
Practical industrial automation and machine-safety engineering—from PLC programming and control-panel build to commissioning, upgrades and complete project delivery.
PLC & automation
Control panels
Machine safety
Project delivery
Core capability
Engineering the system.
Not just the wiring.
Controls, software, safety and delivery brought together around the machine and the production process.
02 / DESIGN & BUILD
Control-panel solutions
Control-panel design, manufacture and programming built around the application—not an off-the-shelf answer.
03 / PROTECT
Machine-safety engineering
Safety-system design, build, validation and commissioning by CMSE-qualified engineers.
04 / MODIFY
Safety-system modifications
Alterations and upgrades to guarding, interlocks, safety relays, safety PLCs and existing control systems.
05 / DELIVER
Projects & commissioning
Support from initial scope and design through build, installation, commissioning and handover.
06 / IMPROVE
Fault-finding & upgrades
Diagnosis, obsolescence management and practical improvements that restore or strengthen production.
SUPPORTING DELIVERY
Industrial electrical installation is provided where required as part of a complete, engineered solution.
Problems we solve
Start with the production problem.
Whether the answer is a software change, a control-system upgrade or a complete engineered solution, the aim is the same: safer, clearer and more dependable production.
Recurring faults
Find the underlying control or integration issue instead of repeatedly treating the symptom.
Obsolete controls
Plan practical upgrades for ageing PLCs, HMIs and control hardware before availability becomes critical.
Inefficient processes
Improve sequencing, visibility and operator interaction where existing machinery is holding production back.
Machine-safety gaps
Engineer improvements to guarding, interlocks and safety control systems around the real machine.
Poorly documented systems
Bring structure and usable documentation to systems that have evolved through years of modification.
Projects needing controls expertise
Add focused automation and safety capability to an internal engineering or project team.
How JCA delivers
One connected route from challenge to handover.
The scope can be a targeted modification or a complete controls project. Each stage stays connected to the production requirement.
- 01
Assess
Understand the machine, process, risk and outcome required.
- 02
Engineer
Define the control and safety approach, hardware and software.
- 03
Build
Create the panels, programs, modifications and documentation.
- 04
Commission
Integrate, test and prove the finished system in its application.
- 05
Support
Help maintain and improve the system after handover.
Selected work
The engineering behind the result.
A growing record of control systems, machine-safety improvements, panel builds and production projects delivered by JCA.
VISION SYSTEMS / AUTOMATION
Vision-based tray volume inspection
A bespoke inspection and control system designed to verify product volume across all eight positions in each tray and prevent out-of-specification trays from continuing through the process.
- Problem
- Verify the product volume at all eight tray positions and identify any tray outside the defined limits.
- Solution
- A purpose-built vision system, control panel and software package with integrated alarming and tray stopping.
- Delivery
- The complete system—including panel, software, controls and tray-stopping arrangement—was designed and installed by JCA, followed by on-site operator training.
CONTROLS / OBSOLESCENCE
Cost-effective control-system upgrade
Several obsolete electronic instruments on an existing control panel were replaced with a bespoke compact PLC and HMI solution—preserving the wider system while avoiding the cost of like-for-like obsolete replacements.
- Problem
- Key electronic instruments had become obsolete, making future replacement expensive and increasingly difficult.
- Solution
- Their functions were consolidated into a bespoke compact PLC and HMI package integrated into the existing panel.
- Result
- The site gained a maintainable control solution for a fraction of the replacement cost and continues to receive remote support from JCA.
MOTOR CONTROL / PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
Variable-speed fan control retrofit
Variable-speed drives were introduced into an established control panel to give the site more precise control over its fan motors and the resulting system airflow.
- Problem
- The existing fan-motor arrangement did not provide the level of airflow adjustment required by the process.
- Solution
- Variable-speed drives were incorporated into the existing panel and integrated with the established control system.
- Result
- The modified system gave the site greater control over fan speed and process airflow without replacing the complete control panel.
MACHINE SAFETY / OBSOLESCENCE
Press light-curtain safety upgrade
An obsolete SICK light-curtain system protecting an established press was replaced with a modern solution while retaining the serviceable machine and control equipment around it.
- Problem
- The press relied on an ageing light-curtain system that had become obsolete and increasingly difficult to support.
- Solution
- The old safety devices were replaced with a modern SICK light-curtain system integrated with the existing press.
- Result
- The machine retained light-curtain protection using current, supportable safety equipment without an unnecessary wider controls replacement.
Machine safety
Safety engineered into the machine.
Machine-safety design, build and commissioning by CMSE-qualified engineers, including modifications and upgrades to existing safety systems.
- Risk-led safety-system design
- Guarding and interlock modifications
- Safety PLC and relay integration
- Validation, commissioning and documentation
Qualified capability
CMSEDesign · Build · Commission
Platform experience
Experienced across industrial controls.
Siemens, Allen-Bradley and Mitsubishi are the platforms used most frequently—not the limit of JCA’s capability. We can work with a much wider range of automation and safety manufacturers, including existing and less-common systems.
FREQUENTLY USED / AUTOMATION
SiemensAllen-BradleyMitsubishi
Regular hands-on experience for new projects, modifications, fault-finding and upgrades. These are examples, not an exclusive list.
FREQUENTLY USED / MACHINE SAFETY
PilzSICK
Frequently selected for engineered machine-safety systems, integration and modifications—alongside other suitable safety platforms.
BROADER CAPABILITY
Not tied to a shortlist of manufacturers.
JCA is comfortable supporting and investigating a wide range of PLCs, HMIs, drives, networks and safety products. Equipment is selected around the application, customer standards, compatibility and long-term maintainability.
Have a manufacturer or legacy system not listed here? Ask us about it →
Manufacturer names identify experience and compatibility only; they do not imply partnership or endorsement.
Why JCA
Practical engineering, connected to delivery.
Engineer around the process
The solution begins with what the machine and its operators need to achieve—not with a predetermined product.
Work with what is already there
New equipment can be integrated with established machinery, controls and customer standards where that is the right approach.
Stay involved through commissioning
Design decisions remain connected to build, integration, testing and the finished result on site.
Built around delivery
Control engineering with the ability to deliver.
I’m James Carrington, director of JCarringtonAutomation Ltd. We work alongside factory engineering and project teams on automation, machine control and functional-safety challenges.
The work does not stop at a drawing or a program. We can design the solution, build the control panel, modify the machine, complete the required electrical installation and commission the finished system.
Frequently asked
Useful answers before we talk.
Can you support systems from other manufacturers?
Yes. The named manufacturers are simply those used most often. JCA can work with a much wider range of automation and safety products, including existing systems, legacy equipment and customer-standard platforms.
Can you modify an existing machine or control panel?
Yes. Existing machinery can be assessed for control, HMI, safety and panel modifications, with the scope defined around its condition and the required outcome.
Do you only provide PLC programming?
No. JCA can connect controls and software with panel design and build, machine modifications, electrical installation where required, commissioning and handover.
Can you replace obsolete control equipment?
Yes. A staged or complete upgrade can be developed after assessing the existing hardware, software, interfaces, risk and production constraints.
Can you deliver machine-safety modifications?
Yes. CMSE-qualified capability covers safety-system design, guarding and interlock modifications, safety PLC and relay integration, validation and commissioning.
Have a challenge in mind?
Let’s engineer the next move.
Email us about your automation requirement, safety improvement, control-panel project or production problem.