The situation
A Mackay industrial gas facility was experiencing recurring reliability issues with its GE/Emerson PACSystems RX3i control system — intermittent PLC–HMI communications failures, Auto Mode instability, recipe handling issues, and recurring LAN faults, all requiring power cycling to restore normal operation. The root cause was unknown and the faults were causing unplanned interruptions to automated production.
Our approach
- Conducted on-site fault investigation, isolating the network to confirm faults were local to the PLC CPU rather than the wider network.
- Supplied a temporary loan CPU from Beetle Engineering’s own spares to restore plant functionality immediately.
- Identified that the PLC Energy Pack was also overdue for replacement and that recipe storage was vulnerable to loss.
- Produced a detailed Site Report and PLC code comparison report documenting findings.
- Upgraded to a new replacement CPU with updated firmware and downloaded the stable PLC program version that had previously restored Auto Mode stability.
- Replaced the Energy Pack on site, confirmed HMI communications, and conducted functional testing including Manual and Auto Mode verification.
Outcome
The recurring PLC communications failures and Auto Mode instability were permanently resolved through replacement of the faulty CPU and Energy Pack. The facility was restored to reliable automated operation, with root cause fully documented and a verified stable program installed. The engagement demonstrates Beetle Engineering’s ability to respond to industrial automation faults rapidly, provide interim solutions to maintain production, and follow through with a permanent engineered fix.