AI and Robots: The Future of Factory Automation is with ACSE
In a world where speed is everything, the companies that thrive aren’t working harder—they’re working smarter, with automation doing the heavy lifting behind the scenes.
This is where ACSE, short for Automation Control and SCADA Engineers, are key players in the automation revolution.
“ACSE specialise in offering solutions to our customers; they have a pain point and it’s up to us to find a solution to take the problem away” explains Gert Van As, director of ACSE.
Experts in solutions
ACSE provide end to end solutions for factory automation, machine vision systems, robot packaging solutions, PLC systems, flow metering and SCADA control systems. They primarily serve food, dairy, packaging, and manufacturing industries and have provided some innovative solutions for a range of businesses.
“Some of our projects include setting up batching plants, packing lines, pump control systems, dairy processing systems, wood chip plants, stand-by generator controls, crushing plants, flux blenders, food processing plants and automation engineering services”.
“To take you through an example of a solution we’ve created, we had a client that packages dog food. In the past they had operators to handle and inspect each package before boxing. We offered a solution to fit a camera in the machine; each package goes under the camera and an image is captured. Using recognition software, this image would show if the item was of acceptable quality or not; if not, pneumatics are used to blow the rejected items off the conveyor belt. If it passes the inspection, it’ll go to a robot which can pick up the item, place in the box and stack the boxes up.”
More Than Just New Installations
ACSE doesn’t just implement new systems; they also specialize in upgrading existing factory machines.
“One of the main reasons why factory machines break down is due to old technology. Often the original software was basic, and technology has moved along so much now. We would implement the new technology to do better machine control, better product inspection or product handling. We can adopt some AI features in our solutions as well”.
Background on ACSE
Gert has a long history working as an automation engineer before switching to business owner in 2009.
“After immigrating to New Zealand in 2000, I started as I worked at for a switchboard manufacturer called BREMCA Industries within their automation division. After being with them for eight years, the opportunity to start up ASCE came up. It’s been a positive journey and have met lovely people along the way. We’ve got good clients, many that have been with us since we’ve started. BREMCA is even one of our clients today.”
Based in the Wiri Business Industrial Park off Wiri Station Road, ACSE’s operations extend throughout New Zealand and Australia. Some of their core clientele includes local Wiri companies such as AFFCO, Godfrey Hirst, and Jamestrong along with other prominent Kiwi businesses such as Fonterra, Argenta, NCI Packaging, and Ramspecs. They have a full-time team of four, which is supplemented by sub-contractors across a variety of trades when there is a project on the go.
“Our market is finding unique solutions for clients to be successful. We’ve got a good team of electrical engineers and electricians that work together to pull off our projects.”
The Rise of Robotics and AI
Since starting in this field, Gert has seen an amazing amount of change in technology.
“When I started in 2009, I did basic programming on machines. We realized that people not only wanted to control the machine, but also to see everything that is being produced by the machine. We started developing SCADA software that sits on top of the machine and captures all the data for the client to analyze.”
“Cameras then started being added to machines to monitor quality control. Robots have started making their way to reduce labour costs also. We can design and build our own robots – from small operations to million-dollar robots for Fonterra”.
“AI technology has been a game changer, however there is a way to go yet. We’ve got a lot more applications where we are quite excited to see what AI is going to produce in future. It will be great to see what other solutions we can come up with for our clients.”
Ready to Embrace the Future of Automation?
If you have a problem that could use an automation solution, get in touch with Gert by email [email protected] or visit www.acse.co.nz for more information.
If you want to read about further solutions ACSE has implemented, check out their case studies by scanning QR code (https://www.acse.co.nz/case-studies)