Five different OEMs. Five different control systems. One pizza packaging line that has to run as a single coordinated machine.

That was the integration challenge our team took on at a new 110,000 sq ft food commissary in east Tennessee - the largest production site to date for a regional convenience retailer expanding its prepared foods program.

The packaging line included a Texwrap shrink wrapper, shrink tunnel, metal detector, box former, and a Wexxar case erector - each from a different manufacturer, each with its own controller.

Our job: make them act like one line. Responsive to upstream conditions. Coordinated on faults. Synchronized on throughput. And built to handle 12"-14" round pizzas at high volume without compromising packaging quality.

Part 1 of our new case study walks through the facility, the requirements, and the integration challenge. Part 2 (next month) covers the technical solution - including how we engineered the line to operate in a 35°F environment.

A leading rubber compounding facility was operating a critical mixing operation using a legacy Allen-Bradley PLC-5 architecture. The system’s intelligence was fragmented across three different elevations-the ground floor drive room, a mezzanine seal oil system, and a second-story mixer cab and scale control panel.

Overhead lifting systems are integral to modern manufacturing, but relying on outdated controls or manual operation comes with risks.  Improper or non-applied safety capabilities and fatigue related to repetitive human actions introduce the potential for costly errors.  Antiquated controls hardware creates downtime risks from failures and lack of spares availability. Imperium Technology Solutions (Imperium) transforms these challenges into continuous, efficient workflows. 

Modern cranes are central to plant-wide safety and integration strategies.  Because cranes often operate near personnel and expensive equipment, safety-enhancing features are critical.  A specialized crane integrator can employ strategies such as collision avoidance and “no fly zone” algorithms which can anticipate challenges with obstacles and related equipment.  They can also implement anti-sway algorithms which further enhance efficiency while reducing potentially dangerous load oscillations.  Many tactics can be implemented on both automated and semi-automated equipment, thus allowing companies to protect staff in nearly every working environment. 

Imperium Technology Solutions delivers high quality, fabricated control panels, both standalone and part of turnkey systems.  The company began in-house panel assembly operations in 2024 at the site of their sister company, Macrovey, in Alpharetta, GA.  The operation was born of a need for accurate and dependable service in the manufacture of their own enclosures and demand has generated growth both there and beyond.  The UL-capable facility resides at the Macrovey Technology Center which also features warehouse management demonstration equipment, autonomous mobile robots, and other technology displays. 

Effective collaboration between the trades, control systems integrators, and other contractors can make or break a project.  High quality integrators can work in any situation but advantageous situations do exist and collaboration between Imperium Technology Solutions and ASBECO benefits clients in appreciable ways.

Imperium Technology Solutions, LLC, has been delivering control systems integration solutions as an entity since 2022.  Their team’s experience and pedigree span a much longer time, and this is evident in the innovative solutions that they create and the way those services are delivered. Their core team had dozens of years' experience working with a large, nationwide integration firm which included diverse applications and resultant experience.  

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