The Control Pioneers
25 Years of Partnership
Congratulations to Armac Industrial Automation on their 25th anniversary! This inspiring collaboration began when the first Bachmann control system found its way to the Netherlands.
Every project undertaken by this hightech system integrator has one thing in common: they are extremely demanding and require creative implementation concepts. Back in 2000, the Dutch company was already aiming high, trying to achieve pioneering results. "Bachmann shared this attitude. With the M200 control system, the Austrians were far ahead of their time," says Wilfred Guldemond, Armac's operations manager. That was reason enough to choose the controller supplier, which at the time was still largely unknown in the Netherlands.
Armac's first joint project with Bachmann was to automate a German cardboard box production plant. "The valves had to dispense adhesive precisely and very quickly. The Bachmann system was perfect," says Guldemond. Since then, Armac has implemented numerous other projects with Bachmann, including controls for industrial printers, visualization of chemical tanks, and predictive control of large vessels.
For Armac, one main advantage of Bachmann hardware is durability. The first-generation M200 control system has been operating switch heaters for the Dutch national railway since 2007. This is not only because the controller, which is installed directly at the switch, can withstand high temperature fluctuations between summer and winter, as well as electromagnetic stress. As the Operations Manager explains: "The Ethernet port, which was anything but common in 2007, is also largely responsible for this. It allows us to conveniently control the switches remotely via TCP/IP, even today. "
In addition to robustness, the control system’s open design proved advantageous in the early years – due to the restricted number of protocols available for Ethernet connection at the time. "With M-PLC, we were able to develop our own protocols," says Wilfred Guldemond. This is another reason why Armac has implemented its most innovative projects to date with Bachmann.
