LS Precast

The Situation

LS Precast was awarded the contract to manufacture concrete tunnel segments for the Victorian Government's Suburban Rail Loop Package D. To meet the timeline, they sourced a decommissioned concrete carousel line from Sydney, transported it to Benalla, and re-erected it on site.

When React Automation was engaged to recommission the line, the situation was more complicated than expected. LS Precast had no access to the PLC or HMI source projects. The existing code was locked, partially documented, and did not match the program running on the machine. LS Precast had also significantly modified the physical line to suit their site, relocating sections of railing, gantry and core structural components, which in turn meant moving safety gates and process equipment throughout. With that level of change to the purchased layout, there was no viable path to modifying or extending the original code.

React's recommendation was to rebuild the entire control system from scratch.

The Work

React's engineering team performed a complete ground-up rebuild of all PLC and HMI projects, reverse engineering the line's operating cycles from incomplete electrical, mechanical, and maintenance documentation with significant gaps.

New HMI screens were developed with simplified layouts and improved diagnostics. A mould tracking feature was added to manage the large number of moulds cycling through the line simultaneously.

Timelines compressed significantly mid-project. First pour was pulled forward by several weeks and production pressure mounted before commissioning was complete. React's lead engineer spent two and a half months on site at 70-hour weeks, with additional team members rotating through to hold the schedule.

The Result

LS Precast now owns the source code of their production line and has full local support. They can make changes, add capacity, and resolve issues without reliance on the original equipment manufacturer, at reduced cost and with far less risk of delay.

The carousel is in production and output is increasing as operators settle into the new system.

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