Systems for industry and services
SCADA add-ons and machines without software
Most production halls have a gap in two places at once. Where SCADA is in place, it does what the manufacturer supplied it for — and nothing more; anything beyond that is filled in with Excel and paper. Where there is no SCADA — machine tools, grinders, presses, manual workstations — nothing is collected at all. We do not supply control systems.
We add the software layer on top of it, what you already have, and we do records where there is nothing to add.
Data can be got out of a machine that "has no software"
An older production line, a third-party SCADA, a control system with no documentation. The add-on reads output, downtime and quality from them — without replacing the technology and without interfering with the safety circuits.
Without replacing the technologyWe build on top of what is already on the shop floor.
Real-time dataOutput, downtime and quality straight from the production lines.
Proof of productionA record that stands up in an audit and in a complaint.
Three situations that really do arise in the hall
In a single hall all three commonly apply at once — the machines are from different years and from different manufacturers.
1 There is a SCADA, but it does not cover what you need
supplied by Qintec a.s.
SCADA add-on
orders · downtime · output · reports
we only read the data
we do not interfere with the control
we do not interfere with the control
your current supplier
SCADA / control system
WinCC · WinCC Unified · Allen-Bradley
controls the technology
Machines and technology
2 There is a control system, but it does not send data anywhere
supplied by Qintec a.s.
Acquisition layer and transmission
IEC 60870-5-104 · Modbus · OPC
we connect to the signals
we do not change the machine's logic
we do not change the machine's logic
your current supplier
PLC / machine control
running for years · sends nothing out
controls the technology
Machines and technology
3 There is no software at all
supplied by Qintec a.s.
Production records at the machine
terminal · code reader · SAP
the data arises in the place,
where they have not been created until now
where they have not been created until now
no control system
there is nothing to connect to
operated by an operator
CNC · grinders · presses · manual workstations
Only the layer we supply is coloured. The grey layers stay with your existing supplier — we do not change them, you do not risk the warranty and you do not have to replace anyone.
1 · SCADA is in place, but it does not do what you need
The control system controls the technology reliably; that is what it was supplied for. But it does not give the overview of orders, downtime and performance that a production director needs — and extending it tends to be expensive or impossible. We add a layer above it. We only read data from the existing SCADA; we do not intervene in the system itself, so nothing that controls production today changes. Your control system supplier remains your control system supplier — you do not risk the warranty, you do not change a proven system and you do not have to replace anyone.
We have demonstrably built automatic output recording for a semi-automatic production line on top of WinCC SCADA including a real-time overview, analytical reports and printed reports for dispatch and planning.
2 · There is a control system, but it sends no data anywhere
Common with machines that have run reliably for years and that no one has ever connected. The signals exist, they just have nowhere to go. We add an acquisition layer and transmission — without touching the logic that controls the machine. For distribution companies we also work with the protocol IEC 60870-5-104 including the receipt and processing of control commands from dispatch systems.
3 · The software is not at all
Machine tools, grinders, presses and manual workstations. Here there is nothing to connect to, so the data is created where it has not been created until now:
- A terminal at the machine. The operator reports production and downtime on a tablet with a barcode and 2D code reader right at the workstation — not on paper and not at the end of the shift. Production records demonstrably run this way on CNC machines, grinders and manual workstations at an engineering customer from 2019 to the present, with two-way integration with SAP and the attendance system.
- Additional sensing. Where a cycle, a position or consumption can be measured, we add sensors and the machine starts producing data without having any software of its own.
Why we do it this way: an overview that covers only a third of the machines is not used in practice. The numbers do not match reality, the supervisors do not trust them and within six months the system dies off. That is why we start with the machines that today report nothing — not with the ones that are easiest to integrate.
What is a safety retrofit of an existing production line?
The only area of automation we still offer — and there is a reason for that. An older production line is usually functional, but does not meet today's requirements for operator safety: safety circuits are missing, interlocks are bypassed and the E-Stop does not stop what it should. This is not about new technology, but about adding safety to what is already running.
We supply and fit the safety components, adapt the PLC application software for the protective circuits and integrate them into the existing control system — without replacing the production line. We do this in agreed shutdown windows, with documentation of the changes and with an electrical inspection.
What have we been through and what came out of it?
Between 2016 and 2024 we also carried out the automation itself — control systems for process equipment, assembly lines with assembly verification, electrical design and switchboards, for car manufacturers, their suppliers and industrial companies.
Today this is not part of our offering. We mention it because that experience is the reason we understand software above production: we know what a PLC will and will not send, why a signal is missing and what can and cannot be done on the shop floor during a shift. We write software for production having stood next to those machines ourselves.
A welding robot monitored by the add-on
The workstation runs its own control system. The add-on reads states and times from it and adds the shift, the product and the operator — and the foreman has an overview without having to walk over to the machine.
Where does it already run?
- Production records on CNC machines, grinders and manual workstations — an engineering company, in operation and development since 2019; terminals with code readers, realtime OEE and two-way integration with SAP.
- Automatic output recording for a semi-automatic production line — over the existing WinCC SCADA, with reports for dispatch and planning (2023).
- Telemetric radiation monitoring system — collection of radiation, technological and meteorological data around a nuclear power plant, in operation since 2016.
- Safety retrofit of a production line — safety interlocks, E-Stop, relays and contactors including modification of the PLC software, building materials manufacturing (2022).
Where it already runs
Selected deployments — the full wording of the reference is in the references overview.
Frequently asked questions
Do you build SCADA systems?
Our focus is software on top of existing SCADA and records where there is no control system at all. We do not supply new process control today — from automation we offer safety modifications to existing production lines.
Do you make changes to our SCADA?
No. We only read data from it — which variables, in what format and at what frequency is agreed in advance. The configuration, the control logic and the manufacturer's warranty remain unchanged.
Most of our machines are old and cannot do anything. Can anything be done about that?
Yes, and it is the more common case than the opposite one. With machine tools, grinders and manual workstations we obtain data via a terminal at the machine, where the operator reports production and downtime with a code reader, or via added sensors where the cycle or consumption can be measured. The machine itself is not changed.
Do we have to shut down production for it?
No. Data acquisition runs in parallel with production. The installation of terminals or sensors is scheduled into a break or an agreed shutdown.
Can it be connected to our ERP?
Yes. We have documented two-way integration with SAP and with an attendance system — orders and standards flow into production, and completed work flows back without manual re-keying.
Which SCADA and PLC systems can you work with?
Most often with Siemens SIMATIC and WinCC including WinCC Unified; we have also worked with Allen-Bradley. When reading data, the brand is not what matters, but what the system can make available externally.
Do you still do safety retrofits?
Yes — it is the only area of automation we still offer. We supply and install the safety components, adapt the PLC application software for the protective circuits and take care of the documentation and the electrical inspection.
Do you also support the system after handover?
Yes, under the P1–P4 priority model. We agree the scope and response times in the service contract according to how critical the operation is. We have been running and developing a manufacturing information system at an engineering customer since 2019.
Software for manufacturing
Not sure what can be got out of your machines?
Most manufacturing companies do not know this exactly. We go through the shop floor machine by machine and write down what each one provides today, what can be obtained from it and how — including where it pays to read from an existing SCADA and where you have to start from scratch.
E-mail: qintec@qintec.sk · Phone: +421 2 3240 1217 (working days 9:00 – 15:30)