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We keep obsolete PCs to edit your software
We maintain systems with the historical programming environments of discontinued PLCs and drives. If your software dates from the 1990s, we can still open it, modify it and compile it.
Industrial automation since 1990 — Gropello Cairoli, Pavia, Italy
We bring machines with obsolete PLCs and drives back into production, and design the automation of new ones
Fortius Data retrofits the automation of diaper machines, wet and dry wipes lines and industrial plants in every sector: we replace PLCs and drives that can no longer be sourced, rebuild axis control and take over software written by others. Based near Milan, Italy; interventions on site worldwide.
Request an intervention Our six areas of expertise
- since 1990automation for diaper production machines
- 4–5 daystypical downtime in documented retrofits
- 3 migrationscompleted from IMCS/GML to ControlLogix
- multi-brandSiemens, Rockwell, Lenze, Control Techniques, Mitsubishi
Our six areas of expertise
Two partners, over thirty years on the same machine types. Each area has a dedicated page with the interventions actually carried out.
Diaper machine designDiaper machine designSince 1990: from adult diaper machines to electronic axes and electronic-cam applicators.Go to the page →
Diaper machine retrofittingDiaper machine retrofittingApplicators, synchronisation, replacement of drives and motion cards, with 4–5 days of downtime.Go to the page →
Wet and dry wipes machine designWet and dry wipes machine designElectrical design, software and commissioning of wet and dry wipes lines on multiple control platforms.Go to the page →
Industrial automation retrofittingIndustrial automation retrofittingMigration from IMCS/GML, SLC 500, Siemens S5 and S7-300, Lenze 9300, Simotion to current platforms.Go to the page →
Industrial plant automationIndustrial plant automationFood, wood, sheet metal, water and biogas, construction sites, converting, dispensing, fire protection.Go to the page →
Drive sizingDrive sizingMotors, gearboxes, drives and electronic cams sized with our own tools and verified in the field.Go to the page →
Why us
Why a customer with a machine down calls us
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Survey first, drawings second
Electrical schematics and mechanical drawings do not always match reality. We survey on site and keep the old wire numbering until commissioning is complete, so every change stays reversible.
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Software tested on a bench before shipping
The programs for the new drives are tested on a bench at our premises. On site only the panel adaptation and commissioning remain: that is how an axis retrofit closes in four or five days.
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We also work on machines designed by others
A South American diaper producer chose to entrust us with an axis synchronisation problem on a machine under warranty rather than the OEM. Software analysis, two days of on-site survey, modification and in-line test.
Platforms we work on
We know from having used them the CPUs and drives of the main brands from the 1990s to today: Siemens (S5, S7-300, S7-1500, Simotion), Rockwell Allen-Bradley (SLC 500, ControlLogix, CompactLogix, GuardLogix, IMCS with GML software, Kinetix), Lenze (9300 in all variants, ECS, 8400, 9400, i550, i700, i950), Control Techniques (Unidrive SP). Migrating between generations, and between brands, is our daily work.
Frequently asked questions
01Do you work outside Italy?
Yes. The machines and plants we designed run in 39 countries, including Italy, France, Germany, Spain, England, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, Israel, Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria, India, China, Indonesia, South Korea, Australia, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and Uruguay. Software is prepared and bench-tested at our premises; on site we perform the survey, panel modification and commissioning.
02How much does a retrofit cost?
It depends on the starting platform, the target platform and how much of the machine logic must be rebuilt. For an assessment we need electrical schematics, photos of the panel and a description of the problem: with these we indicate the migration path, components and expected downtime within a few days.
03Do you work on machines you did not design?
Yes, that is most of our work. We intervene on software written years earlier by other companies and on machines from different OEMs, after analysing the existing program and surveying on site.