Control Systems Specialist

BW Systems Inc; South Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

BW Systems Inc. in Minnesota seeks an experienced Automation Engineer to design, implement, and commission PLC and HMI/SCADA systems for high‑volume manufacturing.

You will lead system integration, motion control, and safety features using Allen‑Bradley Logix and Kinetix drives, collaborating with multi‑disciplinary teams to deliver robust control solutions. This on‑site role offers hands-on FAT/SAT, debugging, and documentation from design to startup, with a focus on reliability and process

Qualifications

• Experience designing PLC/SCADA control systems.
• Strong knowledge of Allen‑Bradley Logix platforms.
• Experience with motor control and robotics integration.
• Familiarity with ISA-88 batch processes preferred.

Responsibilities

• System Architecture & Programming: Design and deploy PLC and HMI/SCADA programs on Logix (Studio 5000/RSLogix 5000).
• Motion Control: Program and commission multi-axis motion systems using Kinetix servo drives.
• Conveyor & Material Handling: Design and optimize conveyors, palletizers, sortation, and AGV/AMR handoffs.
• Process & Web Handling: Optimize web handling, tension control, winding, and registration.
• Advanced Control Loops: Tune PID, cascade loops, and feed‑forward for stability.
• System Integration: Integrate third-party equipment using EtherNet/IP, ControlNet, DeviceNet.
• Debugging & Commissioning: FAT/SAT, troubleshooting, and system startup.
• Safety: Implement safety per ISO/ANSI standards with GuardLogix.
• Documentation: Maintain FDS, control philosophy, I/O lists, and as-built comments.

Skills

PLC Programming

HMI/SCADA

Industrial Automation

Motion Control

Tools

Studio 5000

RSLogix 5000

EtherNet/IP

Job description

Job Description

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

System Architecture & Programming: Design, develop, and deploy comprehensive PLC and HMI/SCADA programs utilizing the Allen-Bradley Logix platform (Studio 5000 / RSLogix 5000).

Motion Control & Coordination: Program and commission high-speed, multi-axis synchronized motion systems (Kinetix servo drives, virtual master axes, electronic gearing, and camming) for precision manufacturing operations.

• Conveyor & Material Handling Integration:
  • Design, program, and optimize complex material handling systems, including accumulation conveyors, sortation systems, palletizers, and automated guided vehicle (AGV) or autonomous mobile robot (AMR) handoffs.
  • Implement tracking, merging, diverting, and barcode/RFID scanning logic to ensure seamless product flow through high-throughput logistics and production lines.
• Process & Web Handling Control:
  • Design and optimize control strategies for web handling (webline) applications, including tension control, winding/unwinding, and registration.
  • Engineer control algorithms for extrusion processes, ensuring tight temperature regulation, pressure control, and line speed synchronization.
  • Implement complex batch process sequences adhering to industry standards (e.g., ISA-88 principles).

Advanced Control Loops: Design, tune, and troubleshoot complex PID control loops, including cascade loops, ratio control, and advanced feed-forward control strategies to minimize disturbance and maximize process stability.

System Integration: Integrate third-party equipment, robotics, instrumentation, and vision systems into the primary control network using industrial protocols (EtherNet/IP, ControlNet, DeviceNet).

Debugging & Commissioning: Conduct rigorous on-site factory acceptance testing (FAT), site acceptance testing (SAT), troubleshooting, and system startup.

Safety Integration: Design and implement hardware and software safety systems compliant with relevant standards (ISO 13849 / ANSI B11.19) using Allen-Bradley GuardLogix controllers and safety-rated components.

Documentation: Create and maintain robust engineering documentation, including functional design specifications (FDS), control philosophy documents, I/O lists, cause-and-effect matrices, and as-built code comments.