When a plant goes down, the last thing an end-user wants is the runaround by phone, text or email to get it back up and running.
If automation is the root cause, the pressure ramps up.
Modern plants rely on advanced controls, diagnostics, and interconnected systems, so a single fault can halt production across the entire operation. Every minute it's offline costs tons, time, and our shared credibility.
Yet as automation has advanced, many equipment manufacturers have not evolved their internal support structures at the same pace. Expertise is often spread across third parties, external integrators, or foreign support agents, adding friction when answers are needed most.
“Traditionally Superior has relied on outside help for things like control panels and smart PLCs,” says Shamus Coughlin, Superior's automation manager. “Now, we’re bringing that work in-house as our design, our expertise, and our solution, so everything fits together far more seamlessly than it ever has before."
With an evolving product portfolio and complex hardware like variable-frequency drives (VFDs) and sensors, in-house experts are critical for solving problems quickly.
“A decade or so ago, I had no problem putting in a VFD,” says Matt Voigt, Superior's director of products. “Now, you need an expert.”
Superior recently added two of those experts to bolster automation support, including Morgan Patton, an electrical engineer dedicated to product support cases.
"She picks up on things quickly and some dealers are already building close relationships with her,” Coughlin says. “When problems come up with automation or electrical, they know they can call product support and Morgan will get it straightened out."
Late last year, Superior also added David Rudoll as a senior electrical engineer.
“Throughout the last ten years, he worked for Astec on crusher and quarry automation projects,” Coughlin says. “His relationships and deep experience allowed him to start making an impact on day one."
Having experts like Patton and Rudoll in-house should expedite troubleshooting in the field and give dealers more confidence to sell knowing support is behind Superior’s systems.
“I’ve already been on job sites where I’ll call our internal team, they remote into the system, send a patch, and — BOOM! — the issue is resolved," Voigt says. “When you’re standing in front of a producer, that kind of speed is a big deal.”
When Voigt joined Superior 14 years ago, the company’s only in-house automation support focused on TeleStacker® Conveyors. Now, the portfolio has expanded across the plant, from cone crusher controls to conveyor monitoring.
Also, as Superior's turnkey plants are requested with more automation, understanding and designing seamless plant-wide integration has become essential.
"Whether its the end user, the dealer, or Superior doing the integration, we want all the pieces to fit together more seamlessly than ever before," Coughlin says.
Those attending CONEXPO-CON/AGG will get to see some of the progress for themselves.
“We’re going to display a portable cone plant equipped with Vantage® Automation," says Voigt. “Dealers and end users will be able to troubleshoot simulated errors live at the show.”
It will be a great way to show how intuitive the system is without ever having to get on the phone or wait for someone to call back.
“Going forward, our goal is to make automation simpler to support across the board,” Coughlin says. “By building stronger diagnostics and troubleshooting tools, we’re removing friction and shortening the path to a fix.”
That’s what modern automation should feel like.