Advanced Manufacturing Helps Advanced Assembly OEM

Lanco Integrated, a custom design-and-build OEM specializing in assembly machinery, faced a delivery crisis when a customer urgently needed automated machines to produce COVID-19 rapid test kits. In industrial machinery, custom assembly projects typically require 16-week delivery cycles, a timeline incompatible with a public health emergency. The company had to simultaneously compress engineering timelines, manage a stressed supply chain, and maintain quality standards on a machine type they had not previously built. Every week of delay meant diagnostic capacity sat undeployed. The status quo of sequential programming workflows and single-programmer PLC access made hitting an 8-week target appear impossible.

Lanco Integrated used Rockwell Automation's integrated control architecture to restructure how the machine was engineered and built. The core enabler was CompactLogix 5370 controllers, which uniquely allowed two programmers to work simultaneously on a single PLC online, which eliminated the serialized bottleneck of previous projects. Studio 5000 Logix Designer software provided a unified programming environment covering both standard and safety controller configurations, while Kinetix 5500 EtherNet/IP servo drives and MP-Series servo motors with linear ball screw actuators reduced mechanical design effort. Lanco drew on a pre-built library of Add-On Instructions for RFID, servo motion, and common machine functions developed over 30 years of Rockwell Automation deployments, which compressed custom programming work. PanelView Plus 7 HMI terminals with Ethernet connectivity enabled remote monitoring from the outset. Authorized Distributor Horizon accelerated parts procurement across a constrained supply chain.

Lanco delivered a machine that would normally require 16 weeks in under 8 weeks — a 50% reduction in delivery time. Key contributors to that outcome:

• Programming time cut by up to 50% through reuse of pre-built Add-On Instruction libraries for RFID and servo motion
• Parallel PLC programming enabled by CompactLogix allowed two engineers to work on the same controller simultaneously, a capability unavailable on competing platforms
• Reduced training burden from standardized templates and consistent HMI look-and-feel across Lanco's machine portfolio
• Supply chain risk was mitigated through Rockwell's distributor network, keeping parts moving despite pandemic-related constraints

The delivered machine entered service producing COVID-19 test kits without reported commissioning delays.

• Pre-built code libraries shorten lead time: Lanco's decades of Add-On Instructions cut programming time in half; invest in reusable libraries before the urgent project lands.
• Concurrent PLC access changes project staffing math — platforms that allow multi-programmer online editing remove a hard sequencing constraint; evaluate this capability explicitly when selecting control hardware.
• Standardized templates reduce both design time and end-user training — consistency across machine generations lowers TCO beyond the build phase.
• Distributor relationships protect the supply chain: a trusted partner who can expedite parts under pressure is worth qualifying before a crisis.
• A long-term platform relationship reduces engineering risk — familiarity with proven hardware lets teams make confident assumptions earlier, which cuts rework.