AUGI (Automatismes Girona)

AUGI (Automatismes Girona), a Spanish industrial machinery manufacturer, faced the challenge of building reliable drive and control architectures for demanding industrial applications. Traditional network topologies used in machine automation are vulnerable to single points of failure — a cable break or node fault can halt an entire production line. For industrial machinery OEMs, unplanned downtime carries significant cost implications for end customers, and network resilience directly affects the commercial value of the machines they deliver. The company needed a control system architecture that could sustain communication integrity under real-world industrial conditions without compromising machine performance or requiring complex redundancy workarounds.

AUGI partnered with Rockwell Automation to implement a Device Level Ring (DLR) network topology as the foundation of their machine control architecture. DLR is an industry-standard ring protocol designed for EtherNet/IP networks that provides automatic fault recovery at the device level — without requiring a separate redundant network. Integrated into Rockwell Automation's Allen-Bradley control platform, the DLR architecture allows connected drives, I/O modules, and other field devices to maintain communication even if a single node or cable segment fails. The ring self-heals in milliseconds, redirecting traffic around the fault. This approach was embedded directly into AUGI's machine designs, enabling them to offer customers a higher-reliability control platform without significant added hardware cost or configuration complexity.

Deploying the DLR control architecture delivered measurable improvements in machine reliability and control system resilience for AUGI's industrial machinery offerings. Key outcomes include:

• Fault tolerance: Network communication is maintained through automatic rerouting when a single point of failure occurs in the ring
• Reduced downtime risk: End customers benefit from faster fault recovery compared to linear EtherNet/IP topologies
• Simplified redundancy: DLR eliminates the need for parallel redundant cabling, reducing both hardware costs and cabinet complexity
• Improved machine quality: AUGI can offer a more robust, commercially differentiated product to its industrial customers

The architecture strengthens AUGI's position as a reliable machine builder in competitive industrial markets.

• Network topology is a reliability decision: For industrial machinery OEMs, choosing DLR over linear EtherNet/IP can dramatically reduce single-point-of-failure risk without significant added cost.
• Embed resilience at the design stage: Retrofitting fault-tolerant networking is far more costly than incorporating it during machine design — build it in from the start.
• Leverage vendor-native protocols: Using DLR within an Allen-Bradley/EtherNet/IP ecosystem avoids integration complexity and ensures compatibility across drives, I/O, and controllers.
• Differentiate on reliability: Machine builders in competitive markets can use control architecture as a product differentiator, not just a cost center.
• Recovery speed matters: Millisecond-level fault recovery in DLR rings is often fast enough to prevent process disruption entirely.