Industry IT

Manufacturing IT Support: when the line stops, every minute costs money

Steady, simple IT for shop floors and warehouses, because time is money.

(604) 813-7881 Contact Us 24/7 emergency line
Answered by a person
Under 2 hrsto restore a failed server from local storage
30 daysbackups stay locked, so they can’t be changed or deleted
24/7a person answers emergency calls
15years in business

What stops a plant, and how we fix it

The server dies mid shift

We run your servers on Hyper-V and back them up with Veeam. A dead server comes back on other hardware from local storage, not rebuilt from scratch.

The ERP or WMS stalls

We work with systems such as NetSuite, NextERP, Sage ERP, Sage MRP, Accellos WMS and HighJump. We look after the server, network and Microsoft SQL side, and work with your software vendor on the rest.

Label printers and scanners drop off

Printers, scanners and warehouse Wi-Fi are everyday work for us. We plan Wi-Fi around racking and metal, which block signal.

One click locks the office

A business firewall (Cisco Meraki MX with Advanced Security), DNS filtering and multi-factor sign in stand in the way. Huntress runs on every computer we manage, and our security operations team (SOC) sends text alerts around the clock.

Plant machines share the office network

That’s how Ecco Recycling’s baler lost its programming. We put PLCs and HMI touchscreens on their own network segments (VLANs), away from office traffic.

You need hands on the floor

Our local team in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary comes on site. Smaller fixes happen by remote access, or in your own group chat on WhatsApp, Slack, Google Chat or Teams.

What does an hour down cost?

People who stop × their hourly cost × hours down. Then add late orders, overtime to catch up and anything scrapped.

Example only: 20 people at $40 an hour, down for 4 hours, is $3,200 in wages before a single late order. That’s why we build for restores measured in hours, not days.

What every plant should have

Use it for a quote or a second opinion.

  • Tested 3-2-1 backups. Three copies on two kinds of storage, with an encrypted copy offsite in Vancouver, BC. Locked copies can’t be changed or deleted. RAID 10 keeps a server running when a drive fails, but it isn’t a backup.
  • Remote desktop never open to the internet. Remote access goes through a secured path instead.
  • Patching on your schedule. Planned with you, so it stays out of the way of production.
  • A plan for the bad day. How long can you be down, and how much data can you lose? We help you answer both. A UPS lets the server shut down cleanly, and a second internet link keeps orders and email moving.
  • Cabling planned from the blueprints. For an expansion or a new building, from one room to a four-site build-out like Ecco’s.

Short stories from real work

Three clients, a few lines each. What we built, and why it matters on the floor.

KDM Industries

We’ve supported KDM Industries for over 10 years: their full network, computers and servers, and accounting software. When COVID hit, we moved their team to secure remote work using zero trust access, so the shop kept running.

CG Motorsports

A BMW and MINI service shop in Richmond, BC. We’re moving their email to Google Workspace and giving the team shared tools to work together. We’re also protecting their websites and forms from attacks, locking down their domain so no one can hijack it or send fake email in their name, and upgrading their hosting servers.

Ecco Recycling

Ecco Recycling called us because they thought they had been hit by a cyber attack. The cardboard baler at their recycling facility runs on an Allen-Bradley control panel, a smart connected device. Its HMI, the touchscreen operators use to run the machine, had been wiped, and then the baler’s programming was deleted. Cardboard piled up and the line stopped. It turned out the problem came from inside their own network, not an outside attack. The machines shared one network that wasn’t properly separated or locked down, so the panel was easy to reach.

Today we look after their automation, and we helped with a four-site build-out that included the Balzac, Aldersyde and Lethbridge expansions. Tony took these photos in Aldersyde, just south of Calgary.

The Ecco Recycling site in Aldersyde, Alberta, under a wide prairie sky
The Aldersyde site, one of four in the build-out.Ecco Recycling · Taken by Tony Phung · Aldersyde, Alberta
Inside the Ecco Recycling facility in Aldersyde, Alberta, with conveyor lines and equipment being set up
Equipment on the line, set up as smart, connected IIoT devices.Ecco Recycling · Taken by Tony Phung · Aldersyde, Alberta
  • Machines walled off. We put the connected plant equipment on its own separate network segments (VLANs), so the baler’s panel is protected from everything else.
  • A backup to restore from. We rebuilt the touchscreen interface and set up a way to back it up, so it can be put back quickly.
  • A better running baler. Our team redesigned the software on the PLC, the controller that runs the machine, so the baler works more efficiently. It is still running today.
  • Safer links across four sites. Every person and device has to prove who it is before it gets in (what IT people call zero trust). Fibre runs inside the buildings, and point-to-point links tie the sites and yards together.
  • Weigh station software. We worked alongside Paradigm, the weigh station software provider from the USA.

Clients we’ve worked with

  • KDM Industries logo
  • CG Motorsports logo
  • Ecco Recycling logo

Questions plant managers ask

What does it cost?

From $55 per PC per month, as a fixed monthly price with remote and on-site help included. We confirm your number in writing before you sign.

Do you look after PLCs and HMIs?

Tell us what you run. We’ll be straight about what we cover and where your equipment vendor stays in charge, before you sign anything.

Can our ERP run on a virtual server?

Often, yes. We check each vendor’s requirements first and plan the move around production. See Hyper-V for manufacturers.

Talk to us about your plant

Free consult, no pressure, no jargon. Email hello <at> bensonhunt <dot> com or Book a free IT consult.

(604) 813-7881

24/7 emergency line
Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pm MT. Emergency support 24/7 at (604) 813-7881, always answered by a person.

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