Know the moment your PLC detects a fault, wherever you are
Fine Automation’s PLC monitoring system connects to your existing PLC and sends instant WhatsApp alerts when something goes wrong, such as a boiler fault, an over-current trip or an under-voltage condition.
There is no SCADA licence, no control-room software and no rewrite of your PLC program. Add our wireless device, link your PLC’s output signals to it, and the right people on your team get the message on their phones within seconds.
Designed and manufactured in South Africa for factories, farms and processing plants.
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Why unmonitored PLC faults cost you money
A PLC that detects a fault but tells nobody is only half a solution. The fault sits on a panel or HMI screen until someone walks past, and by then the damage is done.
A boiler fault that goes unnoticed overnight means a cold start and lost production in the morning. An under-voltage condition can quietly stress motors and drives for hours. An over-current trip stops a line, and the next shift finds out the hard way. Most plants and farms cannot afford a full-time operator watching a screen, and a SCADA system is more than they need for a handful of critical signals.
What these sites need is a simple, reliable way to push the important alarms to the phones of the people who can act on them.
How PLC fault alerts reach your phone
Our device sits next to your PLC and listens for its signals, then sends the alert over the internet to WhatsApp. Your PLC program stays as it is.
- Connect. Wire the PLC’s fault outputs, such as boiler fault, over-current and under-voltage, to the inputs of a Fine Automation device.
- Detect. When an output changes state, the device recognises the fault straight away.
- Alert. A WhatsApp message goes out in real time to up to six people, telling them exactly which fault occurred.
Setup takes two WhatsApp messages. Each device has its own secure WhatsApp key, so only the people you choose receive the alerts, and several devices can report into one chat. You can also message the device back through our IoT WhatsApp service, and follow the same signals online with FineTrack.
What you can monitor with your PLC
If your PLC can switch an output for it, we can send an alert for it. These are the alarms customers ask for most.
| PLC Signal | What the alert tells you | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Boiler fault | The boiler has tripped or locked out | Heat or steam supply stops before anyone notices |
| Over-current alert | A motor or circuit is drawing too much current | Catch jams and overloads before they burn out equipment |
| Under-voltage alert | Supply voltage has dropped below your set point | Protect motors, drives and electronics from brown-outs |
| Main power failure | Mains power has been lost | Know straight away when a site goes down |
| Pump or motor trip | A pump or motor has stopped unexpectedly | Keep water, cooling and process flow running |
| Machine run time & service due | A machine has reached its service interval | Plan maintenance instead of reacting to breakdowns |
There are many more. Any fault, status or limit your PLC can flag can become a WhatsApp message to your team. Our general-purpose devices can also add temperature, humidity and water level monitoring beside the PLC, so one system covers the whole site.
Features and benefits
- Real-time WhatsApp alerts. Fault messages reach up to six people the moment a PLC output changes, on the app they already use every day.
- Works with your existing PLC. No program changes and no new control system. The device reads the outputs your PLC already provides.
- No SCADA or software licences. Pay for the hardware, not for a monitoring platform you only partly use.
- Fast, simple setup. Two WhatsApp messages and the device is live, secured with its own unique key.
- Remote monitoring and control. Check status online with FineTrack and send commands back to the device through WhatsApp.
- Wireless and flexible. Place the device where the signals are, even in a remote plant room, pump house or shed.
- Made in South Africa. Built by the team that supports it, with local service and quick answers.
Industrial PLC monitoring for South African sites
Any site that runs a PLC and cannot watch it around the clock is a fit.
- Factories and manufacturing plants: machine faults, line stoppages and power quality alarms.
- Boiler rooms and heating plants: boiler fault alerts and pressure or temperature limits.
- Farms and agri-processing: pump houses, irrigation, cold rooms and poultry houses, including SKOV alarm signals.
- Mines and workshops: remote motors, compressors and pumps far from the control room.
- Water and utilities: pump stations, reservoirs and tank levels.
- Commercial buildings: generators, HVAC and mains power failure.
Why Fine Automation, FAQs and next step
Which PLCs does it work with? The device reads output signals, so it works with any PLC that can switch an output when a fault occurs.
Do I need to change my PLC program? Usually not. If your PLC already has an output or status bit for the fault, we connect to it. If not, a small addition adds one.
Can I receive PLC alerts by WhatsApp instead of SMS? Yes. Alerts arrive as WhatsApp messages, and up to six people can receive them at once.
Can I monitor more than one PLC or site? Yes. Several devices can report into a single WhatsApp chat, so one phone covers multiple machines or sites.
Do I need a SCADA system? No. Our system is built for teams who want the critical alarms on their phones without the cost and complexity of SCADA.
Ready to stop finding out about faults too late?
Tell us which PLC signals you want to watch and we will recommend the right setup. We will call you within 48 hours.