For an industrial chocolate manufacturer in Auckland, Dutch Automation & Technologies was engaged to deliver the full control system and commissioning of a newly installed production line for 3 mm chocolate drops.

The client had sourced the mechanical equipment locally, including both the cooling line and drop depositor. However, software development, system integration, and on-site commissioning were not included in the original scope. This is where Dutch Automation & Technologies stepped in.

Scope of Work

We were responsible for transforming a standalone mechanical installation into a fully operational, synchronized production system. Our scope included:

PLC and HMI software development
Integration of depositor and cooling line
Servo control setup for precision depositing
PID control configuration for cooling stability
Full system commissioning and optimization
On-site support during startup phase
System Details

Cooling Line

Width: 1400 mm
Length: 35 meters
Cooling method: Glycol-based system
Temperature control: PID-regulated zones for stable and consistent cooling

Drop Depositor

Designed for 3 mm chocolate drops
Fully servo-driven system
High precision dosing and repeatability
Challenges & Approach

The key challenge in this project was the absence of a pre-integrated control system. Mechanical components were delivered without software, requiring a full bottom-up approach to automation.

Dutch Automation & Technologies engineered a complete control architecture, ensuring:

Seamless synchronization between depositor and conveyor
Stable drop formation at high throughput
Consistent cooling profiles across the full 35-meter line
Reliable operation under production conditions

Special attention was given to tuning the PID-controlled glycol system to prevent temperature fluctuations, which are critical when working with small-format chocolate products such as 3 mm drops.

Result

The result is a fully operational, high-precision production line capable of delivering consistent 3 mm chocolate drops with stable quality and throughput.

The client now benefits from:

Reliable, repeatable production
Full control over process parameters
A scalable system ready for future optimization or expansion
Our Role

This project highlights how Dutch Automation & Technologies supports clients beyond equipment supply. Whether systems are incomplete, partially delivered, or require integration, we step in to make them operational.

From standalone machinery to fully automated production lines, we ensure systems run.