The South Australian Department for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) engaged SAGE to develop automated signage for their remote Ceduna and Yamba Fruit Fly and Weigh Stations

The existing manual systems involved operators driving several kilometres to change the status of signs and without visual inspection, not knowing if signs had been damaged and were in fact operating at all.

The new systems provide efficiency to the weigh station’s operation and flexibility to expand the system and easily add more signage in the future.

SAGE worked hard to deliver a user- friendly customer solution that was easily controlled by operators without any prior technical knowledge. The system was also designed in a highly modular fashion, enabling components to be easily replaced, as damage occurs frequently in the remote environments.

Project Highlights

• SAGE delivered a customer solution which was user-friendly for operators without technical knowledge giving them ongoing independence
• The system was designed with open architecture allowing the easy replacement of components in the event of breakage or vandalism, which is common in these remote locations.
• The system has resulted in improved efficiencies with the removal of frequent trips of some kilometres to manually change signs and check for damage. Operators are now aware immediately if a sign is not working as expected.
• The customer at DPTI and operators of the weigh stations are delighted with the system outcome

Capabilities Demonstrated

• Estimation and procurement

• Low voltage electrical design

• PLC design and integration

• Control panel manufacture and wiring

• Factory and Site Acceptance Testing

• HMI design and integration

• Installation and commissioning

• Documentation

• User training

Technology Utilised

• Allen Bradley Micrologix 1400 and 1100 PLCs

• Third party sign manufacturer

• Ethernet network over optic fibre