Your PLCs, backed up and checked before something breaks.
A scheduled maintenance agreement for Rockwell and Schneider control systems. Current program backups, regular health checks, and a block of engineering hours you can call on, for a fixed monthly fee.
Ask about an agreement See the plansWhat the agreement covers
Most control systems run for years without attention, until a fault, a failed processor, or a needed change shows that nobody has a current copy of the code. The agreement fixes that ahead of time.
Program backups and version control
Scheduled pulls of every PLC and HMI project on your list, labeled, compared against the last version, and stored offsite. You get a copy too, so you're never locked out of your own code.
Health checks with a written report
A review of fault logs, controller and I/O status, battery condition, firmware versions, and communications. Each visit ends with a short report: what's fine, what to watch, and what to fix.
A prepaid hour bank
Monthly engineering hours at a discount to the standard rate, for logic changes, HMI edits, troubleshooting, or documentation. Unused hours roll over for up to three months.
Priority scheduling
Agreement clients go to the front of the line. Requests are answered the next business day, and on-site work is booked ahead of non-agreement jobs.
How response works
This is a scheduled service, not a 24/7 on-call contract. Here's exactly what to expect.
| Request type | What you get | How it's billed |
|---|---|---|
| Planned work and questions | Reply by the next business day | Drawn from your hour bank |
| On-site or remote work | Evenings and weekends, scheduled within 48 hours | Drawn from your hour bank |
| Emergencies | Best-effort response, prioritized over non-agreement clients | Billed separately at the emergency rate |
If your site needs guaranteed around-the-clock response, keep a local on-call integrator for that. This agreement makes their job easier, because your backups and documentation will already be current.
How your code is protected
Your control programs run your plant. Everything below is in writing and signed before anyone touches a controller.
You own your code
All programs, backups, and documentation belong to you. ER Werks keeps no rights to them, and every copy is returned or destroyed when the agreement ends.
NDA before access
A mutual non-disclosure agreement is signed before any code, drawings, or process data is shared. It covers your programs, recipes, and network details.
A written services agreement
A master services agreement sets ownership, confidentiality, liability, and termination terms. A plan schedule lists exactly which equipment is covered.
No change without approval
No online edits without your written approval. A backup is taken before and after every change, and you get a compare report showing exactly what changed.
Secure backup storage
Backups are encrypted and kept in access-controlled storage. You receive your own copy after every backup, so you never depend on ours.
Your network, your rules
Remote access only through your VPN or tools, with your permission, and nothing of ours is left connected. On site, your lockout/tagout and safety rules apply. A certificate of insurance is provided before any site work.
Working within your IT and OT security rules
Critical facilities control what connects to their networks, and ER Werks works inside those rules. Your security policy decides which option is used:
- Facility-owned equipment. Work is done on your engineering workstations or laptops, with your software and licenses, and files stay on your systems.
- A pre-approved ER Werks laptop. A dedicated machine used only for client control-system work: fully encrypted, patched, protected with endpoint security, and never used for personal or general browsing. It's available for your IT team's inspection and approval before first use.
- Your remote-access path. Remote work goes through your VPN, jump host, or secure remote-access platform, only when you've enabled it, and the session ends when the work does.
Removable media is used only when your site allows it, and it goes through your scanning procedure first. No ER Werks device is left connected to your network.
Site safety comes first
Control panels carry real electrical hazards, and every facility has its own rules for working around them. ER Werks meets your site's requirements before any work starts, and follows them for as long as the work lasts.
Your site requirements, completed up front
Contractor orientation, safety videos, site-specific training, and any documentation your safety team requires are completed before the first visit. Training records are available on request.
Trained in electrical hazards
Work follows NFPA 70E electrical safety practice: arc flash boundaries and labels are respected, and circuits are tested before they're touched. ER Werks works in low-voltage control panels only and does not open medium- or high-voltage equipment.
Your rules, your permits
Your lockout/tagout program, work permits, escort rules, and work hours apply. Energized work happens only under your procedures and with your permit.
Stop work when it isn't safe
If conditions on site don't match what was planned, work stops until your team and ER Werks agree on a safe way forward. Schedule never outranks safety.
Connect to the PLC without opening the panel
On many panels, opening the door to plug in a laptop trips a safety interlock, stops the machine, and puts a person inside an arc flash boundary. A panel-mounted communications port fixes that.
What gets installed
A communications-only panel interface connector mounted on the outside of the enclosure: an RJ45 Ethernet pass-through (or a serial port for older controllers) in an epoxy-coated die-cast aluminum housing, with a gasketed, lever-latched cover. It carries data only, with no power outlet. It's UL-listed and rated NEMA/UL Type 12, 4, and 4X and IP65, so the panel keeps its protection.
Why it matters
Backups, online monitoring, and approved changes happen with the door closed. That means no interlock trips, no unplanned shutdowns, and less time near exposed energized parts.
Assessed during the initial walk thru
Every panel on your list is checked for access. You get a recommended parts list for each panel that would benefit from a port, with the reasoning behind each choice.
Quoted and documented
Parts and labor are quoted per panel before anything is ordered. Installation is scheduled during your planned downtime, and your panel drawings are updated to show the new port.
Plans
Start small and move up if it's useful. Every plan is month-to-month after the first quarter.
Baseline
For sites that just need a current backup and a yearly look.
- Quarterly program backups
- Annual health check and report
- Priority scheduling
- Hours billed at the standard rate as needed
Quoted per siteBased on number of controllers and HMIs
Standard
For plants that make regular small changes.
- Quarterly program backups
- Health check and report twice a year
- 4 engineering hours per month
- Priority scheduling
Quoted per siteHour bank at a discount to the standard rate
Plus
For lines with ongoing improvement work.
- Monthly program backups
- Quarterly health check and report
- 8 engineering hours per month
- Priority scheduling
Quoted per siteLargest hour-bank discount
Supported platforms
Getting started
No commitment until you've seen what your system looks like on paper.
Walk thru
After your site safety orientation, we go through your panels, list every controller, HMI, and network device to be covered, and note which panels would benefit from an external programming port.
Baseline backup
A first full backup and health check, billed once, so you have a clean starting point either way.
Agreement
You pick a plan based on what we found, and the schedule starts from there.
Request a walk thru
Send your site location, the rough number of panels and controllers, and the platforms you run. You'll get a reply within 48 hours listing the safety and contractor paperwork needed, the NDA to review, and proposed walk thru dates.