Martin
PLC SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
Client
Otto Martin Maschinenbau GmbH & Co.
Industry
Power Tools Industry
Team size
3-6
Time frame
1 year
Technology used
The history of partnership
MARTIN & SERAPION
Otto Martin Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG is a German manufacturer of high-precision saws and milling machines for the woodworking industry, known for reliable engineering developed in close cooperation with industrial customers.
Our collaboration began during Otto Martin’s transition to a new machine generation, initiated through meetings at an industry trade fair. As the project progressed, we partnered with their internal teams and external contributors to support and complete the control software during a critical development phase, helping advance the new platform toward market readiness and laying the groundwork for continued cooperation.
Our collaboration began during Otto Martin’s transition to a new machine generation, initiated through meetings at an industry trade fair. As the project progressed, we partnered with their internal teams and external contributors to support and complete the control software during a critical development phase, helping advance the new platform toward market readiness and laying the groundwork for continued cooperation.
The vision
WHERE IT ALL BEGINS
The vision for the new machine generation was to transition from traditional analog systems to a fully digital platform. Otto Martin focused on modernizing its machines through contemporary control concepts that better align with today’s production environments and customer expectations.
Central to this vision was digital connectivity. The machines were designed to integrate with cloud-based services and modern communication standards such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, while replacing classic control panels with tablets and intuitive user interfaces. This approach enables easier operation, flexible connectivity, and provides a strong foundation for future development without compromising industrial robustness.
Central to this vision was digital connectivity. The machines were designed to integrate with cloud-based services and modern communication standards such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, while replacing classic control panels with tablets and intuitive user interfaces. This approach enables easier operation, flexible connectivity, and provides a strong foundation for future development without compromising industrial robustness.
The challenge
UNTANGLING THE KNOT
The main challenge of the project was onboarding a development team with strong object-oriented programming experience into a PLC-based environment, while joining an existing project in a later development phase. This required quickly understanding established design decisions and delivering stable results under tight time constraints.
Key challenges:
- Adapting to a PLC-based development environment using Schneider Electric Machine Expert and the Structured Text programming language
- Understanding, maintaining, and extending an existing German-language codebase
- Conducting the majority of development and testing remotely using emulators
- Coordinating onsite work to test and validate the software on real machines
The solution
HOW WE MADE IT WORK
The solution relied on fast onboarding, strong Product Owner involvement, and close team collaboration. Tasks were distributed flexibly, knowledge was shared continuously, and numerous bugs, unfinished tasks, and new features including entirely new modules were successfully delivered, leading to the launch of a new machine generation.
Accelerated project completion
- The development team was extended during a critical phase to remove bottlenecks
- Additional capacity supported timely delivery without disrupting established workflows or internal team ownership.
- Close coordination ensured stable progress despite tight deadlines and limited room for architectural change.
From backlog to market readiness
- Open backlog items were resolved by fixing bugs and completing unfinished functionality across the system.
- New features, including tablet connectivity, were implemented within the PLC-based platform.
- The result was a stable, production-ready control system supporting the machine launch.
The outcome was a stable, production-ready control software foundation that supported the successful launch of Otto Martin’s new machine generation and enabled future extensibility through modern connectivity.
The value
IMPACT THAT MATTERS
Demonstrated measurable value by strengthening delivery capacity, reducing risk, and enabling teams to meet critical deadlines.
Benefits delivered:
- Extended existing project teams to overcome timeline bottlenecks during critical phases
- Accelerated delivery by adding capacity without disrupting established processes or team ownership
- Enabled a flexible and scalable team setup that could grow or shrink based on project needs
- Covered multiple roles as required, including software development, DevOps, and UI/UX design.
- Reduced project risk and supported the achievement of key milestones under tight deadlines
Skills that stand out
CORE STRENGTHS
Adaptility
Quickly adapting from object-oriented development to a PLC environment and new programming paradigms.
Flexibility in Team Scaling
Seamlessly extending an existing team with the right mix of roles, scaling expertise and capacity as project needs evolved over time.
Collaboration
Working effectively across development, product, and UI/UX roles while supporting internal and external stakeholders.
Onsite & Communication
Ability to work remotely when needed, while also presenting, testing, and aligning directly onsite with engineers and stakeholders on real machines.