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PLC alarm SMS for Canadian plants, no modem in the panel

PLC alarm SMS doesn't need a modem in the panel. Once your HMI, SCADA, a gateway or a plant app emails the fault, Welco turns it into one short text. A lathe stops on the night shift with a broken tool, and the on-call tech reads the machine and the fault in plain words.

Text me my PLC alarmsBook a demo

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  • No SIM or modem in the panel
  • PLC logic can stay as it is
  • No per-user fees

Works by email with

  • PLC alarms
  • Ignition
  • GE iFIX

Setup guide for

  • FactoryTalk

A PLC chassis with a power supply, CPU and four I/O modules: input I:3/5 from pressure switch LT-11 chatters, the channel faults, the slot 3 FAULT LED blinks and the CPU passes the alarm to PLANT. The email reaches Welco and the phone shows: “Welco: [LT-11] STOPPED, load monitor tool broken at 5:48 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Animation: a long Machine PLC alert email is trimmed into one short text: "Welco: [LT-11] STOPPED, load monitor tool broken at 5:48 AM. Reply STOP to opt out."

What PLC alarm texts give the on-call tech

  • The machine and the fault, in words

    The text says LT-11 stopped, tool broken. Bit names and part counts stay behind in the email.

  • Only the tech who can fix it

    A rule reads the machine or cell name and texts that area's tech instead of the whole plant.

  • No SIM card in the cabinet

    Texts go out from Welco's alert numbers, so no panel needs its own cellular plan.

  • A chattering sensor stays quiet

    If a loose prox sets and clears a bit all night, flood control caps the texts until you fix the logic.

How a PLC fault turns into an email

A programmable logic controller (PLC) is the rugged industrial computer that runs a machine, a pump or a line. It knows the moment a motor trips. Most PLCs can't send email by themselves, so something beside them does it.

  • The HMI or SCADA. The screen or server reading the PLC sends an alarm email, as with FactoryTalk line alarms. It's the most common route. See the SCADA systems Welco covers.
  • The PLC itself. Some controllers and panel HMIs have an email function that logic can call when a bit turns on.
  • A gateway or RTU. A cellular or network box reads PLC tags and sends an email when one changes.
  • A plant app or database job. A small service watches tags or a SQL table and emails when a row reads ALARM.

Set up PLC alarm SMS in 4 steps

These steps assume one of the email routes above already works, or your controls team can add one. The full SCADA setup guide goes into more detail.

  1. Choose the alarms worth a text

    Pick faults that stop production or risk damage: motor overload, e-stop, low oil, high temperature, loss of air. Leave operator prompts and counters on the HMI.

  2. Approve the sender and invite your techs

    In Welco, add the address that sends the alarm email to the senders Welco trusts. Invite each tech by email. Each tech joins from their own cellphone and confirms with a YES reply.

  3. Send the alarm email to your Welco address

    In the HMI, gateway or app, add your Welco address as a recipient. Put the machine name and the fault first in the message.

  4. Trip a test fault on an idle machine

    Force a harmless alarm bit and check the text. Welco test mode shows the result in the feed without sending anything.

Get your next machine fault on a phone

Send the PLC alarm email to Welco and invite the tech on call.

7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing

Text me my PLC alarmsBook a demo

A stamping press on the night shift

An auto parts plant in southern Ontario. One fault goes to the one person who can fix it.

  1. The plant app emails the press fault

    PRESS-06 ALARM Status RUNNING/WARN ALARM_H; Hydraulic oil temp 64 C

  2. A rule picks the millwright, not the electrician

    The machine name matches the press cell, and hydraulic faults go to the on-call millwright.

  3. The millwright sees the press and the temperature

    Welco: [Press 6] Hydraulic oil temp HIGH, 64 C at 1:40 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.

  4. A short reply for the shift lead

    Oil cooler fan likely. On site in 25 min

  5. The maintenance mailbox gets the note

    Welco emails each reply to the alarm's sender. Forward a no-reply sender to the maintenance inbox.

    Reply from the on-call millwright: Oil cooler fan likely. On site in 25 min

  6. The fault is reset at the HMI

    The press alarm is cleared at the machine, as usual. Replying to a text never resets anything.

Times are an example. Text delivery depends on mobile networks.

More PLC alarm texts

Masked examples of controller faults that factories, mills and packaging lines send to a phone. A one-text trim rule shapes each one.

  • Dry kiln: Welco: [Dry Kiln 2] Circulation fan 3 TRIPPED at 12:36 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.
  • Air: Welco: [Compressor Room] Header pressure LOW, 540 kPa at 4:55 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.
  • Robot cell: Welco: [Weld Cell 5] Safety gate OPEN, cell stopped at 3:19 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.

A phone showing these alert texts: Dry kiln, "Welco: [Dry Kiln 2] Circulation fan 3 TRIPPED at 12:36 AM. Reply STOP to opt out."; Air, "Welco: [Compressor Room] Header pressure LOW, 540 kPa at 4:55 AM. Reply STOP to opt out."; Robot cell, "Welco: [Weld Cell 5] Safety gate OPEN, cell stopped at 3:19 AM. Reply STOP to opt out."

Reach the right tech, not the whole plant

PLC alarms are precise. Use that to text only the person who can fix the fault.

  • By machine or cell

    An alert rule matches the machine name and sends the text to that cell's tech.

  • By shift

    On-call routing sends night-shift faults to the on-call tech and day faults to the area lead.

  • When a fault chatters

    Add a delay or a latch in the logic first, so one fault sends one email. Flood limits protect the phone meanwhile.

Frequently asked questions

Do I still need a cellular modem or SIM card on the PLC?

Not for Welco. Texts come from Welco's alert numbers, so no SIM sits in the panel and alarms need no cellular plan. What you need is a way for the fault to become an email, such as the HMI, a gateway or a plant app.

Does Welco connect to our PLCs or the controls network?

No. Welco has no route to a controller and never reads a tag. It receives the email after your HMI, gateway or app sends it out through your mail server.

Which PLC alarms are worth a text?

Text the faults that need a person soon: line stops, motor trips, e-stops, high temperature, low pressure and lost utilities. Keep quality warnings, counts and operator prompts on the HMI. Too many texts teach techs to tune them out, so start small and add more after a week.

Can a tech reset or acknowledge a fault by replying to the text?

No. The reply is emailed to the alarm's sender so others can see who has it. Faults still get reset at the machine or the HMI.

Can one email carry several alarm bits?

Yes. Some plant apps send one email listing every active bit, such as ALARM_A and ALARM_D, and Welco sends it as one text. A rule can keep only the first line or swap codes for words. The tech reads tool broken instead of a bit number.

What does it cost to text PLC alarms?

There are no per-user, hardware or setup fees, so every tech can join. Each short alarm uses one message credit per phone it reaches. The pricing page lists the plans in US dollars.

Text controller faults to the tech who can fix them

Send your PLC alarm email to Welco and test it on an idle machine before the next night shift.

Text me my PLC alarmsBook a demo

7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing