EST. 1998 · CONTROLS ENGINEERING

Industrial PLC engineering, re-imagined with AI.

Dorn Systems designs, programs, and commissions the control systems that run modern factories — and we pair that field-proven expertise with AI tooling that generates ladder logic, reverse-engineers legacy code, and accelerates commissioning.

Explore AI + PLC View 2026 Seminars
Years in the field
27
Systems deployed
640+
PLC platforms
12
01 · ABOUT DORN SYSTEMS

Controls engineers who live on the plant floor — and in the IDE.

For nearly three decades Dorn Systems has designed, wired, and programmed the automation that keeps real production lines moving. We build from the I/O up: panel layout, power distribution, safety, PLC logic, HMI, SCADA, and data historians — all validated in the field, not just in simulation.

Field-hardened

Our engineers commission on-site. Every line of logic we ship has been stepped through on live iron, not just emulated.

Documentation first

Every rung commented, every tag normalized, every I/O map delivered. Your maintenance team should never be stuck decoding someone else's mystery routine.

Platform-agnostic

Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Beckhoff, Omron, Mitsubishi, Modicon — we work in whatever stack your plant already runs, and we migrate between them when it's time.

AI-augmented workflow

We've integrated large language models into our engineering process so that generation, translation, and review of PLC code happen in hours, not weeks.

02 · CAPABILITIES

What we do, end-to-end.

From greenfield line builds to brownfield retrofits and legacy-code modernization, we handle the full controls stack.

01

PLC Programming

Ladder Logic, Function Block, Structured Text, and SFC across all major platforms. Standards-based libraries reduce commissioning time by up to 40%.

  • LD
  • FBD
  • ST
  • SFC
02

HMI & SCADA

FactoryTalk, WinCC, Ignition, Wonderware. High-performance HMI design following ISA-101 so operators see what matters, fast.

  • ISA-101
  • Ignition
  • WinCC
03

Safety Systems

SIL-rated safety PLCs, risk assessments, light-curtain & e-stop integration, and full documentation packages for compliance.

  • SIL-2/3
  • ISO 13849
  • Lockout
04

Industrial Networks

EtherNet/IP, Profinet, Modbus TCP, OPC UA. Segmented IT/OT architectures with managed switches and hardened firewalls.

  • OPC UA
  • Profinet
  • MQTT
05

Legacy Migration

PLC-5 → ControlLogix, S5 → S7, and proprietary legacy platforms translated, tested, and cut over with zero production loss.

  • PLC-5
  • SLC-500
  • S5/S7
06

Data & MES Integration

Historians, OEE dashboards, SQL/MES connectors, and edge-to-cloud pipelines that turn floor data into decisions.

  • Historian
  • OEE
  • Edge
03 · AI + PLC

AI is finally useful on the plant floor. Here's how we use it.

Large language models trained on industrial code and PLC documentation have become accurate enough to ship. We use them every day — with strict human review — to generate logic, explain legacy routines, and surface design issues before commissioning.

GEN

Generate Ladder & Structured Text

Describe the machine in plain English — "two-stage conveyor with photo-eye gating and reject kicker" — and receive clean, commented LD or ST as a starting point, matched to your tag naming standard.

(* Generated by AI · reviewed by engineer *)
IF PhotoEye_1 AND NOT RejectActive THEN
  ConveyorA.Run := TRUE;
  PartCounter := PartCounter + 1;
ELSIF RejectActive THEN
  Kicker.Pulse(500);
END_IF;
RE

Explain & Reverse-Engineer Legacy Code

Got a 1990s PLC-5 program with no documentation and a retired author? We ingest the L5K / ACD / S5D and produce human-readable narratives, I/O maps, and modernized equivalents.

  • Narrative per routine, per rung
  • Auto-generated tag dictionary
  • Dead-code & force-list report
  • Translation to ControlLogix / S7
FB

Suggest Function Blocks

Our internal assistant watches your project in-context and recommends reusable AOIs/FBs from your own library — or your vendor's — before you re-implement something for the fifth time.

  • Matches by intent, not just name
  • Respects your coding standard
  • Surfaces parameter gaps early
AC

Auto-Complete Logic

Rung-level autocomplete that understands your tags, your safety standards, and your machine state. Think "Copilot, but it knows what a seal-in is."

Our AI-assisted workflow

  1. 01

    Capture intent

    We interview your process engineers and ingest existing code & docs.

  2. 02

    AI drafts

    Models propose logic, tags, and FB structure matched to your standard.

  3. 03

    Engineer reviews

    A senior controls engineer rewrites, signs off, and tests each routine.

  4. 04

    Commission on iron

    On-site FAT/SAT, tuning, and operator handoff — fully documented.

04 · 2026 SEMINAR SERIES

AI for PLC Engineers — the next 12 months.

Hands-on, half-day sessions for working controls engineers. Bring a laptop; leave with working examples in your own environment. Seating limited to 20 per session.

  • MAY 14 2026
    Generate LD / ST Cincinnati, OH · In-person + Live Stream

    Prompt-to-Ladder: Turning plain-English specs into production-ready logic

    Build a prompt library, calibrate an LLM against your coding standard, and generate a bottling-line sequence live. Leave with reusable templates and a ControlLogix ACD.

    08:30 – 12:30 EDT
  • JUN 18 2026
    Legacy Reverse-Engineering Detroit, MI · In-person

    Decoding the 1990s: AI-assisted analysis of PLC-5, SLC-500 & Siemens S5

    Bring your oldest mystery program. We'll ingest the L5K/S5D, auto-generate narratives and tag dictionaries, and sketch a migration path to a modern platform.

    09:00 – 13:00 EDT
  • JUL 23 2026
    Function Blocks Virtual · Live Workshop

    Reusable by design: AI-suggested AOIs and Function Blocks

    Train a lightweight retrieval model on your own FB library. Watch the assistant propose the right block — with the right parameters — as you build a new skid.

    10:00 – 14:00 EDT
  • AUG 20 2026
    Auto-Complete Logic Chicago, IL · In-person + Live Stream

    Copilot for Controls: rung-level autocomplete that respects your standards

    Configure an in-IDE assistant for Studio 5000 / TIA Portal / TwinCAT. We cover tag-aware suggestions, safety-rule guardrails, and keeping the model off your network.

    08:30 – 12:30 CDT
  • SEP 17 2026
    Generate LD / ST Pittsburgh, PA · In-person

    From P&ID to PLC: auto-generating batch logic for process plants

    Feed a P&ID + control narrative to an LLM pipeline and produce ISA-88-compliant phase logic. Hands-on exercise with a sample CIP skid.

    09:00 – 13:00 EDT
  • OCT 15 2026
    Legacy Reverse-Engineering Virtual · Live Workshop

    Migration clinic: translating legacy PLC-5 to ControlLogix with AI

    Bring a real export. Walk out with a side-by-side translated project, a test harness, and a cut-over checklist.

    10:00 – 14:00 EDT
  • NOV 12 2026
    Function Blocks Houston, TX · In-person

    Building an AI-indexed FB library for your organization

    End-to-end: curate your function blocks, embed them, expose them to the assistant, and measure reuse across multiple projects.

    09:00 – 13:00 CST
  • JAN 21 2027
    Auto-Complete Logic Virtual · Live Workshop

    On-prem & air-gapped: running PLC autocomplete without leaving your network

    Deploy a local code assistant for controls work. Hardware sizing, fine-tuning with your standards, and integrating with Studio 5000 and TIA Portal.

    10:00 – 14:00 EST
05 · GET IN TOUCH

Let's look at your line.

Tell us what platform you're on, where you're stuck, and what success looks like. A senior engineer — not a sales rep — will respond inside one business day.