The Controls and Automation Engineering Technician is the central nervous system of a modern cannabis cultivation facility. This role ensures that the complex network of automated systems functions with precision and reliability. These systems govern every critical environmental variable required for high-yield, consistent crop production. The technician manages the Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) that form the backbone of the facility's infrastructure. This position directly enables the precise, repeatable execution of cultivation strategies, translating agronomic science into tangible, high-quality product. The role's performance is critical for maximizing asset utilization, preventing catastrophic crop loss, and ensuring the facility can scale its operations effectively and profitably. The professional in this role works at the intersection of agricultural science, information technology, and industrial engineering.
The day's activities start with a comprehensive systems check from the central control room. The technician reviews the SCADA dashboard, which provides a high-level overview of the entire cultivation facility. This includes the status of dozens of flowering rooms, vegetative zones, and mother plant areas. The initial focus is on verifying that key environmental parameters like temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, and light intensity are within their prescribed setpoints for each specific crop stage. The technician looks for any active alarms or anomalous data trends that may indicate a developing issue with HVAC units, fertigation pumps, or lighting controllers.
An alert on the SCADA screen indicates a minor deviation in the Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) for Flowering Room 12. VPD is a critical metric for plant transpiration and health. The technician remotely connects to the Allen-Bradley PLC that manages the environmental controls for that room. By analyzing the PLC's ladder logic and monitoring real-time sensor inputs, the technician identifies that a dehumidifier's cycle time is slightly extended. A physical inspection is required. On the cultivation floor, the technician uses a multimeter to test the contactor for the dehumidifier unit, finding a small voltage drop that suggests early-stage mechanical wear. A work order is created in the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) to schedule a preventative replacement of the part during the next scheduled dark cycle to avoid disrupting the plants' photoperiod.
Midday work often involves project-based tasks. Today, the cultivation team is preparing to introduce a new nutrient recipe for a specific cultivar. The technician collaborates with the Head Agronomist to program this new recipe into the automated fertigation system's controller. This involves updating the sequence of valve openings, pump speeds, and mixing durations within the Allen-Bradley PLC. The technician then calibrates the pH and electrical conductivity (EC) sensors in the nutrient mixing tank to ensure the new recipe is delivered with absolute precision. After programming, a test batch is run with plain water to verify that all pumps, valves, and flow meters are responding correctly before the new nutrient mix is introduced into the live system.
The afternoon may bring an urgent maintenance request. A Human-Machine Interface (HMI) screen in one of the drying rooms has become unresponsive, preventing the staff from monitoring or adjusting the room's conditions. The technician responds to the area, troubleshoots the network connection between the HMI panel and the master PLC, and discovers a loose Ethernet cable. After securing the connection, the system is rebooted and tested to confirm full functionality. The entire event, from the initial trouble ticket to the resolution, is documented in the MES. This data logging is crucial for tracking equipment reliability and identifying recurring issues. The day concludes with a final review of the SCADA system's historical data logs, searching for subtle performance degradation in pumps or fans that could signal a need for future maintenance.
The Controls and Automation Engineering Technician has ownership over three primary domains of operational technology:
The Controls and Automation Engineering Technician directly influences key business performance metrics through the following mechanisms:
| Impact Area | Strategic Influence |
|---|---|
| Cash | Reduces operational cash burn by optimizing energy consumption through fine-tuned HVAC and lighting controls and minimizing costly emergency repairs through preventative maintenance identified via SCADA data. |
| Profits | Directly increases profitability by maximizing system uptime, which prevents crop loss. Ensures environmental consistency, leading to higher yields and cannabinoid profiles that fetch higher prices. |
| Assets | Extends the operational lifespan of multi-million dollar capital assets like HVAC systems, chillers, and fertigation equipment by using MES and SCADA data to implement predictive maintenance schedules. |
| Growth | Enables rapid and successful facility expansion by creating and maintaining standardized, well-documented control system architectures (e.g., Allen-Bradley based) that can be reliably duplicated in new locations. |
| People | Improves labor efficiency by automating repetitive tasks like irrigation and environmental adjustments. A stable, well-managed control system reduces stress on cultivation staff and allows them to focus on plant health. |
| Products | Guarantees product consistency from batch to batch by enforcing precise environmental and nutrient recipes through automation. This is critical for building brand reputation and customer loyalty. |
| Legal Exposure | Mitigates risk by ensuring that all automated processes are logged in the MES and SCADA historian, providing a defensible, time-stamped record of operations for regulatory audits (e.g., proving adherence to water usage or waste protocols). |
| Compliance | Provides the data infrastructure required for seed-to-sale tracking systems by ensuring the MES accurately captures all production steps, linking specific environmental conditions and nutrient batches to the final product. |
| Regulatory | Supports environmental compliance by managing and logging data related to water recycling, energy usage, and nutrient discharge, which are increasingly scrutinized by state and local agencies. |
Reports To: This position typically reports to the Director of Cultivation Infrastructure, Engineering Manager, or Director of Operations.
Similar Roles: This role is functionally equivalent to an Industrial Controls Technician, Automation Specialist, or Instrumentation and Controls (I&C) Technician in other manufacturing sectors. Job titles like PLC Technician or SCADA Technician are also common. Within the broader facility management context, it aligns with a Building Automation Systems (BAS) Specialist, but with a specific focus on the process control needs of cultivation rather than general facility comfort.
Works Closely With: This position is a critical partner to the Head of Cultivation and Head Agronomist to translate cultivation goals into automated programs. The technician also works closely with the Maintenance Department on mechanical repairs and the IT Department to manage the underlying network infrastructure for the control systems.
Proficiency with specific industrial automation technologies is required:
Top candidates for this role often come from other highly automated industries where precision and uptime are critical:
The role demands a specific blend of technical and professional attributes:
These organizations establish the standards and best practices that define excellence for a Controls and Automation Technician:
| Acronym/Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| HMI | Human-Machine Interface. A graphical user interface (often a touchscreen) that allows an operator to interact with a control system. |
| I/O | Input/Output. The physical connection points on a PLC that receive signals from sensors (inputs) and send signals to actuators (outputs). |
| Ladder Logic | A graphical programming language used to program PLCs, based on the structure of electrical relay logic diagrams. |
| MES | Manufacturing Execution System. Software that connects the plant floor (SCADA/PLC) to enterprise business systems, managing and tracking production activities. |
| PID Loop | Proportional-Integral-Derivative Loop. A control loop feedback mechanism widely used in industrial control systems to continuously maintain a process variable at a desired setpoint. |
| PLC | Programmable Logic Controller. A ruggedized industrial computer that automates processes by reading inputs from sensors and controlling outputs like motors and valves. Allen-Bradley is a leading brand. |
| SCADA | Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. A software system that provides high-level supervision of a facility, gathering data from PLCs and providing a centralized control interface. |
| VFD | Variable Frequency Drive. An electronic device that controls the speed of an AC electric motor by controlling the frequency of the electrical power supplied to it. |
| VPD | Vapor Pressure Deficit. The difference between the amount of moisture in the air and how much moisture the air can hold when it is saturated. A critical parameter for managing plant transpiration. |
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