5 COMMON INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION PROJECT MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
An industrial automation project rarely fails because a robot, PLC, or vision system cannot perform its task. More often, the real problems arise much earlier: when the project is defined, responsibilities are divided, or important assumptions are left unchallenged.
At PJM, we have worked with complex production challenges since 1960. Across pharmaceutical, medical device, and industrial manufacturing, we repeatedly encounter the same five automation project risks: starting with the technology, separating IT from production, writing the wrong specification, underestimating integration, and choosing a supplier primarily on price.
STARTING WITH THE SOLUTION INSTEAD OF THE PROBLEM
“We need a robot.”
“This process must be automated.”
Many automation projects begin with a preferred solution already in mind. The technology has effectively been chosen before the underlying production problem has been properly examined.
The risk is that a business automates a process that should first have been simplified, redesigned, or removed. The system may meet its technical specification and still fail to deliver the expected business value. Before considering technology, the objective must be clear. Is the purpose to increase capacity, improve consistency, reduce manual handling, strengthen traceability, or remove a quality bottleneck?
A structured front-end design phase can expose assumptions before they become embedded in the final concept. If the project team can describe the equipment in detail but cannot define the production problem in measurable terms, the project has probably started in the wrong place.
At PJM, we challenge assumptions early through a structured front-end engineering phase. By deeply analysing your core production processes alongside your team before committing to a final concept, we ensure we solve the root operational issue rather than simply automating a sub-optimal process.
ALLOWING IT AND PRODUCTION TO WORK IN SILOS
Modern industrial automation connects machinery, control systems, production data and business software. It therefore sits directly between production, engineering, and IT.
When these functions work in isolation, critical questions are addressed too late. IT requirements—such as data security, network architecture, user management, and system interfaces—are treated as an afterthought rather than core requirements.
The result is often delayed commissioning, security vulnerabilities, or expensive redesigns when the equipment arrives on the factory floor. Successful projects involve both IT and operational teams from the very beginning.
We facilitate early cross-functional alignment between IT, engineering, and operations from day one. By co-designing software architectures, cybersecurity standards, and interface specifications up front, PJM eliminates late-stage integration obstacles.
MAKING THE SPECIFICATION TOO VAGUE – OR TOO RIGID
A vague automation requirements specification leaves too much room for interpretation. Requirements such as “the system must be user-friendly” or “the machine must be flexible” do not explain how the result will be tested or accepted.
This can create different expectations between the customer and the machine builder. The disagreement often becomes visible during Factory Acceptance Testing, when changes are expensive, and the time schedule is already under pressure.
The opposite problem is a requirement specification that dictates every technical decision in advance. An overly rigid document can lock the project into an unsuitable concept and prevent an experienced automation supplier from suggesting a more effective approach.
A strong specification should be precise about required outcomes, performance, product variants, interfaces, documentation, and acceptance criteria. At the same time, it should leave room for informed decisions about how those outcomes are achieved.
PJM’s approach to automation development and design combines functional specifications, design reviews, end-user involvement, and structured testing. The aim is to maintain alignment without preventing better solutions from emerging.
UNDERESTIMATING INTEGRATION AND DATA FLOW
The machine is not the complete automation solution.
Most industrial automation systems must exchange information with existing equipment, sensors, and ERP, MES, SCADA, or quality management systems. In pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing, the solution may also need to support strict requirements for traceability, documentation and validation.
Which system owns the data? What happens if the interface is interrupted? How are rejected products recorded? Who is responsible when information is exchanged between systems?
If these questions are postponed until commissioning, even a small uncertainty can delay the delivery of the entire production line. The individual machine may be mechanically complete and functionally tested while the surrounding integration is still not ready.
Industrial automation integration should therefore be treated as a core project deliverable, with clearly defined interfaces, responsibilities and test criteria. PJM’s custom automation solutions bring mechanical engineering, control systems, software, documentation and integration together within the same project.
Integration should never be reduced to a single unexplained line in the project scope.
CHOOSING AN AUTOMATION SUPPLIER PRIMARILY ON PRICE
The lowest quotation rarely tells the full financial story.
Additional engineering hours, change requests, weak documentation, extended commissioning, or production downtime can quickly offset a lower initial price. These costs often remain invisible during procurement because they occur later in the equipment lifecycle.
Supplier selection should consider industry experience, integration capabilities, project management, documentation, service capacity, and the ability to challenge assumptions. Not just the purchase price. The right automation partner does more than follow a specification. It identifies missing requirements and understands how decisions made during design will affect operation, maintenance, and future changes.
As discussed in PJM’s article on total cost of ownership, the cheaper option can become the more expensive solution once verification, compliance, maintenance, and long-term reliability are considered. A quotation describes what the supplier expects to deliver. Competence determines what happens when reality differs from that expectation.
PJM provides total cost of ownership clarity from day one. By offering end-to-end transparency, robust risk-mitigation frameworks, and lifecycle-focused project execution, we ensure predictable investments and long-term operational reliability.
THE MOST EXPENSIVE MISTAKES HAPPEN EARLY
These five industrial automation project mistakes cannot usually be solved by adding more technology. They require clear objectives, early collaboration, and an automation partner capable of seeing beyond the immediate equipment specification.
Navigating these challenges successfully is a shared responsibility. Mitigating project risks is not something a client should handle alone. It relies on close, continuous collaboration. A strong partnership with an experienced automation partner creates substantial value, as these risks are best managed through joint expertise, transparent communication, and shared objectives.
PJM designs, engineers, and builds tailor-made automation solutions for pharmaceutical, medical device, and industrial manufacturers. We support projects from initial concept and prototyping through design, installation, commissioning, documentation, validation support, and after-sales service.
The objective is not simply to deliver equipment that works at handover. It is to create a reliable production solution that continues to deliver value in daily operation for many years to come.
Contact PJM if you are planning an industrial automation project or if an existing project has become more complex than expected. An early conversation can reveal the risks that are easiest to overlook – before they become costly.