Summary

Physical, biological, and chemical technologies for wastewater treatment: Upflow needed a complete PLC to Cloud solution for their unique, comprehensive set of wastewater treatment systems that target a broad range of industrial and agricultural needs. Upflow partnered with RDT, a local Unitronics’ distributor—and created a complete control, motion, and IIoT Cloud solution that provides tiered cloud access for their clients.

About the Company

Upflow is a company with a mission: to develop, design, and produce wastewater treatment facilities that can prevent environmental hazards. Founded in 2018 by environmental engineers Udi Buju and Rotem Potok, the company specializes in agricultural wastewater treatment, particularly for dairy farms, where significant volumes of cow manure and effluent create substantial environmental burdens through water pollution, land degradation, and greenhouse gas emissions. The Upflow team is dedicated to enabling clients to meet stringent legal, health, and environmental standards through their Upflow Filtration Technology systems. The company provides comprehensive support from initial concept through project completion, implementing innovative solutions that address the unique challenges of agricultural wastewater management.

From Complexity to Clarity: the Single-Source Solution

When Upflow partnered with RDT, a local Unitronics distributor, they weren't just choosing a technology vendor—they were selecting a comprehensive ecosystem that would eliminate the integration headaches inherent in multi-vendor automation projects. The Unitronics platform offered an end-to-end complete hardware-software-cloud solution that allows engineers to focus on process optimization and skip compatibility troubleshooting.

The Hardware—Beyond Control

By using the Unitronics hardware components listed below, Upflow benefits from instant, automatic integration.

• UniStream Cloud-inside PLCs: are the heart of Upflow's systems, handling every aspect of control: motors, tanks, pumps, flowmeters, blowers, taps and more—while providing transparent integration to Unitronics’ UniCloud IIoT platform.
  The PLC harvests application data, and can display it via Trends on HMI and webpages—and can automatically transmit it via MQTT to UniCloud for storage, analysis, and display.
• Unitronics VFDs: implement precise motor control for pumps, blowers, and mixing systems, enabling energy-efficient operation with automatic optimization.
• Long-range I/O: where required, Upflow uses Unitronics’ remote Ethernet I/O; future client installations may rely on Unitronics’ broad range ofIO-Link masters and hubs.

The Software That Simplifies

All hardware configuration, commissioning, communications, PLC control tasks, every aspect of HMI / webpage design, and motion were performed in UniLogic free software.

• PLC control: the team programs all control tasks in Ladder, C, or Structured Text.
• HMI & Webpage application: easy drag&drop graphic elements and widgets made it easy to design the interface, enabling live application data Trend display and access to authorized staff.
• Motion: UniLogic’s Ready-Made motion code and HMI application enabled Upflow to configure the VFDs and run autotune simply by tapping the pre-designed screens—and enabled them to immediately execute VFD movements such as Jog.

Key Application Features

Tiered Administration and Maintenance

The partnership between Upflow and RDT extends far beyond equipment supply—it represents a collaborative approach to system design, regulatory compliance, and ongoing maintenance and optimization. Together, they analyze each client's specific requirements, design customized solutions, and ensure all systems meet regulatory standards before installation.

Post-installation administration leverages both UniCloud and UniStream webserver capabilities to provide appropriate access levels for different user roles. Municipal overseers can monitor compliance parameters, site managers can track operational efficiency, and operators can control daily processes—all through interfaces designed for their specific needs and responsibilities.

Intelligent notification systems automatically distribute alarms and alerts to appropriate personnel via email or SMS, ensuring that critical issues receive immediate attention regardless of time or location.

UniCloud: no-code IIoT

UniCloud, Unitronics no-code IIoT platform, enable Upflow and RDT to create custom dashboards via drag & drop widgets, dashboards that are customized to the client and the client’s user roles. UniCloud also provides the continuous monitoring required for regulatory compliance as well as automatic data management, including:

• Comprehensive data logging for regulatory compliance
• Automated report generation for environmental monitoring
• Performance analytics for system optimization
• Predictive maintenance scheduling based on operational data

UniCloud also provides secure VPN connections for troubleshooting and system updates

Scalability and Future-Proofing

The modular architecture of Upflow's Unitronics-based solution provides seamless scalability to accommodate business growth. The system supports up to 2,048 I/O points, while Unitronics commitment to development ensures compatibility with emerging industrial communication standards. Unlimited cloud dashboard creation and user management features provide operational flexibility that adapts to changing business requirements.

The Unified Ecosystem Advantage

Unitronics solution is seamless because all components—PLCs, HMIs, AC Servo Drives, VFDs, the software that supports it, and the UniCloud no-code IIoT platform—are all developed as one complete system.

This eliminates the compatibility issues that affect multi-vendor systems, while single-source support provides unified technical assistance for all system components.

Reduced complexity translates to simplified installation, commissioning, and maintenance procedures—and free UniLogic software eliminates ongoing licensing fees.

Conclusion: Strategic Advantage

The collaboration between Upflow and RDT demonstrates the power of integrated automation solutions in addressing complex environmental challenges. By leveraging Unitronics' comprehensive PLC-to-Cloud platform, the partnership has created a scalable, efficient, and future-ready system that transforms wastewater treatment operations from reactive maintenance to proactive optimization.

"When we started Upflow, we knew that traditional wastewater treatment methods weren't sustainable for the future of dairy farming," said Udi Buju, CEO and Co-founder of Upflow. "With Unitronics, we are able to contribute to broader sustainability goals by reducing water pollution, minimizing land degradation, and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.