INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION & MANUFACTURING
Sertel's PreciseSync NTP and PTP time servers lock every PLC, SCADA station, robotic cell and IIoT gateway on your plant network to a single satellite-derived UTC reference, so alarm logs, historians and MES downtime records tell the same story.
<100 ns
PPS ACCURACY TO UTC
184
GNSS TRACKING CHANNELS
<1 microsecond
NTP TIMESTAMP AT SERVER
THE HIDDEN CLOCK ON YOUR PRODUCTION FLOOR
Modern industrial automation is not a single machine controlled by a single computer. It is a layered network of PLCs, DCS controllers, SCADA servers, HMIs, robotic cells, vision systems, MES terminals, energy meters and IIoT edge gateways, and unless someone has told them otherwise, every one of those devices is keeping its own internal clock.
Clock drift across OT networks is quiet and cumulative. A packaging line PLC logs an overload fault at 11:02:14.410. The SCADA historian records the same event at 11:02:15.020. The MES downtime module writes it at 11:02:13.890. Three systems, three timestamps, a 1.1-second spread, and an engineering team that spends the next shift debating sequence instead of fixing the cause.
Sertel's PreciseSync family exists to remove that ambiguity at the source. The SMC-300 series is a stratum 1 NTP time server for factories where PLCs, HMIs and historians communicate over standard Ethernet. The GMC-300 series adds IEEE 1588v2 PTP grandmaster capability for robotic cells, motion controllers and precision process equipment that need nanosecond-grade coordination. Both series are available in rack-mount, fully redundant, and compact DIN rail form factors to match the physical realities of your installation.
The problem
These are the failure patterns our field engineers encounter most often during controls audits, factory acceptance tests and digital-transformation commissioning across discrete and process manufacturing sites.
Alarm logs and historian records that disagree on sequence
When a conveyor stop, a quality reject or a safety interlock event is logged by different systems with different clocks, the post-event investigation cannot determine root cause with confidence. Root-cause meetings turn into log-reconciliation exercises, and corrective actions are delayed.
Legacy PLCs sharing a network with modern PTP-capable controllers
Older PLCs and RTUs on the factory floor often expect IRIG-B or a hardwired pulse signal, while newer robotic arms, servo drives and smart sensors run on PTP-aware Ethernet. Plants juggling two separate, unlinked time systems pay the maintenance cost of both and get the reliability of neither.
Traceability records that cannot be audited with confidence
IATF 16949, ISO 9001, FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and customer quality audits all require batch, recipe, inspection and process records to carry a consistent, traceable timestamp. When plant clocks drift independently, traceability data becomes difficult to reconcile across systems and difficult to defend in an audit.
Segmented OT networks with no safe external time source
IEC 62443 segmentation requirements and plant cybersecurity policies typically prevent the OT network from reaching a public NTP pool. Without an on-premises stratum 1 source, engineers either introduce an unacceptable network risk to get a time reference or accept free-running clocks that drift indefinitely.
The Sertel solution
The PreciseSync family was engineered for plants where legacy IRIG-B devices, standard Ethernet/IP PLCs and PTP-aware robotic cells all coexist on the same network. Connect the GNSS antenna, assign an IP address and every OT device on the plant network locks to UTC within minutes. No public internet dependency, no firewall exceptions, no second time system to maintain.
PreciseSync-SMC-300 (NTP)
A compact 1U 19-inch rack-mount stratum 1 NTP time server with 184-channel GNSS reception, OCXO holdover and IRIG-B output. The standard platform for synchronising PLCs, SCADA servers, HMIs, historians and Ethernet-connected field devices across the plant LAN.
PreciseSync-GMC-300 (PTP)
A compact 1U 19-inch rack-mount PTP IEEE 1588v2 grandmaster server. Supports P2P and E2E delay mechanisms, 1-step and 2-step operation, and multiple IEEE 1588 power and telecom profiles. The right choice for motion-control cells, servo drives and precision process controllers that need sub-100 nanosecond coordination.
PreciseSync-SMC-300-R and GMC-300-R (Redundant)
Purpose-built for critical automation environments where unplanned downtime carries a high operational cost. Redundancy is built in at every system level: dual GPS receivers, dual master clocks, comparator units and dual power supplies. A component failure or satellite outage does not interrupt time distribution, even for a moment.
PreciseSync-SMC-300-D and GMC-300-D (DIN Rail)
A DIN rail-mounted GPS time server in a compact form factor designed for direct installation inside industrial control cabinets and distribution panels. Available in both NTP and PTP variants. Ideal for distributed plant-floor panels, remote line controllers and anywhere 19-inch rack space is not available.
Multi-GNSS receiver
A 184-channel parallel-tracking receiver acquires GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and NavIC-IRNSS signals simultaneously. Multi-constellation operation provides a more resilient satellite lock inside steel-frame buildings with roof-mounted antenna runs, reducing the probability of holdover activation in typical plant environments.
OCXO holdover stability
All PreciseSync models are fitted with a high-stability oven-controlled oscillator that maintains microsecond-level frequency accuracy through temporary GNSS signal loss. Production timestamps remain trustworthy during antenna maintenance, shielding events or short satellite outages without any operator intervention.
Applications
Discrete assembly and packaging lines
Synchronises line PLCs, conveyors, reject stations and end-of-line test cells so micro-stop and unplanned-downtime analysis reconciles to a single verified timeline. IRIG-B outputs keep existing hardwired event recorders and sequence-of-events loggers on the same reference.
Robotic and motion-control cells
The GMC-300 PTP grandmaster delivers sub-100 nanosecond coordination for multi-axis robotic welding, pick-and-place and vision-guided assembly cells, ensuring that hand-off sequences and inspection timing are precisely coordinated across controllers from multiple vendors.
Process and batch manufacturing
Time-stamps recipe changes, quality holds, in-process measurement events and batch completion records for traceability across pharmaceutical, food, beverage and fine-chemical lines. Consistent timestamps across DCS controllers and SCADA servers simplify both batch review and deviation investigation.
MES and production historian integration
Aligns MES transaction logs and plant historians to a shared UTC reference so OEE calculations, yield reports and downtime summaries are derived from one consistent clock. Removes the reconciliation step that is otherwise needed when data from multiple systems is aggregated for analysis.
Automotive and electronics assembly
Synchronises torque tools, AOI vision stations, functional test rigs and end-of-line audit stations for IATF 16949 and IPC-A-610 traceability across high-mix, high-volume lines. A shared UTC reference makes it straightforward to reconstruct the build sequence for any serialised unit.
IIoT, edge gateways and condition monitoring
Provides a trusted, on-premises time reference for edge computing nodes and vibration, temperature and power-quality sensors feeding predictive-maintenance and energy-management platforms. Consistent timestamping across edge and cloud tiers is the foundation for reliable AI and analytics workloads.
From our commissioning logs
During a plant-wide digitalisation project at a twelve-line process manufacturing facility, the customer's MES team identified a recurring problem: OEE calculations for any shift where a major stoppage occurred differed by two to four minutes depending on whether the figure was pulled from the line PLC logs, the SCADA historian or the MES downtime module. Each system was confident in its own record. No single system was wrong. They simply had never agreed on the time.
We deployed PreciseSync-SMC-300 NTP servers as the primary time source on the plant Ethernet backbone, and fitted PreciseSync-SMC-300-D DIN rail units inside three remote line controller panels that were not connected to the main rack infrastructure. IRIG-B outputs from the SMC-300 rack units brought the older DCS controllers onto the same reference. Within one shift of commissioning, every log on the network was timestamped from the same satellite-derived UTC source.
The next planned maintenance window, three days later, produced a clean, time-aligned event sequence across all twelve lines. The shift manager closed the investigation in two hours instead of two days. The operations team have since extended the deployment to their robotic welding cells using the PreciseSync-GMC-300 PTP grandmaster. When every system agrees on the time, investigations are about fixing processes, not reconciling logs.
Relevant products
GPS / GNSS NTP TIME SERVER
A 1U 19 inch rack Stratum 1 server with 14 ns timing accuracy under GNSS lock and a front-panel LCD. It drives slave clocks and digital displays directly, alongside NTP, IRIG-B and DCF77 outputs.
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GPS / GNSS NTP Time Server
Duplicated GPS receivers, master clocks, comparator units and power supplies on Eurocard PCB construction. Built for substations and control systems that must keep time through a component failure.
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Stratum-1 GNSS Time Server
A panel-mounted Stratum 1 server for control cabinets without rack space. It sends IRIG-B (AM) and NTP over Ethernet to SCADA, IEDs and protection relays from a single DIN rail unit.
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Stratum-1 GNSS Time Server
A compact 19 inch rack PTP time server with OCXO holdover and 15 ns timing accuracy under GNSS lock. One unit feeds PTP Ethernet, IRIG-B, 1PPS and any number of slave clocks.
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Redundant Stratum 1 GNSS Time Server
Redundant GNSS receivers, master clocks, comparator and dual power supplies in a 2U or 3U Eurocard chassis. Built for substations and control rooms where time must never stop.
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Stratum-1 PTP Time Server, DIN Rail
A panel-mounted PTP time server that fits inside control cabinets without rack space. Delivers IRIG-B (AM) and PTP Ethernet from a multi-constellation GNSS receiver with OCXO holdover.
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Digital Display
A five-digit LED readout of supply frequency for substations, generating stations and switchyards. It gives operators an at-a-glance view of grid conditions alongside the station clock.
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MULTI-FREQUENCY · MULTI-CONSTELLATION GNSS
Multi-constellation GNSS reception for positioning, navigation and timing, with interfaces and configurations matched to the application.
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Renewable & Solar Solutions
Monitor PV string current, voltage, power and temperature through a card designed for integration into solar monitoring systems.
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LoRa RF Industrial Transceiver
An industrial LoRa RF gateway linking remote monitoring points to a Modbus-ready network, with local data logging.
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24-BIT SIGMA-DELTA ADC | METER AND CONTROLLER VARIANTS
A microcontroller-based panel instrument that converts 4-20 mA process signals into clear, stable indication and dependable set-point control.
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DUAL-BAND INFRARED - HANDHELD - INDUSTRIAL GRADE
A handheld infrared imager for inspecting panels, switchgear, motors and process lines under load. It shows heat patterns the eye misses, so loose joints, overloaded phases and failing bearings are found and recorded without contact.
Know moreFAQ
Talk to a Sertel field engineer about specifying the right PreciseSync model for your automation site. We help you choose between NTP, PTP, rack-mount, redundant and DIN rail variants based on your existing network, controller mix and reliability requirements. * Request a quote (primary button) * +91 98400 63003 (secondary call button)
