What We Do

Find the gaps. Automate. Scale.

MDCI closes automation gaps with the simplest effective solution — without redesigning your entire facility. Explore our solutions by technology or by operation zone. Either way, the goal is the same: solve the constraint and create a clear path to scale.

Where We Work

The automation gap looks different in a fulfillment center than it does on a pharma packaging line, but the pattern is the same: a manual touch limiting an otherwise automated flow. MDCI works across three environments.

Fulfillment center floor with conveyor lines and parcels

Fulfillment, Distribution & 3PL

High-volume operations where throughput is the currency and manual touches between systems are the ceiling. We close gaps in induction, sortation, scanning, and pack — often without WMS integration, so the solution deploys fast and stands alone.

Representative work: 3PL shipping sorter (2,200 PPH), robotic parcel induction (1,250 PPH per robot), hands-free scanning pack stations, AutoStore overhead scanning, label-detection scan tunnels.

See fulfillment success stories
Robotic cell tending a CNC machine on a factory floor

Manufacturing

Where a single manual station — loading a machine, tending a cell, kitting a build — caps the output of the whole line. We automate that station and integrate it with your existing machine controls.

Representative work: CNC robotic machine tending integrated to existing controls; robotic kitting and light-assembly cells.

See manufacturing success stories
Pharmaceutical cleanroom packaging line with vials on a conveyor

Pharma & Healthcare

Pharmaceutical, aerospace, and detection environments where the automation has to hold tolerances and pass audits, not just move faster. We build to spec and to standard, from serialization conformity through validated, lights-out production.

Representative work: aerospace bearing serialization built to US Air Force conformity requirements; pharmaceutical robotic vial loading with custom ASRS running full shifts lights-out; pharmaceutical robotic packaging integrated to the upstream line; Bio-Detection systems in serial production.

See pharma & healthcare success stories

Browse by technology

Collaborative robotic palletizing system

Robotics

Reduce the manual touches that remain around your automated lines. Robotic induction, kitting, machine tending, palletizing, and depalletizing — applied to a specific station, integrated with your existing controls, and sized to the problem rather than the whole building.

Applications: parcel induction, CNC machine tending, cobot palletizing, depal, kitting.

Fixed overhead scanning system used in an AutoStore operation

Machine Vision, Scanning & RFID

Increase scan and verify speed and take quality checks off the operator. Scan tunnels, overhead and pass-under scanning, five-sided pack-station cameras, OCR, defect detection, and RFID asset tracking to replace manual barcode handling.

Applications: offline scan tunnels, AutoStore overhead scanning, hands-free pack stations, label QC, RFID tracking.

Automated material handling line with mobile robots and buffer stations

AMRs, Buffering & Conveyance

Improve material flow between systems that were never designed to hand off to each other. Autonomous mobile robots, custom buffer stations, and conveyor interfaces that keep product moving without adding headcount.

Applications: AMR material movement, custom buffer stations, conveyor integration.

Integrated robotic machine-tending cell connected to CNC equipment

Controls & Systems Integration

The competence that makes brownfield work safe. We interface with your existing WMS, ERP, PLC, and conveyor controls so a new cell drops into a live operation without becoming an unsupportable island. This is the difference between a custom machine and a solution you can run, maintain, and scale.

Applications: WMS/ERP integration, conveyor controls, PLC integration, upstream/downstream system handoffs.

Success Stories

Every one of these solved a concrete operating constraint without replacing the core system. Filter by operation zone, technology, or industry to find your analog. Each opens with the impact; the engineering detail is one click down.

Zone
Technology
Industry
Showing all 10 success stories
Bright shipping sorter routing parcels across multiple conveyors

Shipping sorter for a 3PL

2,200 PPH
Ship / Sort · Vision & Scanning · Fulfillment & 3PL
Before
Manual destination handling
Solution
Offline scan and sort
Impact
2,200 parcels per hour
Engineering detail ▾

Custom ecommerce shipping sorter for a 3PL operation. Offline scan tunnel means no WMS integration was required, so the system deployed as a standalone unit. Sorts to up to 13 destinations at 2,200 parcels per hour.

Pattern: solve a concrete operating constraint without replacing the core system.

Robotic parcel induction cell in a modern fulfillment center

Robotic parcel induction

1,250 PPH / robot
Induct · Robotics · Fulfillment & 3PL
Before
Manual induction
Solution
Robotic induction cell
Impact
1,250 parcels per hour per robot
Engineering detail ▾

Designed for a mixed parcel population including boxes, polybags, and jiffy packs. Handles a broad size range up to 27 x 17 x 17 in and 35 lb, at an induction rate of 1,250 parcels per hour per robot.

Pattern: solve a concrete operating constraint without replacing the core system.

Five-sided camera system at a hands-free packing station

Hands-free scanning pack stations

5-sided scan
Pack · Vision & Scanning · Fulfillment
Before
Manual scanning and inspection
Solution
Five-sided camera system
Impact
Faster, cleaner pack flow
Engineering detail ▾

Five-sided camera system for hands-free scanning that frees both operator hands for productive handling. Defect detection for marks, tape, labels, tags, and tears. Barcode and OCR read with easy WMS integration.

Pattern: solve a concrete operating constraint without replacing the core system.

Fixed overhead scanner above an automated picking station

AutoStore overhead scanning

Hands-free
Pick / Pack · Scanning · Fulfillment
Before
Handheld scanning
Solution
Fixed overhead scanner kit
Impact
Higher pick and pack throughput
Engineering detail ▾

The opportunity was to increase pick-and-pack efficiency in the AutoStore area. The bottleneck: handheld scanners force one operator hand into scanning instead of productive handling. The solution was a turnkey, fixed-mounted pass-under scanner kit, delivered complete with power, protection, cables, mounting, and hardware.

Pattern: solve a concrete operating constraint without replacing the core system.

Collaborative robot palletizing cases between two pallets

Low-cost cobot palletizing

UR20e cobot
Palletize · Robotics · Distribution & Manufacturing
Before
Manual palletizing
Solution
Cobot palletizing
Impact
Labor relief at line end
Engineering detail ▾

Robotiq palletizer running on a UR20e cobot with a custom end effector. Modsort used for automatic case alignment ahead of the pick. A low-cost, small-footprint answer to the repetitive manual palletizing at end of line.

Pattern: solve a concrete operating constraint without replacing the core system.

Conveyor passing through an overhead label scan tunnel

Label-detection scan tunnel

Inline QC gate
Ship / QC · Vision & Scanning · Fulfillment & Distribution
Before
No QC process
Solution
Overhead scan
Impact
Better quality
Engineering detail ▾

Overhead vision system performing a QC check of labels on packages, integrated with the conveyor controls, plus a new eject station to divert non-conforming product automatically. Adds a quality gate where none existed without slowing the line.

Pattern: solve a concrete operating constraint without replacing the core system.

Robotic cell tending two CNC machines in a bright factory

CNC robotic machine tending

2 CNC machines
Manufacturing · Robotics · Manufacturing
Before
Manual loading and unloading
Solution
Robotic machine tending cell
Impact
Automated, with better quality
Engineering detail ▾

Custom robotic machine tending solution automating the loading and unloading of parts to two CNC machines, integrated with the existing CNC controls. Frees the operator from a repetitive, dead-time task and holds consistent cycle timing.

Pattern: solve a concrete operating constraint without replacing the core system.

Automated serialization station holding a polished aerospace bearing

Aerospace bearing serialization

USAF conformity
Manufacturing · Robotics & Vision · Regulated (Aerospace)
Before
Manual serialization
Solution
Robotic labeling
Impact
Fully automated
Engineering detail ▾

Custom robotic system using CIJ (continuous inkjet) printing to serialize bearings for an aerospace manufacturer, built to conform to US Air Force requirements. Replaces manual marking with a repeatable, traceable, standards-compliant process.

Pattern: solve a concrete operating constraint without replacing the core system.

Automated pharmaceutical vial loading line in a cleanroom

Pharmaceutical robotic vial loading

Full shift, lights-out
Manufacturing · Robotics & ASRS · Regulated (Pharma)
Before
Greenfield line
Solution
Fully automated system to load vials for a complete shift
Impact
Lights-out manufacturing
Engineering detail ▾

Custom robotic solution to load vials to a fill and packaging line, paired with a custom ASRS for vials and packaging and integrated with the vial singulator ahead of the packaging machine. Runs a full shift unattended.

Pattern: solve a concrete operating constraint without replacing the core system.

Robotic pharmaceutical packaging machine in a cleanroom

Pharmaceutical robotic packaging

Line debottlenecked
Manufacturing · Robotics · Regulated (Pharma)
Before
Manual station and bottleneck
Solution
Fully automated packaging system
Impact
Fully automated, higher line throughput
Engineering detail ▾

Custom robotic solution to package finished product. The previous manual solution was the line bottleneck; the new system increases throughput for the entire line and integrates with the upstream system.

Pattern: solve a concrete operating constraint without replacing the core system.

Find the one that looks like your operation, then find out what your gap is worth.

Book an Automation Gap Assessment
Why MDCI

Designed to Scale

Full lifecycle

01
Design

We start from your constraint, not a catalog. Off-the-shelf components where they fit, custom engineering where they do not.

02
Prototype

We prove the solution against your real product, mix, and rates before committing to build.

03
Serial production

When it works, we can produce it at volume with consistent quality — the same path behind thousands of fielded systems.

04
Training, warranty & support

The solution stays yours to run. We train your team, stand behind the build, and support it in production.

How we approach every gap

Off-the-shelf components where possible. Standardization and simplicity over complexity. Reasonable cost. On-time and on-budget delivery. Solutions that scale from one line to the whole network. That discipline is what lets a single solved gap become a documented, repeatable win instead of a science project.

Book an Automation Gap Assessment
Automation Gap Assessment

Start with an Automation Gap Assessment

A practical first step for brownfield operators. We walk your operation, quantify where manual work is capping your automated flow, and define a focused pilot with ROI logic and a path to scale. No full redesign required to get started.

Where are people still touching product between your automated processes?

What the assessment does

1
Walk the flow

We observe your receiving, induction, pick and pack, sortation, palletizing, and shipping touchpoints — looking for the manual touches, bottlenecks, and workarounds around your automated systems.

2
Quantify the constraint

We estimate the labor hours, throughput impact, ergonomic risk, and quality issues each gap creates — and whether the fix would repeat across other lines or sites.

3
Prioritize the gaps

We rank them by value, deployment complexity, integration risk, and multi-site potential, so you solve the highest-return constraint first.

4
Define a pilot

We build a focused solution concept with ROI logic, a timeline, and a clear path to scale from one line to your network.

Why it is low-risk

The assessment targets a defined problem, not your whole facility. You get a prioritized, quantified view of where your automation is being held back — useful even before you commit to a single project. If a pilot makes sense, you will have the ROI case to justify it internally.

Request my Gap Assessment
Services

MDCI provides mechanical, electrical, controls, and software programming services — from concept and prototype through serial production, all from our 30,000 sq ft facility in Hatfield, PA.

Engineers reviewing a colorful 3D CAD model on a monitor at a workstation

Contract Engineering

Multi-tier system design and implementation across multiple commercial control systems, software languages, and industrial communications.

System platforms: Allen Bradley, Siemens, B&R, Omron, Wago, Turck, GE, Mitsubishi, Beckoff, Lenze, Horner, Cognex Vision
Programming: Structured Text, Ladder Logic, C/C++, JAVA, .NET, Visual Basic, B&R Automation Studio, Beckoff TwinCAT, Mitsubishi MELSOFT
Industrial communication: PowerLink, Modbus, CANopen, DeviceNet, Profibus, Interbus, Ethernet, EtherCAT
Robotics: Universal Robots, ABB, Fanuc, and Yaskawa
Bright, modern contract manufacturing floor with rows of machines and technicians at workstations

Contract Manufacturing

Manufacturing services from prototype through serial production. MDCI has a 30,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Hatfield, PA, where we set up serial production of your product or system.

Technician wiring an open industrial control panel with neatly arranged breakers and terminal blocks

UL508A Panel Building & Certification

MDCI is a UL508A certified control panel fabricator, adhering to all NFPA, NEC, and CSA codes and guidelines. From a small wall mount to a multi-door electrical panel — our engineers review your design and provide feedback on ways to reduce material and labor cost.

Because we design, build, and certify under one roof, you get end-to-end certification and compliance services: panels engineered to standard, fabricated in-house, and delivered UL508A labeled — no third-party certification handoffs.

Design & engineering · component selection · UL508A certification & compliance · serial production — 1 panel a month or 200, with just-in-time shipping.

Desktop 3D printer building a prototype part beside a laptop showing a CAD model in a bright lab

Rapid Prototyping

From concept to reality through an iterative design process. Our facility includes robotics, electronics, machining, and engineering labs where we quickly test proof-of-concepts, prototype with modern 3D printing and additive manufacturing, and collaborate with our supply chain to leverage the best available technology.

Finished 3D-printed parts in white and gray arranged on a bright workbench

Additive Manufacturing

On-demand part production for faster, smarter, more dependable results — with the added benefit of supply chain resilience while reducing costs and downtime. Offered as a service, so production costs stay purely variable with no up-front equipment investment.

Speed: concepts to physical prototypes fast
Cost efficiency: savings vs. traditional methods, especially complex geometries
Design flexibility: intricate designs previously difficult to produce
Iterative development: rapid design changes, better end products
Reduced waste: less material waste and scrap
Customization: personalized parts to specific requirements

Have a design, panel, or production need? Start the conversation.

Contact us
Contact

Let's find your gaps

Tell us where people are still touching product, and we will tell you what it is likely costing you. The fastest start is an Automation Gap Assessment, but if you would rather just talk first, reach us directly.

MDCI Automation
2398 North Penn Rd, Hatfield, PA 19440
Not sure where to start?

Book an Automation Gap Assessment — we will walk your operation and quantify the opportunity.

Book an Automation Gap Assessment