“Systems integrator” is one of the most misused terms in automation. This guide explains what an industrial automation systems integrator does on a real factory floor — and, just as importantly, what it does not. To be clear: this is physical industrial and factory automation integration — not consumer or humanoid robotics, robotics education, AI, or RPA (robotic process automation) software. RoboFactory Africa has worked as an integrator across Ghana and Togo since 2018.

The Definition

An automation systems integrator takes a production requirement and delivers a working, integrated automation system — from design through to a running, verified line. The integrator owns the whole path: system architecture, control-panel build, robotic-cell installation, instrumentation, PLC/SCADA programming, commissioning, and tying it all into the line you already operate.

One Accountable Party

The defining feature is accountability. Instead of stitching together a panel builder, a robot supplier, and a programmer who each blame the next, the integrator is the single party responsible for a line that runs.

What an Integrator Is Not

Not an Equipment Reseller

A reseller sells you a robot or a PLC. An integrator engineers those components into a system that meets a production target — a very different job.

Not a Pure Software House

Programming is part of it, but an integrator works on physical machinery, panels, sensors and robotic cells — engineering and floor work, not just code.

Not Consumer Robotics or RPA

This is not humanoid robots, robotics education kits, AI products, or RPA software bots automating office tasks. It is physical automation on a production line.

What the Work Involves

Engineering & Design

Control-system architecture and detailed drawings, engineered to recognised practice such as IEC 61131-3 (PLC programming) and IEC 61439 (control-panel assemblies).

Integration & Safety

Robotic cells and machinery integrated and risk-assessed to ISO 12100 and ISO 10218-2, with functional-safety / SIL practice (IEC 61508 / IEC 61511) where the process demands it. Where production data reaches the MES, integration follows ISA-95; OT cybersecurity follows IEC 62443. We treat these as the framework we work to, and claim a specific certification only where it is actually held.

Commissioning & Handover

Proving the system against the production target and the safety case — within Ghana’s factory-safety regime, the Factories, Offices and Shops Act 1970 (Act 328) / DFI, not the GSA — then training and handing over a documented, running line.

What It Costs

Integration work is scoped and quoted per project. The line, the scope, the robotics and controls, and new-build vs retrofit all drive it — so there is no flat published rate, and we never quote an invented figure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a systems integrator just a reseller?

No. A reseller sells components; an integrator engineers them into a working, verified system and is accountable for the line running.

Does “integrator” mean RPA or software automation?

No. RPA automates software tasks. An industrial automation integrator delivers physical automation — robotic cells, PLC/SCADA, controls — on a factory floor.

Why use one integrator instead of several suppliers?

A single accountable integrator removes the gaps between panel builder, robot supplier and programmer — one party owns a line that runs.

Request a consultation — or scope an automation project: +233 20 531 3333.