Koch Fertilizer Standardizes on Cybernet’s iPC R2is for Hardened Plant-Floor Computing

IRVINE, Calif. — Cybernet Manufacturing today highlighted its ongoing deployment with Koch Fertilizer, LLC, part of Koch Ag & Energy Solutions, which has standardized on Cybernet’s iPC R2is rugged embedded PC to run computing inside plant-floor control cabinets at its Wichita, Kansas fertilizer manufacturing operations.

Fertilizer plants are punishing environments for standard computing equipment: dust and chemical exposure, wide temperature swings, and constant vibration from processing machinery cause off-the-shelf PCs to fail quickly, particularly when mounted directly inside control cabinets. Koch Fertilizer's IT/OT architecture team set out to replace that equipment with a fanless, hardened platform that could hold up on the plant floor while meeting the security requirements of a converged IT/OT network.

Cybernet configured a custom build-to-order iPC R2is for the deployment: an 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, solid-state storage, an embedded hardware RAID controller, a TPM security module, and DIN rail / VESA mounting for control-cabinet installation. The wireless module was removed entirely, keeping each unit wired-only in line with Koch Fertilizer's OT network policy. Since the first units went live in 2024, Koch Fertilizer has placed repeat orders on the same configuration as the rollout has expanded.

“Process manufacturing environments like fertilizer plants are exactly where general-purpose computing breaks down,” said Ali Bagheri, Senior Vice President of Global Operations at Cybernet. “Our build-to-order program let us give Koch Fertilizer’s IT/OT team the exact hardened configuration their control cabinets needed, wired-only, secured, and built to keep running on a working plant floor. That’s the model we follow for converged IT/OT deployments across industrial manufacturing.”

The deployment reflects Cybernet's broader focus on build-to-order rugged computing for industrial and process manufacturing environments, where standard commercial hardware routinely falls short of the durability and security bar that plant-floor and control-cabinet installations require.

For more on the deployment, read the full Koch Fertilizer success story. To explore the platform, visit the iPC R2is product page, or see Cybernet's full line of industrial computers.

About Cybernet Manufacturing

Founded 30 years ago and headquartered in Irvine, California, Cybernet Manufacturing designs and builds rugged, fanless, and medical-grade computers, tablets, and monitors for critical applications across industrial, healthcare, and government markets. To learn more contact Cybernet directly.