Do you have an obsolete Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), Human Machine Interface (HMI) or PC System controlling a critical machine or process?
The cost of machine or process downtime is almost incalculable. Many end users discover too late that locating an obsolete part and someone to install it can take days, weeks or even months, if you can locate the obsolete part at all. Additionally, as the machine or process ages, many OEM’s and SI’s lose their backups and can no longer provide the program or configuration necessary to load into the obsolete part. If you do not have a copy of the program or configuration on hand, even installing the ‘like for like’ replacement may not fix the failure.
Grey Wolf Automation LLC has a long history of modernizing control systems by replacing obsolete hardware with current, more efficient hardware. Additionally, Grey Wolf Automation LLC always evaluates the system to make sure that any modernization will have a long life and will not need to be replaced again for many decades if at all.
Some of the most common control system PLC’s and HMI’s used in automation have already become obsolete. Examples of these items are:
- Allen Bradley PLC 5/30 & 5/40 Series – Discontinued in 2012
- Allen Bradley SLC 5/01 & 5/02 Series – Discontinued in 2016
- Allen Bradley SLC 5/03 & 5/04 Series – In the process of being discontinued in 2021
- Allen Bradley Panelview 550 & 1000 Series – Discontinued in 2012
- Allen Bradley Panelview 600 Series – Discontinued in 2014
- CTC Parker P3/P5 Power Station HMI – Discontinued in 2008
- Windows NT PC Systems – End of Support Occurred in 2000
- Windows 3.1 & 95 PC Systems – End of Support Occurred in 2000
- Windows 98 PC Systems – End of Support Occurred in 2006
- Windows XP PC Systems – End of Support Occurred in 2009
- Windows Server 2003 PC Systems – End of Support Occurred in 2010
- Windows 7 PC Systems – End of Support Occurred in 2015
- Windows Server 2008 PC Systems – End of Support Occurred in 2015
- Windows 8 PC Systems – End of Support Occurred in 2018
- Windows Server 2012 PC Systems – End of Support Occurred in 2018
Grey Wolf Automation LLC can help you evaluate your system and can discuss the best path forward with your modernization process. Sometimes replacing an obsolete part with a manufacturers suggested replacement isn’t the best solution. Each manufacturer handles upgraded hardware differently and doesn’t always provide a direct path to their newest hardware. Depending on your machine or process, changing to another manufacturer can help prolong the life of your machine or process and allow for an easier upgrade path in the future.
Additionally, many times when Grey Wolf Automation LLC is contacted about a modernization project, one of the first questions asked is “Do I need to replace the entire control system to modernize the machine or process?” The answer typically is NO! In most cases, replacing other field or panel instruments is not necessary. Replacing a field or a panel instrument is usually easier and quicker, although ‘like for like’ may not be possible. It is usually easier because similar parts are often readily available and the programming or configuration of these sub-elements is simpler. As part of a modernization project, Grey Wolf Automation LLC can review your entire system to identify what instruments may require a long lead replacement and spare parts can be procured for you to help prevent extended down times.
Key advantages to using Grey Wolf Automation for your Controls Retrofit Projects include:
- Thirty Years Experience in the Control Systems Field and With Old Technology
- Comprehensive Knowledge of the Majority of Product Lines To Be Able To Provide the Correct Replacement System
- Complete Understanding of the Cost Of Modernization and the Impact on Budgets, Downtime and Improving the Process or Operation
- Extensive Network of Partners to Help Support the Modernization Process