Behind Closed Doors
by Sales & Marketing Director Ian Clarke
Obsolete control equipment, no PLC programme back-ups, wiring diagrams out of date, no support from the equipment supplier…there comes a time when you’ll need to upgrade your control system in order to prevent unplanned downtime, and that time is long before it’s too late to react.
The hidden risks of your factory control systems
Today, I read that two thirds of UK manufacturers use AI tools widely across their businesses —with 90% of them, using artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize their energy consumption (source Make UK ‘Future factories powered by AI’). Well, they must be speaking to different manufacturers, because the ones I visit, are a long way away from optimizing their businesses with AI. The ones I see, are in danger of having unplanned production stoppages and not being able to get their manufacturing restarted in days, even weeks, let alone hours.
Why is this?
Lack of investment in automation upgrades
For some reason, businesses invest huge sums in brand marketing (see Jaguar’s recent rebranding exercise), cyber security (rightly so) and also in enterprise-grade production planning systems. But when it comes to automation systems, ones that are running their entire manfacturing process? This investment is kicked yearly from one CAPEX cycle into to the next year or simply ignored.
So, whilst your IT and finance systems are running on ‘redundancy’ servers (meaning if something fails, you get instant changeover and back-up), your automation systems might be running on obsolete control system hardware — with operator interfaces and SCADA systems running on Windows 95. And to top this off, the passwords are written on a piece of masking tape on the outside of the control panel door!
Who are we talking about here?
We are not talking about a sweatshop running under the arches below a railway line, I have seen this at top quality manufacturing businesses in automotive, pharmaceutical and food production. On top of this, these under-loved machines if they go down, will stop 100% of the manufacturing line until repaired…and at what cost?
So, that spare part to get your machine back up and running might only be available by cannibalizing an old machine, or by finding them second-hand on an on-line auction. But, then when you actually get the spare part you need, you realise that you don’t have the software back-up in order to reload them into the new (new to you) replacement controller. Then you find out that you don’t have a digital copy of the electrical schematics for the control panel…
Sound familiar?
“Let’s be honest, your automation engineers have been saying this for years…“
So how do we reduce unplanned downtime and increase productivity at the same time?
Investment in automation is a must to ensure that these risks don’t become career-limiting production stoppages. Ask yourself, do you know how old the control systems hardware is in your production machines? Do you know if that hardware is even available today? And do you know who has a copy of the control system software and electrical schematics?
Let’s be honest, your automation engineers have been saying this for years…Before it’s too late, you need to come up with a plan to overhaul your control systems hardware and software. And then, begin a planned process of upgrading machines starting with the highest risk, most critical control system first.
But there is a secondary upside to this investment…
Invest in the control system upgrades and get digital transformation at the same time
By now everyone will have heard of Industry 4.0 (aka industrial digitalization), so whilst you are upgrading your control systems to avoid downtime Armageddon, why not ask us how you can use this investment to start your own digital journey into being a Smart Factory of the future?
Then you need never again take for granted, that you have a reliable control system hidden behind those closed doors.
DISCOVER MORE
Learn about when and why to upgrade your SCADA System here: https://www.incontrol.co.uk/news/when-is-the-time-right-to-upgrade-your-scada-system/
Discover five key reasons to upgrade your ageing PLCs here: https://www.incontrol.co.uk/news/what-are-the-benefits-of-upgrading-your-plc-systems/.
Or if you’ve read enough and just want to speak to someone, we’d love to chat with you on: +44 (0)1246 959140 or email to mail@incontrol.co.uk
