Five Signs It’s Time to Consider Upgrading Your Controls System

Embry Automation & Controls has been providing custom solutions to many clients for nearly twenty years. In that time, we have seen everything when it comes to the various types of equipment failures. We have decades of technical experience amongst our staff, and we make sure our recommendations are backed up by practical experience. When we perform system maintenance and inspections to provide resolutions to our clients, we consider the entire system's functions in that process. We offer our experience in this article to help those in need to better understand signs that it is time to consider a consultation to analyze and optimize your industrial controls. 

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System Functionality Is Not Meeting Your Needs

If your current solution does not meet your needs, it may be inevitable that you will have to proceed with an altered or new system design. This could be due to several factors, such as your current system being limited in its capabilities, or the awareness that your operations will need to allow for future expansion. Sometimes a situation arises where a production line needs to be converted to accommodate a new process, the processes need the addition of a major function in the process. ‍

Uncommon Or Outdated Parts and Software

Like many everyday consumer devices, industrial controls components have a serviceable lifecycle. It is common when performing inspections during initial consultation to find systems that are still running obsolete components or worse, when the manufacturer no longer supports or supplies those components. Not only can physical components be out of date, but software and communication protocols can also become unsupported or not updatable. There are also instances where system components are no longer produced or available. Often there are situations where all these situations apply for the same instance, and there is no choice but to integrate newer components. 

The System Design or Components Do Not Meet Safety Requirements

Many industries have strict operational and safety requirements that they must legally abide by. Additionally, certain quality certifications place additional requirements that must be met to be viable in a competitive market. Over time, these requirements may mandate changes to older systems to be up to code. It is in the best interest of your most important assets, your workers, to keep these systems up to date. 

The System is No Longer Efficient

Major operations around the world are shifting focus to reducing energy consumption and their carbon footprint. In efforts to achieve this, the efficiency of their operations becomes a top priority. Older components and designs may utilize more energy and thus incorporating newer components and system designs may be the path forward to achieve their desired goal of reducing energy consumption. In some cases, incorporating a newer system design or retrofit can also present an opportunity to increase actual output efficiency that also increases overall productivity. This creates the potential scenario where the upgrades help pay for themselves over time.

System Maintenance and Reliability Issues

We all know the pain of having an unreliable vehicle that we depend on. For manufacturing operations, the equipment and the industrial controls solutions tied to them are expected to work at or near autonomous levels in today’s environments. If a system is frequently breaking down, producing inconsistent results, and the system itself has become difficult to navigate and maintain, this is a telltale sign that your operations need an upgrade. The initial investment will continue to pay off in dividends in potential downtime and potential production gains. 

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We’ve covered the top five scenarios that should be a red flag that your operations need a system review. Considering each production environment can be treated as its own scenario, there are a variety of solutions to each specific case. Often, we can integrate small changes that can produce a significant impact and relieve painful issues. Sometimes it is best to produce a complete overhaul because the potential gains are substantial to an organization’s goals. The experts at Embry Automation & Controls are available to evaluate your current environment and discuss your organization's goals. Contact us today to begin your optimization. 

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