10/25/2025 · LinkedIn
Many industrial plants are now facing the same challenge —
their automation systems (DCS, PLC, SCADA) are reaching end of life.
Within a few years, spare parts and vendor support will become unavailable.
A new model range for an existing DCS/PLC system may not support older versions of hardware, protocols, and software modules, and its integration will require significant costs, often comparable to replacing the system.
But let’s ask ourselves: is there an alternative?
Is it possible to optimize modernization costs?
The most straightforward and logical step might seem to be organizing a tender and requesting proposals from multiple suppliers.
However, what risks does this approach entail? The first that come to mind are:
What risks does this entail?
The first things that come to mind are:
1. Have all requirements, technical specifications and some special requirements been fully captured in the tender documentation?
2. Are proposals from suppliers using different hardware and software platforms comparable in quality?
3. Is the planned amount of engineering and commissioning work accurate, or might the project budget be inflated due to incomplete modernization requirements, technical errors, or misjudged workloads?
A well-structured independent review can help avoid such issues and objectively assess the proposed technical solutions.
At PF Automation & Digital Solutions www.pf-ads.com, we provide vendor-neutral technical audits and modernization assessments to support confident, data-driven investment decisions. In many cases, based on system audits and analysis of existing equipment, we can recommend non-obvious yet effective technical solutions that optimize modernization for your production needs.