Automation PLC Upgrades | PLC5 to ControlLogix IO Conversion

Automation PLC Upgrades | PLC5 to ControlLogix IO Conversion for Consumer Goods

An outdated PLC5 chassis needed to be updated to avoid obsolescence, but production could not afford downtime. EPIC’s automation and controls team worked around the clock for seven consecutive weekends to convert the outdated PLC5 chassis and associated I/O to a new ControlLogix platform as quickly as possible without interrupting the client’s weekly production schedule.

CLIENT: Fortune 500 Consumer Products Company

INDUSTRY: Chemical/Manufacturing

KEY FEATURES:

• ControlLogix PAC Platform
• Wonderware Intouch

CORE CHALLENGES:

• Electrical schematics were incomplete or did not exist
• Multiple power sources were fed from unmarked sources
• Some I/O didn’t function before the migration; therefore, additional diagnostics were needed
• Hundreds of I/O points needed to be rewired

SOLUTION

Production is often essential in manufacturing, and could not be interrupted because our client’s product was highly in demand for major general merchandise stores. Stoppages would have been costly and create scheduling issues for subsequent production runs, even though this upgrade was required in the long run to keep systems running.

EPIC successfully upgraded the customer’s control system without impacting scheduled production. EPIC’s team was “all hands on deck” on the weekends – executing one complete conversion per weekend – for seven consecutive weekends. EPIC rewired and reprogrammed hundreds of I/O points to bring the system up-to-date.

Our team also uncovered and corrected existing programming issues that left the customer with a more reliable solution, eliminating unnecessary legacy code. Finally, EPIC cleaned up the wiring and schematics to make sure that the controls systems would be easy to maintain in the future.

IMPACT

EPIC’s solution allowed for:

• Zero interruptions to current production which kept product moving out the door on schedule
• Critical controls updates which
  • Ensured obsolete programming was eliminated and systems could run on Controllogix well into the future
  • Allow for increased productivity and easier access to controls data for line operators and plant staff