Legacy Control System Migration
Legacy System Migration and Support
At some point, migrating or modernizing legacy control systems will be an important topic for every manufacturing facility. According to recent statistics, $65 billion worth of installed legacy process control systems have reached the end of their reasonable life cycle. Many companies do not have the financial resources to perform a complete replacement of equipment or the technical resources to develop a strategy for migration and replacement to more current technologies.
Cross Company’s Process Solutions group can help with that. We have extensive experience in legacy ICS migration and a proven methodology to ensure your new process control system is working as intended on day one.
Supported Platforms
Cross Company has successfully performed upgrades to current supported platforms from the following legacy systems.
- ABB Mod 30 Mod 300
- Allen Bradley SLC 500, PLC2, PLC5
- GE FANUC, 9030, 9070, PAC Systems RS3i
- Honeywell UDC 2500, 3200, 3500
- Siemens Moore APACS, S5, S7, TI 505
- Sixnet EtherTRAK, VersaTRAK RTU’s
- Square D PLC’s
- Fisher Provox S10 and S20 series IO
- Bailey Net 90 and INFI 90
- Foxboro SPECTRUM or SPEC 200
- Rosemount RS3
- Virtually any other brand of PLC/DCS
- Wonderware
- Iconics
- Citect
- Factory Link
- Cimplicity
- Indusoft
- Fix 32 and IFIX
- RSView 32 and legacy Panelviews
- Proprietary and Visual Basic HMI’s
Benefits of Migrating Control Systems With Cross
Partnering with an experienced integrator to take advantage of legacy system migration opportunities is quickly becoming a major factor in the success of many operations. Acting proactively and migrating legacy control systems has been shown to be a far more profitable strategy than reactively repairing frequently-breaking systems.
Other benefits of migrating from an outdated legacy system include increased throughput, lower production costs, and improved production quality.
Increased Throughput
A legacy control system will be less efficient than a modernized, upgraded system. And every year that passes poses increased risk of drops in quality and efficiency (and revenue). Cross works with you to ensure upgraded or new systems not only meet expectations, they exceed them
Lower Production Costs
While migrating control systems is a significant one-time cost, the long-term benefits quickly out-pace the initial investment. Cross helps you enhance control system performance through consolidating operating consoles, upgrading out-of-date hard/software, and validating process performance over time
Improved Production Quality
A modernized control system will have a greater capability to produce higher quality products. While quality goals may be met with a legacy system, upon migration quality goals may not just be met. They may be exceeded. And this increase in performance and quality can be the competitive advantage your process needs.
Certifications
Comprehensive Legacy System Support Services
Cross Company has the experience and expertise needed by manufacturers to support comprehensive control system overhauls. Some of our services include
Design specification development
Functional specification development
Migration analysis and recommendations
Cost analysis for migrations
Batch conversions in accordance with S88
Network upgrades – serial and legacy communication upgrades
Platform evaluations and comparisons
System configuration and application conversion
Project documentation
UL508A Panel design and build
Acceptance testing
Startup and commissioning services
How Cross Can Mitigate Migration Costs
Cross Company has significant proven experience in migrating legacy hardware and software systems for process manufacturing. Here’s a look at our process
- Step 1: Risk Analysis and Site Review
Our proven process begins with a risk analysis and site review and discussion with our customer to discuss the end goals and critical aspects of each application. We have the knowledge and expertise to extract the critical information from the existing configurations, graphics, and documentation and even your experienced operations and engineering personnel, a critical area of knowledge often overlooked. This includes User Requirement Specification (URS), Security Requirement Specification (SRS), Functional Design Specification (FDS), Detail Design Specification (DDS), and any other documentation required. - Step 2: Migration Path Recommendation and Planning
Based on this assessment, we guide our customers through specific recommendations on a migration path best suited for your requirements to minimize cost, risk, and associated downtime. - Step 3: Implementation
From a simple HMI upgrade to a GMP validated system and even development of a five to ten-year migration plan for an entire facility, Cross Company can provide complete planning, engineering and commissioning to guide you through this process to successfully achieve your migration and business objectives.
Offering Solutions From Leading Brands
Why Migrate Control Systems In the First Place?
Many industrial manufacturers in the process industry will put off a system migration, associating them with downtime and reduced revenue. But the hard truth is that if your computing software or hardware is out of date but still in use, you have a legacy system. And it’s a ticking clock.
As more and more production time passes, the drawbacks of a legacy control system only compound. In industries where keeping uptime high and processes moving is crucial, these compounded decreases in efficiency may be driving your production speed and quality down a little more each day. Other concerns include
- Obsolescence concerns (in the form of technical, function, or supply obsolescence)
- Part availability scarcity (as hardware or software becomes more and more outdated, it becomes harder and harder to source parts. And they rapidly rise in cost)
- Cost of repair increases (the ability to fix a legacy system becomes more specialized as more time passes, meaning you may need an expensive specialist to get back up and running)
- Mandatory migration (if these issues continue compounding, eventually it may be impossible or prohibitive to perform repairs. Then a full migration is necessary anyway)
Risks of Maintaining Legacy Control Systems
As inefficiencies in your production process begin to compound due to out-of-date or unsupported components, risks become more apparent.
Some of the risks associated with maintaining legacy systems for process control include
- Hardware – the growing inability to meet emerging demands in your industry or from relevant stakeholders due to too much time spent performing repairs, feeling short-staffed on maintenance due to personnel diverted to reactive repairs, and the inability to meet long-term targets since your production power is decreasing, not increasing.
- Software – legacy control software also poses a direct threat to process plants in the form of critical security vulnerabilities. Obsolete software may no longer have access to the technical support it needs to remain secure. This puts it at greater risk for compromises in software security.
The rewards of migrating control systems initially come in the form of increased flexibility. Being able to meet the changing demands of your industry while maximizing plant efficiency is a recipe for success.
Cross Company Process Solutions Resources
Take a look at some of our most popular Cross resources about process control, control system migration, process optimization, and more
How We Get It Right Every Time
Successfully executing a complex project like process control system upgrades, legacy control system migration, greenfield integration, or control system design takes more than guesswork. At Cross Company, we don’t believe in a “see what happens” approach.
That’s why we’ve developed a comprehensive project execution model to ensure every project flows perfectly, no matter the scope.
From Basis of Design (BOD) and/or Functional Design Specification (FDS) to Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) to Start-Up and Commissioning, we detail and document every step of the process. That way, your project goes exactly as expected.
We can even provide initial documentation as a separate offering. Take a look at the full model or contact Cross Company’s Process Solutions group to learn more.
Why Cross Legacy Control System Migration?
At Cross Company Process Solutions, we consistently provide world-class support for process manufacturers and applications across various sectors, including industrial, commercial, and municipal. Our commitment to excellence is underpinned by a wealth of experience that spans decades, allowing us to navigate the intricacies of even the most complex projects and provide comprehensive solutions designed specifically for them.
When you work with Cross Company, you’re not just getting a comprehensive solution for your process application. We aim to build lasting partnerships, working by your side as an extension of your own team. When you choose Cross Company Process Solutions, you’re not just choosing a service provider. You’re choosing a trusted ally and partner on your journey to process excellence. Contact us today to get started.
Related Solutions for Process Applications
At Cross, we offer much more than just legacy control system migration. We can also provide the solutions our process manufacturing partners need to succeed. Check out our other process solutions equipment and see for yourself.
