Unless you know, and you're already doing something about it, there's a good chance that you don't know as a manufacturer, you're sitting on a ticking time bomb when it comes to your automation systems.
"Not me!" I hear you say?
Welcome to episode 3 of a fourteen-part series by John Broadbent from Realise Potential.
Let me ask you a question: what if one of your machines' control systems failed? And I mean failed to the point that whatever was inside, the PLC for example, could not be fixed?
A few months ago, a manufacturer of body products had a failure in the control system on one of their key filling machines. On closer inspection, the machine did not have a PLC, but a proprietary control system from some 25 years ago that was now no longer supported, and the extent of the damage meant it could not be repaired.
The solution?
An entirely new control panel complete with up-to-date servo drives, PLC, a new programme and of course, full re-commissioning.
The time frame?
From failure to repair, some six months.
The cost?
Just to build, supply, instal, and commission the new control system itself was some $150,000, not to mention the loss of production, which by the way, was managed by replacing the machine with a heap of casual labour, and a production rate less than a third that of the machine itself!
Whether that business ever recoups its market share from this event remains to be seen.
Sadly, stories like these are commonplace, and the evidence can be found in the wrecking yard for automation engineers, which is, surprisingly, eBay!
Many manufacturers' automation departments are buying second or even third-hand PLC CPUs, modules, and power supplies via the web. 
Here's an example of a Siemens S5 CPU for sale that I found. And that is if you can find someone locally who still has the S5 programming software, you can find someone who still codes in the S5 language, you have a reliable backup copy of the code that was in the PLC and know where it is and up-to-date.
Oh, you mean you never got it from the supplier, or it's on some contractor's laptop from years ago who's no longer in business?
I'm reminded of the movie "Space Cowboys," Clint Eastwood, actually, where a handful of grey-haired astronauts are recalled to fix an old satellite, simply because no one else knows how it works! (Worth a watch, by the way.
So, let me ask you this:
- Do you have a PLC register that identifies the brand, the model, and the firmware revision of your automation PLCs?
- Are you keeping them up-to-date?
- Do you know where the source code is for each of them?
- Do you have the latest version that's currently running the machine, and know where it is?
- Do you have the programming software somewhere that can connect and upload the programme, in the event of a PLC CPU failure, plus a suitable Windows operating system that supports it? Think Windows 95.
- Have you assessed what it will cost you when, and I mean WHEN, a key PLC CPU fails from water ingress, especially troublesome in high-pressure wash-down areas when the control-panel doors seals age, or a power surge or brown-out, or a module failure simply due to old age?
- Do you have spares for any machine that has a proprietary control system, and if not, can you even get them, or know where to start looking?
- Have you done a risk assessment on each piece of equipment and what would you do if you lost a machine for many weeks?
Perhaps now you can understand why I call this segment The Ticking Time Bomb since many, many manufacturers are blissfully unaware that these issues even exist, let alone have a contingency plan in place to mitigate them.
My advice?
If you're in Operations, ask these questions of your engineering, maintenance, and automation teams, especially if you have ageing equipment, otherwise, you will get caught and the impact on your bottom line could be catastrophic.
While it'll take some time to create the register and document all this, at least when the bomb does go off, you'll know what to do because you've thought about it, rather than being blindsided and having to implement emergency plans, often at significant cost, so better to have thought about it and planned for it, than not have a plan at all.
If you need help with how to do this, you can reach out to me on LinkedIn or via the Realise Potential website, and we can help you with your audit. Either way, please don't think you have all this covered until you absolutely know you do! Stay safe and well and may all your machines keep running!
John Broadbent
Watch John's original LinkedIn video here.
