Stop Reacting, Start Planning: A Strategic Approach to Asset Modernization
Modernizing industrial automation assets can be a complex undertaking. With multiple machines, production lines, control systems, and individual components across a facility, there is rarely a single starting point. At any given time, your facility may have newly installed equipment that requires startup and commissioning support, mature assets that remain serviceable, and obsolete components that present an increasing risk to production. To be truly affective, modernization should be undertaken as an ongoing process, since supporting new and existing equipment throughout its lifecycle requires continually understanding the condition of your installed assets, identifying risks and priorities, and completing any necessary updates. When assets are managed individually, modernization can become reactive, with resources directed toward whichever issue demands immediate attention.
A long-term modernization strategy provides another approach. The Reynolds Company can help you understand your current installed base, establish priorities, develop a modernization roadmap, complete upgrade projects, and support your workforce and equipment throughout the process.
Step 1: Start with Your Installed Base
Before deciding what to modernize, you need accurate information about what is currently installed and where your greatest risks exist. Maintaining this information manually through spreadsheets, purchasing records, and individual vendor inquiries is time consuming and can sometimes result in an incomplete picture of your automation assets.
An Installed Base Evaluation (IBE) provides the data needed to establish a comprehensive baseline. During an IBE, a technician performs an on-site assessment of your facility, reviewing control panels, inventory, and equipment stashes with an escort from your team.The resulting report documents the conditions, locations, and a physical hierarchy of all available automation assets, including HMIs, PLCs, I/O, drives, and network switches. With the value and lifecycle status of installed and inventoried assets, our specialists are able to make recommendations for your active and inactive inventory.
With a clearer understanding of your installed base, you can:
- Identify critical assets and potential risks associated with legacy or obsolete equipment
- Verify that critical spare parts are available to support production and maintenance
- Identify excess inventory and opportunities to reduce obsolescence-related costs
- Validate bills of materials (BOMs) before equipment upgrades or production-line additions
- Understand which assets and systems may be affected by future modernization projects
An IBE can also provide a foundation for evaluating broader priorities such as standardization, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, disaster recovery, reliability, maintainability, network connectivity, software platforms, training requirements, and vendor or SKU reduction. For a sample Installed Base Evaluation report, contact your account manager with The Reynolds Company.
Step 2: Turn Data into a Plan
Knowing what you have is only the first step. The next question is what to do with that information. An Asset Optimization Plan can build on the findings of an IBE to help transform asset data into an actionable modernization roadmap.
Once an IBE report has been generated, specialists from the Rockwell Automation® Reliability team would schedule a collaborative, on-site workshop to review the findings with your organization. Representatives from your maintenance, production, and engineering departments can contribute their knowledge of individual machines and provide important context when determining where modernization resources should be directed. Using the asset data and input from your team, the resulting action plan comprehensively accounts for production criticality, maintenance history, operational concerns, and future plans.
Asset Optimization Plans include an executive summary, modernization recommendations, an objective-based roadmap, and financial analysis. This information, and the act of participating in its creation, establishes buy-in for your team and helps them understand and take ownership of the needs, risks, priorities, and opportunities across your facility. Instead of addressing obsolete components only as they fail, you gain a detailed strategy for determining which assets require immediate attention, which upgrades can be scheduled for a later phase, and where existing equipment can continue to be supported.
Step 3: Put Your Modernization Plan into Action
After priorities have been established, The Reynolds Company can offer support as you execute the projects identified in your roadmap.
For upgrades that fall outside the available resources or capabilities of your internal team, turnkey project support is available. Depending on your needs, that can range from upgrading a single control panel or machine to modernizing an entire production line.
If your team is already managing the project but needs assistance with a specific portion, Rockwell Automation service engineers can provide scheduled support on an hourly or daily basis. Engineering consultation and design assistance are also available during the planning stages of a project.
This flexibility allows you to determine how much outside support makes sense for each modernization. Your team can retain responsibility for the work it is equipped to perform while bringing in additional technical resources where needed.
Step 4: Support Your Workforce and Equipment After Modernization
Modernization does not end when new equipment is commissioned. Once new technology is installed, maintaining it and preparing your workforce to support it become part of the asset lifecycle.
The Reynolds Company and Rockwell Automation offer several services that can help you support both your people and equipment after an upgrade.
Preventative Maintenance
Preventative maintenance is an important part of protecting the investment made in newly installed equipment and supporting its long-term performance. The Reynolds Company offers preventative maintenance contracts for a structured approach to servicing your automation assets after modernization rather than waiting for problems to occur.
TechConnect and Engineering Support
Rockwell Automation TechConnect℠ support is remote technical assistance for your workforce. We also have on-site engineering support for when a problem or project requires additional resources at your facility. Together, these services give your maintenance and engineering teams access to technical expertise as they operate and troubleshoot automation systems.
Training
Modern equipment requires employees who know how to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot it. Training options include e-learning as well as instructor-led courses at The Reynolds Company branches with expert guidance, curriculum, and hands-on demo equipment. Private classes can also be conducted at your facility, which could be a good option for organizations training a larger group of employees.
Remanufacturing and Repairs
Not every obsolete asset can be replaced immediately. Remanufacturing and repair services can help keep end-of-life or discontinued equipment operating while you work toward the appropriate modernization point. Repair services are available transactionally or through a contract, depending on your facility's requirements.
Spare Parts Support
Critical spare parts can also be incorporated into your asset strategy. Through an Inventory+ contract, designated spare parts can be held exclusively for your facility without being purchased until they are used. The warranty begins when the part is installed rather than while it is sitting in the storeroom. Inventory+ can range from a few critical PLCs to hundreds of spare parts, depending on the needs of the facility.
Step 5: Make Modernization an Ongoing Strategy
There is no universal modernization plan for every industrial facility. Your priorities may center on obsolete hardware, production reliability, cybersecurity, spare parts, workforce knowledge, standardization, maintainability, or a combination of factors. Those priorities can also change as equipment moves through its lifecycle and production requirements evolve.
The goal of creating and executing a modernization strategy is moving beyond a reactive approach to obsolete components or equipment failures and establishing a repeatable process: understand your installed base, identify and prioritize risk, create a roadmap, execute upgrades, and continue supporting your assets and workforce. Whether you are trying to determine where to start, planning a facility-wide modernization strategy, preparing for a specific PLC or drive upgrade, or supporting equipment that cannot yet be replaced, The Reynolds Company can help you determine the appropriate path forward.
Looking for more information?
If you’d like to get started on creating your own tailored modernization strategy, contact your account manager with The Reynolds Company or your local branch.