Replacing obsolete or nearly obsolete systems can have a huge positive impact on production, but getting there can be expensive. A traditional approach can be costly, unless you can avoid a complete, all-at-once, swap-out of equipment.
A step-wise approach using currently available technology would allow for an orderly controlled transition including verification of the new equipment before switch-over. This type of transition can allow organizations to upgrade systems or components from the same supplier, to migrate to a new vendor or to execute a combinational approach, depending on company-wide policies on equipment standardization.
Users can benefit from advanced functionalities as a result of the latest technology, including enhanced performance, algorithms, throughput and connectivity, while later replacing the major part of the investment, the I/O systems, as they see fit.
What sorts of systems have you replaced? How did your company's equipment standardization policy affect your decisions?
