Obsolete controller with no spare parts available
Service 07 · Legacy modernisation
Old equipment doesn't have to hold you back.
Our team specialises in diagnosing performance issues in legacy systems and proposing modern upgrade solutions — including SCADA integration — to bring your equipment up to today's standards.
Retrofitting
Replacing a machine is rarely the cheapest option.
Most legacy equipment is mechanically sound. What has aged is the control system: obsolete PLCs with no spares, HMIs nobody can program, no data output, and safety circuits that would not pass a modern assessment.
Retrofitting the controls typically restores capability at a fraction of replacement cost — and adds the connectivity the original machine never had.
Typical trigger
Typical trigger
No production data available from the machine
Typical trigger
Safety system below current requirements
Typical trigger
New product variant the machine cannot run
Scope of work
What a modernisation covers.
Diagnosis & assessment
Structured investigation of performance issues in the existing system, including reverse-engineering the control scheme where documentation is missing.
Control system upgrade
Migration to a current PLC and HMI platform, retaining proven mechanical function while removing obsolescence risk.
SCADA integration
Connecting previously isolated equipment so it reports state, counts and downtime to a plant-wide system.
Safety modernisation
Bringing guarding and safety circuits up to current SIL/PL expectations, with the assessment documented.
Re-tooling for new products
Fixture, gripper and sequence changes so existing equipment can run a variant it was never designed for.
Documentation rebuild
Current, accurate electrical drawings and software documentation — often the most valuable part of the project.
Relocation
Moving machinery is rarely straightforward.
Every system has its own requirements, and successful relocation depends on careful, individualised planning — from disconnection and transport to reinstallation and recalibration.
At KNEO Automation we handle it all from a single source. From retrofitting and re-tooling to full system relocation, we ensure the process is efficient, cost-effective and worry-free — with opportunities to improve cycle times along the way.
One partner, complete solutions — from diagnosis to relocation.
01
Survey & planning
Condition survey, utility mapping, rigging assessment and a sequenced move plan agreed with production.
02
Disconnection
Controlled shutdown, tagging, safe isolation and full documentation of every disconnected interface.
03
Transport
Protection, securing and transport coordination appropriate to the equipment's sensitivity.
04
Reinstallation
Positioning, levelling, services reconnection and full I/O revalidation at the new location.
05
Recalibration & restart
Robot TCP recalibration, sensor alignment, safety re-validation, dry cycles and production restart support.
Benefits
Why modernise rather than replace.
Lower capital cost
Retain sound mechanical assets and spend only where the obsolescence actually is.
Minimal downtime
Work planned around production windows, with as much preparation done offline as possible.
Obsolescence removed
Current platforms with available spares and engineers who can support them.
Cycle time gains
Modern control often finds time in a sequence that the original system could not.
Related
Often delivered together with
Looking for something else?
Get in touch
From diagnosis to relocation.
Tell us what the machine is, how old it is and what it needs to do. We will tell you honestly whether to upgrade it or replace it.