Is it time for a new distributed control system?
A distributed control system (DCS) — the central brain controlling complex processes in energy-intensive, process-heavy industrial facilities — is vital to the continued, efficient, and profitable operation of the businesses that rely on them. Many systems in use today are at or near end-of-life.
Older control systems can have a serious impact on your bottom line. Are you experiencing this in your plant?
Lack of Supplier Support
Unscheduled Downtimes & Breakdowns
Aging Workforce
Higher Maintenance Costs
Obsolete Hardware
Advanced Technologies
Lack of Supplier Support
Unscheduled Downtimes & Breakdowns
Aging Workforce
Higher Maintenance Costs
Obsolete Hardware
Advanced Technologies
Adaptability
Meet a changing business environment
Profitability
Achieve maximum efficiency
Supply Chain
Optimize supply chain performance and adaptability
Sustainability
Create more environmentally friendly and healthy operations & environments
Safety & Security
Attain an unprecedented safety and security track record
Reliability
Eliminate downtime with resilient, reliable, and self-healing assets
Workforce
Better train and equip the workforce of the future
Reducing the complexity of DCS migration
Yet, if you asked plant managers and operators about replacing their obsolete system with a more capable and user-friendly version, many of them would hesitate before agreeing.
It’s not because they don’t want better efficiency, ease of use, security, and features with a modern DCS. More likely, it’s because process control professionals are concerned about the costs and risks associated with an entirely new system or even a phased upgrade.
It’s not because they don’t want better efficiency, ease of use, security, and features with a modern DCS. More likely, it’s because process control professionals are concerned about the costs and risks associated with an entirely new system or even a phased upgrade.
Asking the right questions is the key to success
Companies must assess all their options, whether for a phased-in distributed control system update, a full replacement, or to remain with their existing vendor. The main priority should always be to minimize the risks of system migration and remove any guesswork by defining your DCS migration and upgrade strategy before control system problems crop up.
Here are five essential questions you should ask yourself to get the process started:
Here are five essential questions you should ask yourself to get the process started:
System support
What level of support can my current vendor provide going forward? For instance, is the next end-of-life occurrence a near-term event, and how committed is the vendor to providing immediate service and long-term system maintenance?
CapEx and OpEx
Does my maintenance personnel spend more time and money on repairs and restarts than process improvements? Evaluate the cost efficiency of modern systems and the value growth potential of improved operational efficiency and reduced downtime for your operations.
Labor commitments
What labor costs are involved in expense and time associated with migration, and what migration tools and services are available to lower them? Human intervention will always be needed, whether from on-site staff or external resources, and evaluating which upgrade solutions reduce the total labor investment should be in any decision mix.
Continuity and downtime
What are my critical drivers for migrating to a new DCS platform? Factors include uptime, improved process efficiency, advanced system features, capability, and ease of use, to name a few. Quantify and prioritize yours to ensure potential upgrade solutions meet all your needs.
Upgradability and scalability
Will an upgraded system be more sustainable, and can it adapt easily and affordably to change, with attributes such as a future-proof design and a repurposing of used parts? System adaptability is key to lowering the total cost of ownership and should be evaluated along with other performance criteria.
With the five questions and your plan in place, selecting a partner with experience and proven solutions to fully support your migration and ongoing system maintenance is vital for long-term success.
Distributed control system migrations present a complex journey for industries
Migration Options
Four locations in which competitive migration occurs
Migration Solutions effectively are implemented at four locations:
Schneider's Unique Plug-In Solution Addressing Migration
Migration Solutions effectively are implemented at four locations:
Cable migration: custom cable sets are held by all other competitors
Migration Solutions effectively are implemented at four locations:
Integration of standard modules to field termination assemblies, again require modifications
Migration Solutions effectively are implemented at four locations:
This is the traditional "bulldoze" or "rip and replace" approach
A well-defined engineering process to modernize
Schneider Electric’s DCS migration and upgrade programs, together with EcoStruxure™ Foxboro™ DCS, address the distributed control system challenges in a variety of ways.
How? By helping:
Minimize risk
Minimize risk
Minimize risk and downtime with a simple plug-in solution with no construction or rewiring required — no extra footprint.
Future-proof
Future-proof
Future-proof your technology and help you preserve your investments.
Increase safety
Increase safety
Increase process safety, cybersecurity, and operational integrity.
Deliver ROI
Deliver ROI
Enable our customers to deliver up to 100% ROI in less than one year.
DCS Migration Options and Business Considerations
This short overview outlines the value in upgrading aging DCS to get new functions such as IoT, improved cybersecurity and asset performance/management.
Migrating from legacy DCS to Schneider Electric’s modern system is easier than you think, cost-effective and can be done in the same footprint as your current system.
Migrating from legacy DCS to Schneider Electric’s modern system is easier than you think, cost-effective and can be done in the same footprint as your current system.
Meet your future-proof system. Our next-generation process automation system, EcoStruxure Foxboro DCS, delivers critical functionality that helps process manufacturers secure their future in three important ways:
Protecting the operational integrity of their plants
Enhancing the operational insight of their people
Enabling them to adapt easily and affordably to change
“We work with a lot of companies that are on 24/7. They can’t afford to shut down longer than they have to. Our job is to be efficient so these companies can resume operations as quickly as possible.”
— Michael Martinez, Foxboro DCS Leader, Schneider Electric.
Additional Resources
How To Secure Stakeholders’ Buy-In for DCS Migration
Hear from Schneider Electric DCS migration experts Thad Frost, Graham Bennett, and Stéphane Daigle in partnership with Automation.com Chief Editor, Renee Bassett, on how to overcome these barriers and gain stakeholder support. Discover the benefits of on-site assessments and key lessons learned from others who have successfully migrated their DCS.
View VideoOpens in a new window.Cost Justification for DCS Migration
Distributed Control System (DCS) users are increasingly being faced with the dual dilemma of aging systems and increasing calls for productivity and quality.
View White PaperOpens in a new window.DCS Migration Basics
When is the right time to migrate your distributed control system? How do you have an effective and fast migration process while optimizing costs and profitability? Learn more in this Migration DCS Infographic.
View InfographicOpens in a new window.