Modernizing legacy equipment for long-term reliability and standard compliance
A leading hygiene products manufacturer initiated the modernization of an industrial printing system at one of its production facilities in France.
The existing setup relied on obsolete technologies, creating risks related to maintainability, spare parts availability, and alignment with current automation standards.
The objective was to upgrade the system by replacing key components and migrating the control architecture to modern Rockwell technologies, while ensuring full compliance with the client’s current engineering standards.
Contec delivered a complete revamp of the printer system, including hardware upgrades and control system redevelopment, enabling improved performance, reliability, and long-term maintainability.
Project Highlights:
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Migration from legacy Rockwell PLC to modern control platform
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Replacement of critical equipment including coders, drives, and HMI
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Standardization of PLC and HMI according to client guidelines
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Simulation-based testing to reduce commissioning risks
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Seamless system upgrade with no production downtime
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Improved system reliability and maintainability
The challenge
Upgrading obsolete equipment while ensuring standardization and continuity
The existing industrial printer was based on outdated technologies, making it increasingly difficult to maintain and integrate within the broader production environment.
Key components such as controllers, drives, and HMI panels required replacement, while the control logic needed to be redeveloped in line with current client standards.
A critical challenge was to execute the migration without disrupting production, while ensuring that the upgraded system would be fully aligned with modern engineering practices and easily maintainable going forward.
Our approach
Structured revamp with standard-driven development and validation
Contec started by developing a Functional Design Specification (FDS), leveraging both P&IDs and the existing PLC program to ensure continuity and accuracy.
The control system was redeveloped using Rockwell ControlLogix, following the client’s programming standards, while the HMI was implemented using standardized object libraries for consistency and usability.
To minimize risks during deployment, the system was tested in a simulated environment using Contec virtual machines, validating functionality prior to on-site implementation.
Following successful validation, start-up and commissioning were performed at the client site, ensuring a smooth transition to the upgraded system.
