How to Justify a Control System Modernization

Running an outdated or obsolete control system can pose many risks to your business including increased downtime, limited or no ability to expand your system, and slow maintenance response due to lack of familiarity or spare parts. Yet, it is often challenging to quantify and succinctly express the risks inherent in an outdated control system and the benefits of modernization in a way that resonates with the management team who needs to justify the capital expenditure.

When a process is physically running and putting product out the door, updates and improvements to the control system are not top of mind. This is because, on the surface, the control system appears to be working just fine. Since it is a common misconception that a modernization project would require lengthy downtime and put production at risk, it is important to show how a mature or obsolete control system that appears to be running well could actually be preventing your organization from maximizing profit and putting your process at operational risk. So how can you do this?

In our new white paper, Mitigate Business Risks through Control System Modernization, we review strategies for how to evaluate and express the risks of running your current outdated or obsolete control system. We also cover the following information to help you justify and move forward with a modernization strategy that aims to reduce business risks:

• How to answer the tough questions you are inevitably facing as you assess the status of, and risks associated with, your current outdated control system
• How to ensure you are clearly meeting the needs of key stakeholders, including IT, operators, engineering managers, maintenance, and executive management, when performing a modernization
• How to develop a modernization strategy that meets the needs of all your stakeholders while limiting downtime

Download the full white paper to learn more and see how Applied Control Engineering can help you get started with a control system modernization effort that reduces many of the business risks your company may be facing.