Obsolescence & Migration

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At Fairfields, we understand that automation components, software and systems are instrumental to the success of any manufacturing company and represent a major capital investment. We are also aware that no system or technology, regardless of how innovative, can last forever. Customers rely on us as a forward thinking systems integrator to assist them with their project planning and preparation for obsolescence and migration. It’s imperative that their investment meets the specific demands and security requirements of tomorrow, in order to future proof their systems, without compromising their ability to meet the ongoing demands of today.

Customers rely on us as a forward thinking systems integrator to assist them with their project planning and preparation. It’s imperative that their investment meets the specific demands & security requirements of tomorrow, in order to future proof their systems, without compromising their ability to meet the ongoing demands of today.

Why upgrade and migrate?

From many discussions with our clients, we realise that today’s demanding market conditions are posing significant challenges as we all continuously strive for ways to leverage and best utilise our existing automation investments. Challenges include:

  • How we improve productivity with better asset utilisation and system performance
  • How we utilise all available plant wide information to maximise productivity and minimise downtime
  • How we support sustainability with extended product lifecycles and better asset utilisation
  • How we continue to cultivate innovation with increased system flexibility and technical risk mitigation

With the ever increasing amount of plant data that can be liberated from networked devices, we believe that the reason to upgrade is not always simply to reduce the risk to the business due to component obsolescence. We explore all opportunities such as providing MES and MIS systems or designing in an integrated safety solution which allows the business to comply with current legislation thus providing a safer and more productive workplace.

Migration Path

Fairfields can assist you by determining the most appropriate control system migration path for you and help you to justify the benefits of migration, which include:

  • Better performance and availability
  • Enabling you to make more informed business decisions through improved data utilisation
  • Reduced waste and maintenance costs
  • Quicker responses to changing market demands and staying in control

 Upgrade And Migration Path Services

In many cases, migration is a continuous process which has developed over a number of years, where we have assisted our clients to develop a specific migration path that suits their demanding business requirements. We have been able to offer a cost effective and manageable solution with annual reviews as part of service/support agreements, incorporating continuous improvement philosophies, assisting with budget planning and the implementation with minimal disruption during execution.

Our philosophy is to;

  • Listen and understand our clients requirements
  • Identify legacy assets and critical points of failure
  • Provide IT consultation and services
  • Identify network infrastructure upgrade potential
  • Utilise VMware to retain unsupported operating systems and legacy SCADA systems
  • Focus on PLC processor upgrades, retaining less critical IO modules
  • Deploy energy saving solutions
  • Incorporate integrated safety solutions to reduce the time taken to implement immobilisation procedures
  • Identify continuous improvement and plant optimisation solutions
  • Incorporate redundancy or increased availability
  • Implement data gathering and track and trace solutions
  • Introduce energy consumption and OEE analysis

From the beginning to the end of the project, everyone that I dealt with at Fairfield’s displayed outstanding professionalism, had a complete understanding of the complexities of the project and have ultimately delivered a product that has drastically reduced the downtime of one of Fantasy Island’s busiest attractions. I would have no hesitation in working with Fairfield’s on any future projects.

Andy Greaves
Maintenance Manager,
Fantasy Island Resort

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