Industrial PLC Migration: IESA Modernizes a Tire Manufacturing Facility
How can a strategic industrial installation be modernized when only a few days of production downtime are available for the final switchover?
In industry, upgrading a control system involves much more than replacing an aging PLC with newer technology. It requires anticipating interactions across the entire process, securing software development, preparing the electrical installation, and validating as much as possible before production resumes.
IESA has recently been awarded a new project for a major player in the tire manufacturing industry. The project will bring together several of our areas of expertise with one common objective: carrying out an industrial PLC migration and modernizing the installation while minimizing the risks associated with the final switchover.
Modernizing an Industrial Installation Under Tight Production Constraints
Upgrading an existing industrial installation presents very different challenges from designing a new system.
Engineering teams must work with:
- an existing architecture and installed equipment;
- PLC programs that may have been developed many years ago;
- new technical requirements and updated customer standards;
- industrial communication technologies that need to evolve;
- interfaces with equipment that must remain operational;
- and, above all, a limited shutdown window for on-site work.
For this project, the final switchover and commissioning of the new equipment will have to be completed during a production shutdown lasting just four days.
This constraint makes thorough preparation and validation before the shutdown essential.
A Complete Industrial Automation and Electrical Retrofit
IESA will support the project across both industrial automation and industrial electrical engineering, from initial engineering studies through installation and on-site commissioning.
The scope of work includes:
- rewriting PLC programs according to the customer’s latest standards;
- migrating SLC500 PLCs to ControlLogix;
- replacing the Profibus-ASi fieldbus with Ethernet-ASi;
- converting electrical schematics from Xelec to SEE Electrical;
- validating the automation programs using the SIMETRIC industrial simulator;
- performing customer Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT);
- installing and wiring the new equipment;
- switching over to the new architecture;
- and completing on-site commissioning.
This comprehensive approach allows the installation to be treated as one integrated system rather than as a series of isolated upgrades.
SLC500 to ControlLogix Migration: Upgrading the Control System
One of the central elements of the project is the migration from SLC500 PLCs to a ControlLogix architecture.
An industrial PLC migration goes far beyond simply converting an existing program.
Engineering teams must analyze how the current installation operates, understand its control logic, and adapt that logic to the new architecture while incorporating the customer’s latest programming standards.
The programs will therefore be rewritten to provide a control architecture aligned with the site’s current technical requirements.
The goal is to achieve a successful technology transition while maintaining full control over the process functions.
Upgrading Industrial Communications
The modernization project also includes changes to communication between the different pieces of equipment.
The existing Profibus-ASi fieldbus will be replaced by an Ethernet-ASi architecture.
This change must be taken into account throughout the automation engineering, electrical preparation, and equipment configuration phases.
In an industrial retrofit project, these interfaces are critical: all components must communicate correctly when the process is restarted.
IESA’s combined expertise in automation, industrial networks, and electrical engineering makes it possible to manage these changes within one integrated control-system approach.
Updating the Electrical Documentation
Modernizing an industrial installation also means updating its technical documentation.
As part of this project, the existing electrical drawings created in Xelec will be converted to SEE Electrical.
This will align the documentation with the tools and engineering standards currently used by the customer.
It will also make the installation easier to maintain and upgrade in the future by providing electrical documentation that accurately reflects the newly installed equipment.
Industrial Simulation: Testing Before Working on the Real Process
When commissioning must take place within a very limited shutdown window, upstream testing becomes particularly important.
By connecting the simulator to the automation system, engineers can virtually reproduce the behavior of the operating equipment and test the PLC programs against a wide range of operating scenarios.
This makes it possible to:
- test automated sequences;
- verify interactions between equipment;
- identify inconsistencies before arriving on site;
- validate control-system behavior;
- and prepare the commissioning phase more effectively.
At IESA, industrial simulation and virtual commissioning have progressively become fully integrated engineering tools within automation projects.
Factory Acceptance Testing Before Deployment
A Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) phase will also be carried out with the customer.
These tests make it possible to validate the project’s key functions before the final deployment on site.
Combined with industrial simulation, FAT plays a major role in preparing the final switchover: the more system behavior can be validated beforehand, the more the on-site teams can focus on the operations that truly require access to the production equipment.
Four Days to Complete the Switchover and Commissioning
The final phase will be one of the project’s most demanding stages.
IESA teams will handle:
- installation of the new equipment;
- electrical wiring;
- switchover to the new architecture;
- testing on the actual installation;
- commissioning;
- and final process validation.
All of these operations must be completed during a four-day production shutdown.
A project of this kind therefore relies on one essential principle: prepare as much as possible before production stops.
Engineering studies, PLC programming, electrical drawing conversion, electrical preparation, simulation, and FAT all help secure the project before the shutdown window begins.
Automation, Electrical Engineering, and Simulation: An Integrated Approach to Industrial Modernization
This new project illustrates the complementary expertise IESA brings to industrial modernization and retrofit projects.
Our teams support industrial companies throughout the entire project lifecycle:
- automation and electrical engineering;
- PLC programming and industrial PLC migration;
- control-system architecture design and upgrades;
- electrical schematics;
- industrial simulation and virtual commissioning;
- Factory Acceptance Testing;
- installation and wiring;
- commissioning and on-site support.
This ability to combine multiple technical disciplines is particularly valuable when modernizing existing installations, where a change to one part of the system can affect the entire process.
With many years of experience in the tire manufacturing industry, IESA supports customers in France and internationally with the modernization, optimization, and evolution of their production systems.
Do you have an industrial PLC migration, control-system retrofit, or industrial modernization project?
IESA teams can support you from the initial engineering phase through final commissioning.