5 Signs Your PLC Platform Is Reaching End of Life
Obsolescence rarely announces itself with a single event. These are the warning signs plant engineers should be watching for.
1. Spare parts are getting harder to find
When replacement modules only show up on secondary markets at a premium, that's an early signal the manufacturer has moved on from the platform.
2. Your integrator can't get factory support anymore
If your automation partner is troubleshooting blind because the manufacturer no longer supports the platform, resolution times will only get longer.
3. No one on staff still knows the programming environment
Institutional knowledge walks out the door with retirements. A platform only a handful of people anywhere still know how to program is a risk multiplier.
4. It can't talk to modern systems
If integrating with a SCADA upgrade or IIoT initiative requires a workaround gateway just to get basic data out, the platform is limiting what the rest of your operation can do.
5. Cybersecurity patches have stopped
Unsupported platforms don't get security updates, which increasingly matters as OT and IT networks converge.
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