Do you have a legacy SCADA system in your manufacturing facility that is creaking at the seams? Are you worried about the risks posed by your outdated SCADA system, or are you frustrated by the limitations it places on your modernisation efforts? Are you simply fed up with the high and difficult-to-control costs? Upgrading your legacy SCADA system to the Ignition platform is the solution.
SL Controls is a certified Ignition integrator, and we have extensive experience migrating manufacturing operations, especially those in the life sciences sector. From our experience, here are the seven main reasons for starting the process of upgrading your legacy SCADA system to the powerful, modern, and highly flexible Ignition platform.
You Can Reduce and Simplify License Fees
The licensing fees for many SCADA platforms are high and extremely complex to manage and control. It is easy for fees to become exorbitant to the point where the potential increase in fees can put the brake on production line modernisation, upgrade, and improvement projects.
In many situations, it is possible to reduce your licensing costs with Ignition. This is because Ignition is based on an unlimited license model. The unlimited license model means you don’t incur additional costs when you add another client or production line. When you buy an Ignition server license, everything is covered, regardless of how many clients or tags you add. This not only reduces your costs but also makes it significantly more straightforward to manage.
Your Operations Will Be More Secure
Many legacy SCADA systems have minimal or outdated security technologies. This can expose your production lines and wider business operations to substantial cybersecurity risks, especially as you work to increase connectivity, automation, and your use of data.
Ignition is built with security as a core priority, so it features the latest technologies. It is also continuously updated, enhancing security and covering-off new and emerging threats.
Your Legacy SCADA is No Longer Supported
Your current SCADA system could have reached its end-of-life (EOL) and is no longer supported, or the available support might be patchy or non-existent for another reason. You can even have internal support issues, with expert operators nearing retirement age.
EOL and unsupported SCADA systems expose your manufacturing operations to additional risks. They also limit your ability to modernise.
Ignition is a growing platform that is continuously being improved. It has a strong support offering, experienced and committed integrators (including us at SL Controls), and an active community. Whatever support you need, it is available on the Ignition platform.
You Can Do More Than SCADA With Ignition
Ignition is a highly flexible platform with a robust development environment that allows our team of experts to create any type of industrial application.
This includes, for example, eliminating the need to have a SCADA system and a separate MES. Ignition can do it all in one platform. Ignition can also be used as a paper-to-glass solution where you can digitalise existing manual or paper-based processes and incorporate them into the SCADA system as part of the upgrade.
Download our whitepaper on flattening your manufacturing software stack to find out more.
You Can’t Integrate New Technology with Your Legacy SCADA System
It is often difficult or even impossible to fully integrate new technologies with legacy SCADA systems. There can also be compatibility issues when you need to install new production equipment. These integration and compatibility problems can again limit your ability to modernise, impacting performance and giving your competitors an edge.
The Ignition platform eliminates integration and compatibility issues.
Ignition is Highly Adaptable
One of the reasons that companies delay the introduction of new technologies like Ignition is the skills of operators. Existing staff might be very familiar with your legacy SCADA system. They might also be comfortable with it too, so are resistant to change.
Ignition is highly adaptable, however, so the transition to the new platform can be made as seamless as possible. Our team at SL Controls can even match the look and feel of Ignition screens to your legacy SCADA system, increasing familiarity for operators.
Improve Performance, Compliance, Oversight, and Control
Ignition will unleash the power of data in your manufacturing operations while making it easy to control, monitor, and analyse processes. You can also continuously optimise key performance metrics, including OEE, as well as improving compliance processes with automated auditing of every action and interaction.
Migrating to Ignition
The benefits we have highlighted above mean you can expect a rapid return on investment when you upgrade your existing SCADA system to the Ignition platform. In closing, it is also important to highlight that migrating to Ignition is not a one-size-fits-all process.
At SL Controls, we will customise your Ignition platform migration according to your requirements, capabilities, existing technologies, budget, skills, and desired outcomes. Get in touch with us today to find out more.
