Schneider service smoothes move from legacy to new platforms

Schneider Electric’s validatable PLC service helps companies upgrade their systems with Modicon PLC platforms that comply with current FDA standards and regulations.

A new service from Schneider Electric lets critical process industries easily update legacy systems without expensive and time-consuming revalidation. Validatable PLC service is designed for companies who want to upgrade systems to Modicon PLC platforms that comply with current FDA regulations and standards. The service lets I/O cards installed as long as 30 years ago be connected with the newest automation technologies. It preserves customer investments in system validation while facilitating upgrades of processors, I/O devices, and other process automation system components.

Converting a PLC system requires procedures that bring optimal results with minimal downtime. In some batch process applications, the time available for converting an existing application is less than 15 min. The Validatable PLC process provides a way to convert easily from legacy Modicon PLC platforms to a Modicon Quantum IEC-based system that complies with FDA regulations, a validation environment, the S88 model, and 21 CFR Part 11.

Schneider validates the PLC code and each change to have systems quickly ready for implementation in designated plants. The process addresses key elements implicit in preserving customers’ validated solutions, including:

Defining and aligning the purpose of the modules;

Establishing the use of each module by defining how it interacts with other modules;

Determining if a module can be portable;

Designing and defining modules to take advantage of equipment capability;

Defining modules to be independent in their abilities;

Ensuring modules allow capacity expansion of a process by adding and/or copying existing modules.

Click here for more information from Schneider Electric about the service .

—Jeanine Katzel, senior editor, Control Engineering, jkatzel@reedbusiness.com

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