The three White Papers focus on different steps in the migration process. The first, Justification for Migration, examines how to analyse the costs of continued operation on an outdated DCS and how to justify replacing it. The second, DCS Migration Strategy and Implementation, offers strategies for upgrading a legacy DCS, and focuses on how to implement the chosen strategies while maximising uptime, and minimising cost and risk. The third paper, Automation System Optimisation, examines ways in which a new automation system can deliver superior performance than a legacy DCS.

“Many companies may not realize that the very same DCS system installed years ago to improve productivity and reduce costs, is actually negatively affecting productivity and the bottom line today,” says Rockwell’s DCS marketing manager, Mike Vernak. “Much of the expense is due to the difficulty in maintaining technical expertise and finding spare parts for the 25- to 30-year-old legacy systems.”

The White Papers can be downloaded from Rockwell’s Web site. The company has also has conducted three webinars on DCS migration to accompany the White Papers.