undefined | Better HN

0 pointskk6mrp4y ago0 comments

Does management really understand how long the equipment is going to be used when it is purchased? From what I've seen, upper management has done the cost analysis before purchasing but maintenance is going to ultimately going to be be responsible for keeping the equipment running. By this point in time, those that approved the purchase are likely retired.

0 comments

3 comments · 1 top-level

stinkytaco4y ago· 2 in thread

I'm not sure what an acceptable time horizon for these types of things is in an industrial setting, but as a middle aged person in management, I'd consider anything that lasts until after I retire a success. I don't deal a lot in mechanical systems, however, but I can certainly see someone who's not fully versed in a technology thinking 20-30 years is a longer lifespan than almost anything they interact with on a daily basis. What is the expected lifespan of system with a microchip that presumably needs to be updated, secured, etc on a regular basis?

liketochill4y ago

I am currently working on a power plant control system that has a modicon 984 plc first released in 1991.

We expect minimum 20 years from PLCs, and unless parts become unavailable or failures too frequent we would generally go 30 years before replacement.

The PLCs are great, it’s the damned computers and their operating systems that keep needlessly changing our working system.

So we virtualize and air gap.

MisterTea4y ago

> The PLCs are great, it’s the damned computers and their operating systems that keep needlessly changing our working system.

That's my gripe these days, long term used to be 20+ years. You can still get DL400 series PLC's from Automation Direct (rebranded Koyo) which are from the 90's. Now I see many embedded micros and processors advertised with 10 year long term supply. To me long term is around 20 or more years, basically someones career span. And dont get me started on all this industry 4.0 PC based control crap. Not everything needs millions of lines of Linux kernel to turn a few io points on or off. And the bloated systems that these platforms utilize is nauseating.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse