Automation Equipment: Repair or Replace?

There is never a good time for an emergency. Failures will happen, but knowing when to repair or replace can get you back up and running faster.

There’s never a good time for an emergency. Your critical automation equipment is at risk 365 days a year.  Even with the best intentions and a great maintenance plan, you’ll eventually experience a failure.  At that point, you have a choice.  You can repair or replace the device.

Repair is the sensible choice when budgets are tight and capital expenses aren’t an option.  Replacement is more appropriate when your device is at or beyond end-of-life support or you need to take advantage of new warranty coverage.

Each situation is different and either choice may be the right one, depending upon circumstances.

ABB to Yaskawa

When you aren’t ready to buy new controls, ICS can help.  We specialize in variable frequency drives and other automation components from the manufacturers that are important to you, including

  • ABB
  • Allen-Bradley
  • Danfoss
  • Vacon
  • Yaskawa

Amusement Parks to Wind Farms

No matter what industry you’re in, we can support your repair needs.  We work with companies in a variety of market spaces.

  • Amusement parks
  • Centrifuge
  • Drilling
  • Food & beverage
  • Manufacturing
  • Marine
  • Packaging
  • Wind farm

À La Carte Repair

Any repair decision can come down to two primary factors: time and cost.  When time is the most important element, quick replacement of major parts is the most commonly accepted approach.  However, if cost is is the driver, then replacing individual components can usually produce the most economical outcome.  In either case, replacing only components that have already failed and those with short service life will provide the best ratio of success to cost.

Component Level Repair

Taking à la carte repair to the next level involves drilling down from the failed unit to the failed section and part to the specific component failure.  On a printed circuit board, this might be a resistor.  In a power supply, it might be a diode.  In a VFD, it might be an IGBT.  Whatever the case may be, if you can quickly determine the exact point of failure, then you can typically lower the cost and time needed to fulfill a repair.  Component level repair can take additional troubleshooting time, but when you’re no longer considering hypothetical failures, you can save more time overall.

To paraphrase an old saying, you can have your repairs done right, fast or cheap.  At ICS, we’ll always make sure that your repairs are done right.  And, we will do our best to find the most reliable balance of fast and cheap.

Contact us to get a risk-free quote on your broken AC drives, DC drives, HMIs, or other automation products.  

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