Synapse Group
PLC, SCADA and DCS retrofit
Migrate the control system without losing the plant.
PLCs without spares, SCADA without support, workstations out of maintenance and undocumented serial networks. Engineering, logic migration, screens, FAT and SAT testing, commissioning and as-built.
Get in touchWhen it shows up
If this is happening, this is the problem.
The PLC is discontinued and spare cards are sourced second-hand.
The SCADA runs on an unsupported operating system and nobody wants to touch it.
The logic actually running does not match the latest drawing that exists.
Remote access is needed and the current platform cannot provide it securely.
How we approach it
What gets installed and how detection works.
- 01
Survey
Document what is there: the real logic in the device, the I/O actually in use, networks, interlocks and everything the drawing no longer reflects. This stage is what prevents expensive surprises in the connection window.
- 02
Migration and engineering
Logic ported, screens, alarm hierarchy and redundancy where appropriate. All prepared in parallel, without touching the plant that is producing.
- 03
FAT and SAT testing
Bench validation against simulation before going to site, and on-site validation against the real process. The shutdown is confined to the connection window, not to the whole project.
- 04
Handover
Supported commissioning, verified program backups, training for operations and maintenance, and as-built documentation that genuinely matches what was left running.
Where it applies
The industries where this problem weighs most.
The same work changes scale and standard by front, not nature. These are the pages with the context for each one.
What it is measured against
The indicators are set before anything is installed.
A pilot without a baseline is no basis for a scale-up decision. These are the indicators the work is designed against, measured before starting so there is something to compare with.
- Shutdown window
- Actual plant-down hours during connection, against what detailed engineering committed to.
- I/O points migrated and verified
- How many signals were tested one by one, which is what separates a clean commissioning from a week of adjustments.
- Active alarms per operator
- A retrofit is the chance to rationalise the alarm hierarchy; if the number does not fall, the mess was migrated.
- Backup coverage
- PLC and HMI programs backed up and verified, not merely copied to a folder.
Frequently asked
What we get asked before the first meeting.
Can a PLC be migrated without stopping the plant?
The migration is prepared in parallel — logic ported, screens ready, FAT testing on the bench — and the shutdown is confined to the connection window. How long that window lasts depends on the electrical architecture and the process, and is defined in detailed engineering before committing to a date. Promising zero downtime before the survey is how projects run late.
What is a SCADA retrofit and when is it worth it?
It is replacing the supervisory layer while keeping field instrumentation and control. It is worth it when the SCADA is out of support, when workstations run on unsupported systems, or when secure remote access is needed and the current platform cannot give it.
What if the current logic is undocumented?
That is the usual scenario, which is why the survey is the first stage and not a formality. The logic actually running is extracted from the device and the documentation is rebuilt from there, not from a fifteen-year-old drawing.
Do we end up locked into a vendor?
The platform is chosen on local support, spare availability, compatibility with what already exists in the plant and licensing cost over time. Where the architecture allows, open protocols are favoured — OPC UA, Modbus, MQTT — so the next migration is not another full project.
Contact
Let's talk.
If you have an operational challenge, an innovation project in mind or a question about applying technology to your industry, get in touch.
proyectos@synapsegroup.techWe reply within 48 business hours.