Modernise the machine — keep the iron
Most “old” machines are mechanically excellent and electrically obsolete. A machine automation upgrade replaces the controls, drives, sensors and safety — and keeps the proven mechanics — for a fraction of replacement cost and lead time. Mobile Automation delivers upgrades from minor improvements to complete line overhauls, concept to completion.
Typical upgrades
- Control retrofits — obsolete relay logic or dead PLCs replaced with modern, supported platforms, properly documented
- Drives and motion — VSDs and servo upgrades for speed control, energy savings and gentler machine wear
- Sensors and vision — jam detection, quality cameras, condition monitoring; small additions with outsized downtime savings
- Safety upgrades — bringing guarding and safety circuits to AS/NZS 4024 as part of the same project
- Robotics and handling — adding robot loading, packing or palletising to existing lines
- Data and connectivity — bringing the machine onto your SCADA and giving it a voice
Concept to completion, around your production
We assess the machine, design the upgrade, build the new control cabinet in our workshop, pre-wire and test off-site, then execute the changeover in a planned window — a weekend or shutdown, not a month of downtime. Our own engineers, electricians and fitters do the lot, then support it. It's the same discipline we bring to switchboard changeovers, applied to machines.
Frequently asked questions
Is upgrading really cheaper than replacing the machine?
Usually dramatically — control retrofits typically run 20–40% of replacement cost, with weeks of lead time instead of a year, and no rigging-out of a machine that mechanically still works. Where replacement is genuinely better, we'll tell you.
How much downtime does a retrofit take?
Most changeovers are executed in days over a planned window, because the new cabinet is built and tested before we touch the machine. We plan around your production calendar.
Can you upgrade machines with no documentation?
Yes — we survey the machine, trace the circuits and produce as-built documentation as part of the project. Undocumented legacy machines are our bread and butter.
Will the upgraded machine integrate with our other systems?
That's half the value — modern controls bring the machine onto your SCADA, into your data and under your alarm system. We design the integration in from the start.
Have more questions? Get in touch with our team and we'll be happy to help.
