By Pro-Logic Technologies
Controllers that were state-of-the-art fifteen or twenty years ago are still running plenty of Kenyan production lines today, often reliably, but increasingly at risk from a shrinking pool of spare parts and programmers who still know the older software. When a controller finally does fail with no replacement available, an unplanned line stoppage can last far longer than a planned migration ever would. This is exactly the problem our PLC migration Nairobi clients come to us to solve, before that failure happens rather than after.
Assessing What's Actually At Risk
Not every legacy PLC needs urgent replacement. Our engineers start by assessing spare parts availability, failure history, and how business-critical each specific line actually is, so migration budgets go toward the controllers genuinely at risk first rather than being spread thin across an entire facility at once.
Preserving Logic Intent, Not Just Code
A PLC migration done badly simply translates old, poorly structured logic line-by-line into a new platform, carrying every old inefficiency and undocumented workaround forward into a system that's supposed to be an improvement. We take the opposite approach: understanding what the original logic was actually trying to achieve, then rebuilding it cleanly on the new platform with proper documentation, structured programming, and comments a future engineer can actually follow.
Minimising Production Downtime
Wherever possible, we plan migrations for scheduled maintenance windows, pre-test new logic extensively in simulation and on a bench-mounted panel identical to the live one, and stage the cutover so the actual production downtime is measured in hours rather than days.
Hardware And I/O Considerations
Migrations often involve more than just the controller itself; ageing I/O modules, sensors, and wiring frequently need review at the same time. We assess whether existing field wiring can be reused directly or needs adaptation, keeping unnecessary hardware replacement costs off the project wherever the existing equipment is still sound.
Typical Costs (KES)
| Service | Typical Cost Range (KES) |
|---|---|
| Legacy system risk assessment | 15,000 – 35,000 |
| Logic migration and rebuild (per controller) | 30,000 – 100,000 |
| I/O and field wiring assessment | 10,000 – 25,000 |
| Commissioning and cutover support | Quoted per project |
Where We Work
We carry out PLC migration projects for manufacturers and processing plants across Nairobi's industrial area, Ruaraka, Athi River, and Thika Road.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my PLC actually needs migrating? If spare parts are becoming hard to source, the programming software no longer runs on current computers, or the original programmer is no longer available, it's worth a risk assessment.
Will a migration require completely new field wiring? Not usually; most existing field wiring can be reused, with only the controller and, occasionally, some I/O modules replaced.
How much downtime should we expect during a migration? With proper planning and bench testing beforehand, most single-line migrations are completed within a scheduled maintenance window of a few hours.
For PLC migration Nairobi manufacturers trust to modernise legacy control systems without unnecessary downtime, contact Pro-Logic Technologies for a risk assessment.