New Lifecycle Service Agreement from Rockwell Automation Helps Customers Manage Obsolescence Challenges and Avoid Downtime

The Lifecycle Service Agreement is an element of the comprehensive Lifecycle Management Services suite of offerings, designed to identify, mitigate and reduce automation obsolescence risk. The agreement helps manufacturers minimize the serious financial consequences that can occur due to extended unplanned downtime when spare parts or speedy repair are unavailable for outdated Rockwell Automation components.

“There are many companies around the globe who rely on legacy systems to meet today's production demands, either because they don't have the capital to upgrade or because there are simply too many outdated systems to address all at once,” said Lonnie Morris, senior manager, Rockwell Automation. “In fact, ARC Advisory Group recently reported that 88 percent of process manufacturers acknowledged the use of automation beyond the manufacturer's obsolescence date. While some obsolete products are currently working well, the Lifecycle Service Agreement is designed to give manufacturers, in any industry, peace of mind by maximizing the life of their automation investment until they are able to migrate to current technology.”

The Lifecycle Service Agreement is a single, comprehensive package of three unique services designed to provide "intensive care" for obsolete automation products. The services include Reserved Repair, Remote Support and On-Site Support for discontinued products. A Reserved Repair provides manufacturers a “reservation” that assures access to Rockwell Automation product replacement, remediation or repair for all Rockwell Automation products included in the contract. Reserved Repair customers are provided repairs even when maintenance resources or spare parts are constrained or are unavailable to the general public.

Remote Support for Discontinued Product provides unlimited Web support for any obsolete or discontinued Rockwell Automation products included in the contract. Users have access to technical assistance for installation, configuration, troubleshooting, diagnosis, basic instruction programming and
best-practice recommendations.

On-Site Support for Discontinued Product provides annual preventive maintenance services, migration and conversion-planning support on all Rockwell Automation discontinued products included in the contract.

The Lifecycle Service Agreement contract is part of the holistic Lifecycle Management Services offerings, which also include an Installed Base Evaluation. The evaluation provides a lifecycle analysis report that features a color-coded reporting dashboard to help identify and pinpoint where product obsolescence resides within the facility to expose potential production risks. It also helps companies identify spare part inventory overstock and deficiencies based on a mean time between failure algorithm.

In addition, Lifecycle Management Services offers Migration Services designed to identify areas of the greatest obsolescence risk and offer migration-planning support. These migration services range from supplying information for low-cost tools and programs, to turnkey migrations including full plan creation, design, programming, installation, start-up and complete project management.