Retrofits & PLC upgrades

Conveyor retrofits and PLC upgrades

Most conveyor frames and rollers outlast their controls. We replace obsolete PLCs, first-generation MDR cards, relay logic, and lineshaft drives in stages, with cutovers planned around your shipping schedule.

Talk about a retrofit What we upgrade
Roller conveyor leading to packaging equipment in a large facility
Roller conveyor feeding packaging equipment
Sortation conveyor with divert lanes
Sortation lanes with diverts

What we upgrade

Keep the conveyor, replace what’s at risk

Every retrofit starts with what is there now: the program, any drawings, the field wiring, and how the conveyor actually runs on a busy day.

Legacy PLC migrations

SLC 500, PLC-5, and MicroLogix moved to CompactLogix or ControlLogix. S7-300/400 moved to S7-1500. Logic is converted and cleaned up, not just copied.

Lineshaft to MDR

Lineshaft and belt-driven roller sections converted to MDR where accumulation, noise, or energy use is the problem, often section by section.

MDR card upgrades

Older discrete or serial-networked cards replaced with current Ethernet cards so the PLC can see zone status and faults.

Adding zones & merges

New sections, merges, or a sorter tied into an existing system, with power and network capacity checked first.

Network upgrades

DeviceNet, DH+, Remote I/O, or Profibus moved to EtherNet/IP or PROFINET with managed switches and an IP plan.

Safety updates

E-stop and pull-cord circuits reviewed against current practice and redesigned where a single fault could defeat the stop.

Why upgrade

Why DCs upgrade conveyor controls

Old conveyor controls often run until a part fails during peak. Upgrading on your schedule keeps that decision in your hands.

  • Spare parts

    End-of-life PLCs, cards, and drives get scarce and expensive, and lead times stretch when you need them most.

  • Visibility

    Current cards and PLCs report zone status, faults, and counts. Older systems often report nothing until something stops.

  • Rate

    Better merge and release logic recovers throughput without changing the mechanical conveyor.

  • Support

    Current platforms are documented and familiar to new technicians and other integrators.

  • Downtime risk

    A planned weekend cutover costs far less than an unplanned outage during a shipping peak.

How we approach it

Retrofits on a running conveyor

  • Survey first

    We review the existing program, panels, and field wiring and record how each section behaves today, including the workarounds operators rely on.

  • Pre-build and pre-test

    New panels, cordsets, and programs are built and tested before the outage, so the shutdown is for installation and checkout only.

  • Stage the work

    Large systems are cut over section by section, with temporary interfaces so old and new controls can run side by side.

  • Document what you have

    Drawings, zone lists, program backups, and card configurations updated to match the upgraded system.

Powered roller conveyor line with guarding

Time to upgrade

Send us what you’re running today.

Photos of the panels, the PLC model and firmware, and a rough layout are enough to start. We’ll tell you what to replace now, what can wait, and how to sequence the cutover.

Quote my upgrade Email us

Next step

Planning a conveyor upgrade?

Tell us the PLC platform, the MDR or drive hardware, and when you can take the conveyor down. We’ll help you scope the work and the changeover.

[email protected]

Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET · we reply within one business day
Engineering offices in Clearwater, Florida · available for Zoom meetings

Your request goes to an engineer, not a call center. Expect a reply within one business day.