A wire and cable machine retrofit typically costs between 30% and 70% of an equivalent new machine, depending on scope. A control system upgrade on a wire drawing line — replacing an obsolete PLC, drive systems, and HMI — generally sits at the lower end of that range. A full mechanical and electrical retrofit of a stranding or extrusion line sits higher, but still delivers significant savings compared to new equipment procurement.

Factor in the lead time for new machinery (which can run twelve to eighteen months for custom-built wire and cable production lines), installation costs, plant layout modifications, and the ramp-up period on an unfamiliar machine, and the economic case for retrofitting a structurally sound asset becomes clear. For most manufacturers, the return on a well-scoped retrofit is measurable within one to two production years.

Siemens S5 migration is one of the most common retrofit requests we handle in wire and cable plants across the world. The S5 platform has been discontinued for decades, and spare parts — particularly CPUs, I/O modules, and communication cards — are now difficult to source reliably and carry significant price premiums.

Our process involves a full program audit of the existing S5 logic, translation and optimization of that logic to Siemens S7 or TIA Portal, hardware replacement, and complete recommissioning under production conditions. The same approach applies to legacy Allen-Bradley, Parker SSD, and other discontinued platforms. We do not simply swap hardware — we use the migration as an opportunity to improve the control logic, update the HMI to modern standards, and add diagnostics that the original system could not support.

Many retrofit projects are driven not by failure but by production opportunity: a new cable product, a larger conductor range, a higher throughput target, or a shift to a different insulation material that the machine’s current configuration cannot handle. Retrofitting the control system, drives, and tooling to accommodate new process parameters is almost always faster and more economical than procuring new equipment — particularly given that lead times for custom-built wire and cable production lines can run twelve to eighteen months.

With experienced engineering support, the result is a machine that performs to specification from day one of the new product run, with full documentation and your team trained on the upgraded system.

This depends on scope and on how well the project is planned — which is why engineering preparation matters as much as the installation itself. For a control system retrofit on a single wire drawing machine or stranding line, planned downtime typically runs five to ten working days for installation and commissioning, provided that panel pre-fabrication, program development, and hardware procurement are completed before the installation window opens.

For larger scopes — full mechanical and electrical retrofits on multi-machine lines or extrusion systems — we develop a phased implementation plan that allows partial production to continue during the work. We do not begin on-site installation until engineering is complete and all hardware is on-site and verified, because improvised delays during a planned production stoppage are the most expensive outcome for everyone.

Replacing aging DC drive technology with modern AC variable frequency drives is one of the most reliable sources of energy savings in a wire and cable plant retrofit. Modern AC drives with regenerative braking recover energy during deceleration that older systems dissipated as heat. Combined with optimized motor sizing, improved power factor correction, and more precise speed and tension control, a drive modernization retrofit on a wire drawing line typically reduces energy consumption up to 15% depending on the original system’s age and condition.

For extrusion lines, additional savings come from upgraded temperature control systems that reduce thermal overshoot and stabilize barrel and die temperatures, which also improves insulation quality and reduces scrap.

Wire and cable production machinery follows consistent engineering principles regardless of the manufacturer — the physics of wire drawing, stranding geometry, extrusion die behavior, and take-up tension management are the same whether the machine was built by a well-known European brand or a regional manufacturer from Asia or America. Our team assesses each machine on its own technical merits.

We have successfully retrofitted equipment from a broad range of manufacturers beyond the main European names, including machinery with incomplete original documentation — a situation that is common with older machines and one our engineers are experienced in resolving through direct inspection and reverse engineering of control logic. If you have a machine whose brand or model you are uncertain about, contact us with the available details and we will give you an honest assessment of retrofit feasibility.

A retrofit is only complete when the machine is documented. At project close, We deliver a full updated documentation package: revised electrical wiring diagrams, PLC program backup with source code, HMI project files, drive parameter backups, updated mechanical drawings where applicable, the safety risk assessment, and a maintenance and spare parts guide for the new system. This documentation is yours — stored in your formats, organized for your maintenance team.

We also provide hands-on training for your operators and maintenance engineers covering the new control system, HMI navigation, alarm handling, and first-level troubleshooting. After handover, our team remains accessible for remote support for questions, parameter adjustments, and any issues that arise during the ramp-up period following installation.