Focus on retrofitting

Efficient transport solutions are indispensable in hospitals, libraries, and industry—whether for the automated transport of samples, medications, food, or laundry, automated book sorting and transport, or internal transport in industry. Brownfield retrofit projects are becoming increasingly important: existing systems are being modernized to make them future-proof, more efficient, and easier to maintain.

A recent example from Germany shows how this works in practice: The starting point was a system with an EMK 3 control system from 2000 – technically in excellent condition, but with spare parts becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. The customer was also planning an expansion of 25 stations at 5 new locations. Our proposal: First, completely convert the existing system to a more modern control system and then implement the expansion with the new system. This solution convinced the customer.

The system currently comprises around 80 stations at 31 locations, 45 fire doors, and 180 vehicles. The modernization of the control system is nearing completion, and the expansion will be implemented by 2028.

The benefits for the customer:

• Long-term availability and lower-cost replacement parts
• More service information for preventive maintenance
• Significant increase in plant efficiency

Retrofit is the key to sustainably modernizing existing systems while ensuring competitiveness.