R\u00e9trofit machine industrielle : quand moderniser plut\u00f4t que remplacer ?<\/a> (in French). He explains why a machine’s age is not enough to decide, what a retrofit can actually modernize (controls, sensors, HMI, safety, supervision) and how to frame the project. Among the mistakes to avoid, he lists modernizing without measuring, and sums it up this way: “Si le r\u00e9trofit ne permet pas de suivre les effets obtenus, il sera difficile de prouver sa valeur.” (in other words: if the retrofit does not make it possible to track the effects obtained, it will be hard to prove its value).<\/p><\/blockquote>\nHis article provides the method for deciding on and carrying out a retrofit. This one focuses on the measurement around it: establishing the starting OEE, using it to choose between modernizing and replacing, then comparing it with the OEE achieved after the work. The two approaches complement each other: the integrator modernizes the machine, the measurement shows what the modernization delivered.<\/p>\n
What OEE reveals about an old machine<\/h2>\n
Two machines of the same age can call for opposite decisions. What matters is the nature of the losses, and OEE sorts them into three families: availability (breakdowns, setups, waiting), performance (micro-stops, reduced speed) and quality (scrap, rework). A retrofit deals very well with some of these losses, and not at all with others.<\/p>\n
A machine that mostly loses time to long breakdowns, because the PLC is obsolete and spare parts are hard to find, is a good candidate. A machine whose losses come from material shortages or poorly prepared changeovers will gain almost nothing from a new PLC. The table below is a reading grid to use once the starting OEE has been measured.<\/p>\n
![\"Four-step](\"https:\/\/teeptrak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/teeptrak-retrofit-trs-en.png\")
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