Is your converting line becoming obsolete? 5 warning signs you shouldn’t ignore
The Lifecycle Concept: the machine as a living asset
No converting line is a static asset. From start-up to full operation, every machine goes through a well-defined life cycle, during which performance naturally tends to decline if it is not supported by targeted interventions. This is the principle behind the Lifecycle Concept: an industrial asset requires an ecosystem of continuous services—performance monitoring, on-site support, spare parts management, technological upgrades and connectivity—to maintain, over time, the output and reliability it delivered on day zero.
For those who work in production every day, recognizing the warning signs of obsolescence is a strategic capability. Acting before a critical failure means you can plan the investment, avoid unplanned stops, and keep the line competitive. Acting after means chasing increasingly hard-to-find spare parts, bearing rising costs, and accepting unpredictable downtime.
Below are five red flags that—based on Valmet’s experience across a global installed base of more than 26,000 machines—indicate it’s time to seriously consider a revamping program.
The 5 warning signs to monitor
1. Steady output decline and unplanned downtime
It is the most immediate and measurable symptom. The line struggles to reach nominal production levels, finished-product repeatability worsens, and OEE drops below expected thresholds. Often, this is not caused by a single component, but by a systemic decline: motors requiring increasing maintenance, mechanical parts wearing out, and random errors with no apparent cause. When unplanned stops exceed what the in-house maintenance team can manage, the signal is clear: the machine is no longer able to sustain production rates.
2. Difficulty sourcing spare parts
Many of the electronic components installed on lines with more than fifteen years of service are now out of production. Legacy PLC, safety and motion control systems, older-generation drives, interface, safety and functional boards are just a few examples of components that are no longer available through official distributors. Relying on secondary suppliers or the used market brings three concrete risks: unpredictable lead times, high costs with no OEM warranty, and the inability to keep overstock without impacting working capital. Motion control systems, in particular, have undergone rapid evolution that has closed a chapter characterized by long-standing supplier choices in favor of newer solutions—more open technologically and better aligned with the new generations of technicians.
3. Failure to comply with current safety regulations
Safety devices installed on older-generation lines—hardwired safety relays, physical guards without electronic monitoring, and e-stops not integrated into the control logic—no longer meet today’s requirements under the Machinery Directive and the expectations of our customers. A line without an updated CE certification exposes the company to regulatory and insurance risks and—above all—operator safety risks. In addition, starting in 2027, the new regulatory framework on industrial cybersecurity will apply: connected machines will need to ensure cybersecurity standards that cannot be implemented on legacy automation architectures.
4. Operational difficulties and a skills gap in the workforce
The generational shift in maintenance departments is a reality every plant faces. Junior technicians are not familiar with software and programming languages from twenty years ago, while the HMIs of older machines—often based on character panels or reduced graphics such as legacy PanelMate—are not intuitive and are slow for troubleshooting. The result is a longer mean diagnostic time, greater dependence on a few senior specialists, and increasing operational risk when key personnel are absent.
5. Lack of connectivity, data, and remote support
Older control architectures do not expose process data in a structured way. Without a continuous flow of information on OEE, energy consumption, duty cycles and anomaly notifications, maintenance necessarily remains reactive: you act when the failure has already occurred—never before. Likewise, the absence of a secure remote connection prevents the activation of 24/7 remote support services such as Expert Online, periodic health checks, and predictive analytics on critical components. In a market rapidly moving toward Industry 4.0 models, the lack of data exposure is a tangible competitive disadvantage.
The answer: Valmet revamping service—strategic and modular
Recognizing the warning signs is the first step. The second is choosing the right approach. Contrary to what one might think, it is not necessary to replace the entire line to bring it back to reliability and performance levels comparable to a new machine. Revamping is a regeneration intervention that targets the line’s critical systems—automation, motion, safety, HMI—while preserving the mechanical structure and the existing layout.
The modular, scalable approach makes it possible to plan the investment around real priorities. Typical interventions include:
- Replacing DC motors with high-efficiency AC motors, reducing consumption, eliminating brush maintenance and increasing overall reliability.
- Upgrading axis controllers and PLCs to standard market platforms (e.g., Siemens S7-1500, Rockwell ControlLogix with Kinetix 5700), with benefits in spare parts availability, safety integration and deterministic Ethernet protocols.
- Implementing integrated Safety functions in the machine logic for easier access to diagnostics, including within the safety domain.
- Rebuilding electrical cabinets with a smart design that simplifies access, diagnostics and component replacement, reducing mean time to repair.
- Integrating new HMIs with modern graphics and advanced features.
- Issuing an updated CE certification upon request.
Don’t wait for a critical failure
Obsolescence is not a sudden event—it’s a process that sends signals. Recognizing them early means staying in control of the timing and costs of the intervention, rather than being forced to react. A technical assessment that combines OEE data, failure history, a map of critical components and suppliers’ phase-out roadmaps is the starting point for any informed decision.
Request a free assessment of your line
The Valmet Tissue Converting team will carry out a complete technical evaluation and provide a clear snapshot of the improvement potential, along with a budgetary estimate to help you plan the intervention.
