![]() ![]() Most Pharma companies don't like it when their production lines are down for short periods of maintenance, let alone the downtime to install and revalidate control systems! As we replace our laptops periodically, one of the controls guys keeps one to add to his pile of old laptops that may be required on a client site.Īs the machines we make are typically in production 24/7, it will cost the client even more to have systems updated, when the downtime of a production line is taken into account. Some of the older client machines still in use requre our Controls guys to use either DOS or Windows 3.11 systems to communicate with the PLC's, depending on the version of PLC installed. The costs involved would be rather high (for one of the smaller systems running here it would have cost over CHF 150,000.00, including the time for our Controls guys to work on it). The problem with upgrading them would also mean upgrading the control system and associated hardware, and then get that lot all validated to the appropriate FDA requirements. Some of the machines we produced several years ago are still running at client sites, some had control systems with an MMI based on Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, others on Windows 2000 Pro. One would think when spending that sort of money it would at least have an up to date OS ![]() The funny part is this is tied to a $300K+ piece of vendor supplied and supported hardware. The oldest I have found at my new employer is so far windows 2000. ![]()
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