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What's the economic model? Supporting systems no one else will with clients that can't migrate to some other system?

by mey 12y ago

LeonM 12y ago
I used to work for a company that made "copies" of PCB's from industrial machines. Most industrial equipment costs hundreds of thousands euros, most of them have a lifespan of >10 years, but the manufacturer usually stops supporting them, or goes out of business before the machines do. Many of these machines suffer from failing electronics, and repairing or even completely re-engineering the electronics is usually cheaper than installing a complete new machine. Problem is, like noonespecial already wrote: 90% of the equipment has 'DRM'. Or it has no documentation or the manufacturer simply refuses to give details about it's inner workings due to "intellectual property". (note: that's the same manufacturer that refuses to repair their customer's failed $500k machine) edit: minor typo
noonespecial 12y ago
The model is simple. Tons (quite literally) of steel have been rendered useless by ounces of failed silicon. The OEM's are unable or unwilling to provide replacements insisting that all that steel must be torn out and replaced in order to get the "updated" program for which they demand 100's of $k's or even millions plus "integration costs" etc. Usually a $300 off the shelf PLC and a little patience will have them back up in no time. Sometimes it gets really hairy and I have to make little protocol converters with a custom PCB and a little code on a micro. Its almost all from the 80's and 90's. Its not rocket science by any stretch. Its more like plumbing (except in this case, the builder is telling you that when the sink clogs, you need a new house because they don't make that faucet anymore). I mostly do fixed assets (old production plants and such) but it works for tractors, boats, earthmovers, and other vehicles as well.

What's the economic model? Supporting systems no one else will with clients that can't migrate to some other system?

by mey 12y ago

What's the economic model? Supporting systems no one else will with clients that can't migrate to some other system?

LeonM 12y ago

I used to work for a company that made "copies" of PCB's from industrial machines. Most industrial equipment costs hundreds of thousands euros, most of them have a lifespan of >10 years, but the manufacturer usually stops supporting them, or goes out of business before the machines do. Many of these machines suffer from failing electronics, and repairing or even completely re-engineering the electronics is usually cheaper than installing a complete new machine. Problem is, like noonespecial already wrote: 90% of the equipment has 'DRM'. Or it has no documentation or the manufacturer simply refuses to give details about it's inner workings due to "intellectual property". (note: that's the same manufacturer that refuses to repair their customer's failed $500k machine) edit: minor typo

noonespecial 12y ago

The model is simple. Tons (quite literally) of steel have been rendered useless by ounces of failed silicon. The OEM's are unable or unwilling to provide replacements insisting that all that steel must be torn out and replaced in order to get the "updated" program for which they demand 100's of $k's or even millions plus "integration costs" etc. Usually a $300 off the shelf PLC and a little patience will have them back up in no time. Sometimes it gets really hairy and I have to make little protocol converters with a custom PCB and a little code on a micro. Its almost all from the 80's and 90's. Its not rocket science by any stretch. Its more like plumbing (except in this case, the builder is telling you that when the sink clogs, you need a new house because they don't make that faucet anymore). I mostly do fixed assets (old production plants and such) but it works for tractors, boats, earthmovers, and other vehicles as well.