Modernizing a Legacy Industrial Automation Engineering Tool

Industrial automation is the use of technology, like control systems, machines, and software to operate industrial processes automatically, with minimal human intervention. This field requires specialized tools for PLC code generation, SCADA configuration, and technical documentation. While there are standards for PLC programming, it is common that some companies (both system integrators and end-users) define their own software structure standards to promote a common look and facilitate monitoring, troubleshooting, and diagnostics activities. This also allows programmers to copy code from previous projects and edit it to match the new project’s requirements. The engineering department of the industrial engineering company participating in this case study, has relied on toolchains developed with VBA and Excel for over 15 years, but these legacy systems suffer from severe performance bottlenecks, poor scalability, and lack of collaborative capabilities that constrain modern engineering workflows. This research applied Design Science Methodology to develop and evaluate a PoC engineering tool aimed at addressing these critical limitations. The resulting solution is a web-based single-page application designed to enhance engineering workflows. Evaluation through stakeholder testing and performance benchmarking demonstrates significant improvements over the legacy system. Key results include dramatically faster PLC, SCADA and documentation generation, with consistently positive stakeholder feedback and immediate workflow integration. The research validates that the new solutions can effectively replace legacy industrial automation tools while delivering substantial productivity improvements and enhanced output consistency. Proof of Concept established a foundation for the company's next-generation engineering toolchain and demonstrates a replicable approach for similar organizational modernization challenges.