38th FVI Expert Breakfast

Topic: "The 20-Year Time Bomb" – When does the service life of safety-relevant components become a risk?

In this session, there was a heated discussion about a standard specification that is causing many operators of existing plants (Brownfield) to sweat.

• The 20-Year Limit: According to the standard (e.g., DIN EN ISO 13849), a maximum service life of 20 years is assumed when calculating the failure probability of safety components (e.g., Safe PLCs, contactors). After this time, it is statistically no longer guaranteed that the components will function safely.
• The Panic of the Industry: Jean Haeffs (VDI) reported that a VDI paper on this topic caused panic among operators (e.g., chemical, steel). The fear: "Do we now have to shut down or completely rebuild all plants older than 20 years?"
• Wear vs. Electronic Aging: Martin Ulbrich (TÜV) explained the difference. An emergency stop button does not break after 20 years if it has never been pressed (mechanical wear). But electronic components (e.g., capacitors in controls) age chemically/physically, even if they are just lying in storage. Here, "dangerous failures" threaten (e.g., if the internal diagnostic function dies unnoticed).
• Retrofit or Refurbishment? Timo Gumprecht (Gira) asked pragmatically: "What do I do if I don't get the budget for a retrofit?" One solution is "refurbishment" by service providers (e.g., BVS), who check, repair, and return old components with a new warranty.
• The Legal Reality: Jean Haeffs warned against taking the issue lightly. If an accident occurs (e.g., a death at the machine) and the safety components have exceeded 20 years, the managing director is liable in the worst case with his personal assets. Looking the other way is not an option.

Classification: ADAM as Compliance Radar for Existing Plants

This episode highlights a massive documentation and transparency problem, where ADAM acts as a lifesaver (for budgets and careers).

• The Transparency Problem: Timo admitted that he is currently building an "Excel wallpaper" just to find out which safety components are installed in which plants and how old they are. Excel is the wrong place for liability issues. ADAM is your dynamic bill of materials. ADAM knows exactly when a component was installed. With the intelligent search, you can find all Safe PLCs in your plant that are approaching the 20-year limit at the push of a button. ADAM is your compliance radar.
• Obsolescence & Risk Warnings: If a manufacturer discontinues a component or the service life expires, unplanned shutdowns or legal risks threaten. By integrating manufacturer data into ADAM, you receive automated warnings. ADAM doesn't tell you only at the time of failure that the part is too old, but gives you the lead time to plan a refurbishment or retrofit in advance.
• Documentation of the Lifecycle: If parts are overhauled by external service providers, this must be documented tamper-proof. The 'Digital Lifecycle Record' in ADAM stores every certificate, every proof test, and every refurbishment tamper-proof on the asset. If the prosecutor (or the BG) asks, you have the complete history of the machine ready in seconds.

Conclusion: The age of plants is the biggest legal and operational risk in the German SME sector ("Germany is built"). ADAM provides the necessary transparency to proactively manage this risk before the 20-year time bomb goes off.