Day in and day out, I work alongside machine builders who share a common problem: Once equipment has been shipped to a customer site, it is quite difficult to ensure that it is running properly and being adequately maintained.
I once heard the phrase, "even a Cadillac will fail prematurely if you drive it into a brick wall." Premature failure of the machinery (regardless of whose fault) can tarnish the image of the manufacturer, lead to increased warranty costs, and create tension between OEMs and end users.
But how do I (the machine builder) get access to the control system if it is operating inside a customer’s firewall?