Reichel & Drews helps roofing and waterproofing manufacturers modernize aging control systems through targeted upgrades, controls retrofits, and complete system modernization projects. The objective is not simply to replace obsolete hardware. The objective is to improve reliability, enhance visibility, support future production goals, and help customers get more value from existing assets.
What sets Reichel & Drews apart is our perspective. We are not simply a controls integrator. As the OEM, we understand the equipment, the manufacturing process, and the controls system as a complete production platform. Control decisions affect line speeds, product tracking, cut accuracy, startup performance, material handling, operator interaction, and product quality. Our modernization projects are designed with those relationships in mind.
Our understanding and extensive knowledge of roofing production means that our controls are built around how equipment actually runs on the plant floor. Operators get clear feedback and safe working conditions. Maintenance teams get systems they can support. And Engineers get predictable behavior.
Reichel & Drews control systems are developed with a focus on:
Many production lines remain mechanically sound long after the controls platform begins showing its age. Hardware reaches end-of-life. Software support disappears. Spare parts become more difficult to obtain. At the same time, production expectations continue to increase.
In many cases, plants continue operating successfully until a critical component fails or an expansion project exposes the limitations of the existing controls system. What could have been a planned modernization effort quickly becomes an urgent replacement project.
Modernizing controls before that point provides more flexibility, reduces risk, and allows upgrades to be aligned with planned outages and long-term production goals. Common drivers include:
Reichel & Drews evaluates existing systems and develops upgrade paths that match plant priorities and long-term plans. Projects can be targeted to address specific safety, reliability, or usability issues, or more comprehensive, to support broader modernization plans.
As PLC platforms age, maintaining and supporting them becomes increasingly difficult. Reichel & Drews upgrades obsolete processors, migrates existing logic, and modernizes control architectures while preserving the functionality your operation depends on. Projects can range from a focused PLC replacement to a complete control platform migration.
Operator interfaces should provide useful information, not create additional challenges. Modern HMIs offer improved diagnostics, better navigation, and greater visibility into machine operation. The result is faster troubleshooting and a better operator experience.
Drive systems influence far more than machine speed. They affect product tracking, machine synchronization, tension control, and overall line performance. Modernizing drive and motion-control systems can improve reliability while providing a stronger foundation for future upgrades.
Many legacy systems provide limited insight into machine performance and operating conditions. SCADA and data collection solutions allow operators, engineers, and maintenance personnel to better understand what is happening across the line, making it easier to identify trends and respond to developing issues.
Safety systems should evolve alongside the rest of the production line. Reichel & Drews integrates safety upgrades into the broader controls architecture, helping improve functionality, maintainability, and long-term supportability.
As production requirements change, controls systems often need to accommodate new equipment, instrumentation, and automation technologies. We help integrate those additions while maintaining reliable operation across the line.
Many controls providers understand automation. Reichel & Drews understands roofing manufacturing. That distinction becomes important when evaluating production problems and modernization opportunities. A controls issue is rarely just a controls issue.Â
Changes in tracking performance, cut accuracy, product quality, startup consistency, or throughput often involve interactions between machine design, process conditions, operator practices, and control logic.
These systems do not operate independently. As the OEM, Reichel & Drews understands how roofing production lines are intended to operate. We understand the interaction between unwind systems, coating equipment, laminators, cooling sections, cutters, accumulators, material handling systems, and the controls platform that ties them together. That broader perspective helps identify root causes, prioritize improvements, and ensure modernization projects deliver measurable production benefits rather than simply replacing hardware.
Many facilities rely on equipment that is mechanically sound but limited by aging or unsupported control systems. Upgrading controls can provide enhanced safety, efficiency, and scalability without the expense of full equipment replacement.
Replacing obsolete hardware reduces dependence on aging technology and helps simplify maintenance activities. Modern platforms are generally easier to support and less vulnerable to downtime caused by unavailable components.
Modern diagnostic tools provide operators and maintenance personnel with better information when problems occur, reducing the time required to identify and resolve issues.
Improved controls strategies, repeatable startup sequences, and greater process visibility help support predictable operation and consistent product quality.
Upgraded platforms provide a stronger foundation for future expansion, ongoing maintenance, and continued production reliability.
Controls modernization is about more than replacing technology. Success depends on understanding how that technology affects production.
Many automation firms can replace a PLC, configure a drive, or develop an HMI. Reichel & Drews combines those capabilities with decades of experience designing, manufacturing, upgrading, and servicing roofing production equipment. We understand the production process behind the automation and how controls decisions affect throughput, quality, tracking, startup reliability, and day-to-day operation.
Our capabilities include:
Not every modernization project requires a complete controls replacement.
Many successful projects begin with an assessment of the existing system. Our team can evaluate current controls, identify areas of obsolescence risk, and develop a practical modernization roadmap based on production priorities and long-term goals.
Whether you’re addressing obsolete hardware, planning a production-line expansion, or looking to improve overall line performance, Reichel & Drews can help.
Contact our controls team to discuss controls upgrades, modernization projects, and long-term lifecycle planning for your roofing production line.