One of the first real decisions in any automation project is whether to retrofit an existing line or build a new automated one. This guide lays out the questions that drive that call — from an engineering and production standpoint, not a sales one. To be clear before anything else: this is physical industrial and factory automation — not consumer or humanoid robotics, robotics education, AI, or RPA (robotic process automation) software. RoboFactory Africa has made this call with manufacturers across Ghana and Togo since 2018.

The Two Paths

Retrofit

Keep the existing line and upgrade it — migrate the control system, add robotic cells or instrumentation, modernise the PLC/SCADA, and lift throughput or quality without starting over.

New Build

Build an automated line from the architecture up — when the existing line cannot reach the target, or when the process itself is changing.

Questions That Decide It

Can the Existing Line Reach the Target?

If the mechanical line is sound and the gap is control, sensing, or a robotic cell, a retrofit often reaches the production target. If the line itself is the bottleneck, a new build may be the honest answer.

What State Is the Control System In?

A legacy control system can frequently be migrated — newer PLC/SCADA engineered to recognised practice such as IEC 61131-3, into control panels per IEC 61439. If the controls are obsolete and undocumented, migration effort rises.

What Does the Safety Case Require?

Adding a robotic cell or changing the machinery triggers a fresh safety assessment to ISO 12100 and ISO 10218-2, and functional-safety / SIL practice (IEC 61508 / IEC 61511) where the process demands it. Sometimes the safety case favours a clean new build; sometimes a retrofit is fully defensible. Either way it sits within Ghana’s Factories, Offices and Shops Act 1970 (Act 328) / DFI regime — not the GSA.

Where Does the Data Need to Go?

If production data must reach the MES/ERP, integration follows ISA-95, and OT cybersecurity follows IEC 62443. We describe these as the framework we work to, and claim a specific certification only where it is actually held.

How the Decision Is Made

It is made at the consult-and-assess stage, on the floor, against your real production target — not from a brochure. We map the line, the constraints, and the outcome you need, then recommend retrofit or new build honestly, because we are accountable for the result either way.

What It Costs

Both paths are scoped and quoted per project. Retrofit and new build each have their own drivers — scope, robotics, controls, downtime — so there is no flat published rate, and we never quote an invented figure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is retrofitting always cheaper than a new line?

Not always. A heavy retrofit on an obsolete, undocumented line can cost more than a clean build. The honest answer comes from assessing the actual line against the target.

Does adding a robot to an old line need a new safety assessment?

Yes. Changing the machinery or adding a robotic cell triggers a fresh risk assessment to ISO 12100 and ISO 10218-2.

Is this about software or RPA?

No. This is physical automation — control systems, robotic cells, instrumentation — on a production line, not RPA software or consumer robotics.

Request a consultation — or scope an automation project: +233 20 531 3333.