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Top 10 Most Common Industrial Automation Problems (and How to Avoid Them)
- Alex
- Nov 29, 2025
- 3 min read
Industrial automation systems are the backbone of modern manufacturing. But like any complex system, they are subject to failures—many of which occur repeatedly across factories. Here are the 10 most frequent automation problems, along with practical solutions to prevent them.
1. Sensor Failures or Incorrect Calibration
Sensor issues account for nearly 40% of all automation breakdowns. Dirt, vibration, incorrect installation, and aging often cause inaccurate readings.
How to Avoid It
Clean and recalibrate sensors regularly
Use protective housings in harsh environments
Choose sensors designed for temperature, dust, or moisture levels
Our technicians can help you identify faults before they disrupt production.
2. Obsolete or End-of-Life PLCs
Many factories still operate using outdated PLCs such as Siemens S5, Schneider TSX, and older Rockwell models.
How to Avoid It
Plan a progressive migration strategy
Build an obsolescence inventory
Back up PLC programs before replacing hardware
Request your free PLC obsolescence report to identify high-risk equipment.
3. Poor or Aging Wiring
Loose terminals, crushed cables, poor grounding, or overheated conductors cause intermittent faults that are difficult to detect.
Prevention Measures
Thermographic inspection of cabinets
Proper routing, labeling and protection of cables
Scheduled tightening of terminal blocks
We can perform a full wiring health audit on your production line.
4. Power Quality Issues
Power surges, dips, noise and harmonic distortion can damage PLCs, HMI screens, sensors and VFDs.
How to Protect Your Equipment
Install UPS systems for PLCs
Use surge protectors and EMI filters
Monitor power quality continuously
Book a power quality assessment to detect hidden risks.
5. Software Bugs & Poorly Documented Programs
Uncommented code, quick patches, and inconsistent programming standards frequently cause unexpected behavior.
Best Practices
Standardize function blocks and naming conventions
Maintain proper versioning and documentation
Perform a yearly PLC software audit
We audit your PLC code to eliminate dangerous logic errors.
6. Industrial Network Failures
PROFINET, MODBUS TCP, EtherCAT or Ethernet/IP may suffer packet losses, duplicated IPs or broken cables.
How to Avoid Network Downtime
Use certified industrial Ethernet cables
Activate redundancy where possible
Monitor traffic with protocol analyzers
Ask for a complete industrial network health check.
7. VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) Overloads & Misconfiguration
Incorrect ramp times, poor cooling or undersized drives lead to faults and motor overheating.
Solutions
Configure ramps according to load torque
Maintain cabinet temperature properly
Verify motor thermal protection
We provide VFD and motor diagnostic services to prevent unexpected stops.
8. Faulty or Bypassed Safety Circuits
Broken safety relays, bypassed guards or miswired circuits put both operators and machines at risk.
Prevention
Use SIL/PL-rated safety modules
Test safety loops regularly
Train operators on safety equipment
Ensure your safety circuits comply with standards—schedule a safety audit.
9. Lack of Preventive Maintenance
Simple tasks like cleaning, lubrication, or functional tests are often neglected, leading to premature failures.
How to Improve Reliability
Implement condition-based maintenance
Track historical performance
Conduct periodic automation audits
Let us build a preventive maintenance plan tailored to your plant.
10. No Backup Strategy for Programs
A sudden failure can wipe out the logic from a PLC or HMI, making recovery slow and costly.
The Solution
Automated backups to a secure server
Version control (Git, SVN or PLC-native tools)
Store configuration files for all devices
Protect your control systems with automated backup solutions.
By addressing these 10 issues, manufacturers often reduce downtime by 30 to 50%. Proper maintenance, monitoring, documentation and modernization ensure safer, more reliable and more productive industrial systems.
Reduce Failures. Improve Reliability. Secure Your Production.
Inomatex helps you eliminate recurring automation issues through diagnostics, optimization and safe PLC upgrades.
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