Siemens Automation Engineer

12/2025 – 8/2026

The project involved the migration of an existing Siemens SIMATIC S7-300 PLC-based automation system to the modern S7-1500 PLC platform. The objective was to upgrade the control system while preserving the existing process functionality and improving system maintainability, diagnostics, and future expansion capabilities.

The migration required detailed analysis of the legacy PLC program, hardware configuration, I/O architecture, communication networks, HMI integration, and existing operating sequences.

Application: Industrial manufacturing

Engineering platform: Siemens TIA Portal
Legacy PLC · STEP 7 / SIMATIC Manager

Existing system: SIMATIC S7-300
New system: SIMATIC S7-1500

Migration & Engineering

3. Detailed project scope:

A. Existing system study

The first stage involved reviewing the existing S7-300 automation system and collecting the necessary engineering data.
Existing PLC CPU and firmware details.
ET 200 distributed I/O stations.
Digital and analog input/output list.
Existing control cabinet drawings and wiring.
Motor starters, contactors, and drive interfaces.
PROFIBUS DP / PROFINET communication.
Existing HMI screens and alarm configuration.
PLC program backup and hardware configuration.
Deliverable: Existing system assessment and migration planning document.

B. S7-300 PLC program analysis

The legacy PLC software was analyzed to understand the existing process logic and identify migration requirements.
Program areas:

OB — Organization Blocks.
FB — Function Blocks.
FC — Functions.
DB — Data Blocks.
PLC tag tables.
Analog signal processing.
Motor control logic.
Interlocks and permissives.
Automatic and manual operating modes.
Alarm and fault handling.

C. Hardware migration

The S7-300 hardware was evaluated and replaced with an appropriate S7-1500 configuration.

New hardware
S7-1500 CPU
Compatible S7-1500 / ET 200 modules
PROFINET network
Redesigned communication
Migrated HMI

D. TIA Portal engineering

The new S7-1500 PLC project was prepared in TIA Portal with the required hardware and software configuration.
Engineering activities:
Migrate the project into TIA Portal.
Configure the new S7-1500 CPU.
Configure PROFINET interfaces and network addresses.
Add and configure the required I/O modules.
Transfer and adapt PLC program blocks.
Update PLC tags and data structures.
Review incompatible instructions.
Compile and troubleshoot the PLC program.
Download the validated project to the new CPU.

E. HMI and SCADA integration

The operator interface was reviewed and updated to work with the new PLC.
HMI tag mapping.
Motor start/stop commands.
Process values and analog measurements.
Alarm and acknowledgement handling.
Automatic/manual mode selection.
Status indications.
Trends and diagnostic screens.

F. Communication and drive integration

The communication network and connected field devices were verified after the PLC upgrade.
PROFINET communication.
ET 200SP remote I/O.
SINAMICS S120 drives.
HMI / WinCC communication.

Totally integrated automation portal (TIA portal)