Industrial Oven Retrofit or Replacement?

Company / Plant: ____________________ Line/Asset ID: ____________________
Process: ____________________________ Date: ____________________
Current throughput (parts/hr): _______ Shifts/week: _______ Hours/year: _______

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1) Snapshot: What you’re solving for

Check all that apply:

• ☐ Reduce energy per part
• ☐ Improve uptime / reduce unplanned downtime
• ☐ Close process capability gaps (uniformity, ramp rate, cure profile, etc.)
• ☐ Improve safety/compliance (NFPA/UL/OSHA, ventilation, guarding, interlocks)
• ☐ Increase capacity / shorten cycle time
• ☐ Improve maintainability (access, parts availability, controls support)

Top 3 pain points (in your words):

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2) Quick “red flag” screen (circle Yes/No)

If you answer YES to 2+ items, replacement often becomes the front-runner.

1. Structural integrity compromised (shell/frame/insulation failure)? Yes / No
2. Safety/compliance exposure with no practical retrofit path? Yes / No
3. Core process can’t be met (uniformity, temp range, cleanliness)? Yes / No
4. Controls are obsolete/unserviceable (no spares, unsupported PLC/HMI)? Yes / No
5. Capacity gap is >25% vs required demand and can’t be fixed with airflow/controls? Yes / No
6. Chronic downtime impacting delivery weekly/monthly? Yes / No

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3) Energy intensity per part (simple calculator)

Fill what you know—estimate if needed.

A. Current energy use

• Fuel type: ☐ Gas ☐ Electric ☐ Other __________
• Average energy rate: $/kWh _______ or $/therm _______
• Avg energy used per hour (from meter/estimate): _______ kWh/hr or _______ therm/hr
• Parts processed per hour: _______ parts/hr

Energy cost per part (current):

• Electric: (kWh/hr × $/kWh) ÷ parts/hr = $ ______ /part
• Gas: (therm/hr × $/therm) ÷ parts/hr = $ ______ /part

B. Projected energy improvement

• Retrofit estimate: _______% reduction
• Replacement estimate: _______% reduction

Projected energy cost per part:

• Retrofit: current $/part × (1 − retrofit %) = $ ______ /part
• Replace: current $/part × (1 − replace %) = $ ______ /part

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4) Maintenance burden & downtime (annual cost)

Unplanned downtime

• Downtime hours/year: _______

• Cost of downtime per hour (labor, lost margin, expediting): $ _______
  Annual downtime cost: $ _______

Maintenance

• Maintenance labor hrs/year: _______ × loaded rate $ _______ = $ _______
• Parts spend/year: $ _______
• Contractor/service spend/year: $ _______
  Annual maintenance cost: $ _______

Total annual “keep-it-running” cost: $ _______

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5) Process capability gaps (score 0–3)

Score each item: 0 = OK | 1 = minor | 2 = frequent issue | 3 = cannot meet requirement

Capability item	0	1	2	3	Notes
Temperature uniformity / repeatability	☐	☐	☐	☐	__________
Heat-up / recovery time	☐	☐	☐	☐	__________
Airflow distribution / part coverage	☐	☐	☐	☐	__________
Controls/recipes/data logging	☐	☐	☐	☐	__________
Ventilation/exhaust performance	☐	☐	☐	☐	__________
Product quality rejects linked to thermal process	☐	☐	☐	☐	__________

• 0–5: Retrofit likely viable
• 6–11: Compare hard numbers (retrofit vs replace)
• 12–18: Replacement often justified

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6) Safety & compliance exposure (score 0–3)

Score: 0 = compliant | 1 = small updates | 2 = meaningful risk | 3 = major exposure

Item	0	1	2	3	Notes
Burn/heat hazards & guarding	☐	☐	☐	☐	__________
Interlocks/E-stops/safeties	☐	☐	☐	☐	__________
Ventilation/LEL/combustion safety	☐	☐	☐	☐	__________
Electrical/code compliance	☐	☐	☐	☐	__________
Documentation/training gaps	☐	☐	☐	☐	__________

Safety/compliance score (sum): ______ / 15

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7) Retrofit feasibility checklist (Yes/No)

If “No” shows up often, replacement rises.

• Can airflow/heat delivery be materially improved (fans, ducts, recirc, seals)? Yes / No

• Can controls be modernized (PLC/HMI, recipes, alarms, data logging)? Yes / No
• Can insulation/seals/doors be upgraded without major structural work? Yes / No
• Can safety upgrades be added without redesigning the whole system? Yes / No
• Are critical parts available/supportable for 5–10 years? Yes / No

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8) Decision matrix (weighted score)

Rate each option 1–5 (5 = best). Multiply by weight.

Criteria	Weight	Retrofit score (1–5)	Retrofit weighted	Replace score (1–5)	Replace weighted
Energy per part improvement	20
Uptime & maintenance reduction	25
Capability/quality improvement	20
Safety/compliance risk reduction	20
Lead time & disruption	15
TOTAL	100		____		____

If Replace total exceeds Retrofit by 10+ points: replacement likely wins.
If within 0–10 points: do the ROI math and consider phased retrofit.

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9) ROI snapshot (simple payback)

Retrofit

• Estimated project cost: $ _______
• Annual savings (energy + maintenance + downtime + scrap): $ _______
• Payback (yrs) = cost ÷ annual savings: _______ years

Replacement

• Estimated project cost (net of resale/avoidance): $ _______
• Annual savings: $ _______
• Payback (yrs): _______ years

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10) Recommendation (circle one)

Retrofit / Replace / Needs deeper study

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