How Industrial Electronics Repair Works: Cost, Turnaround and Warranty Explained

Industrial electronics repair is the process of sending a failed drive, PLC module, HMI panel, power supply or CNC control to a specialist workshop that diagnoses the fault, replaces the damaged components, tests the unit and returns it with a repair warranty. For most automation parts it is the fastest way back to production when the part is expensive, discontinued or on a long lead time. Automa.Net lists more than 120 repair companies worldwide that publish the categories and brands they repair, their usual repair time and their warranty (October 2026). This guide explains how a repair works from the moment a part fails, what decides the price and the turnaround, and how to get a useful quote on the first try.

What Can Be Repaired

Almost any electronic assembly built from discrete components can be repaired at board level. The parts maintenance teams send most often fall into six groups:

What usually cannot be repaired economically: units with severe fire or water damage, boards whose custom chips are no longer available anywhere, and cheap parts where the labour costs more than a new unit. A good repair company tells you this after diagnosis instead of charging for a repair that will not hold. For the faults behind each category, see our guides to VFD and servo drive failures, HMI touch screen faults and PLC CPU and I/O module faults.

How a Repair Works, Step by Step

1. The part fails. Before removing it, note the fault code on the display or in the controller's diagnostic buffer, and what the machine was doing when it happened. This is the single most useful piece of information for the repair company.
2. You find a company that repairs the brand. Not every workshop works on every brand. A company that repairs Siemens drives every week will diagnose a SINAMICS fault faster than a generalist.
3. You send a repair request. Part number from the nameplate, number of units, a description of the fault and photos. The company replies with a price or a diagnosis fee, a repair time and the warranty.
4. You ship the part. Pack it in antistatic packaging with the fault description inside the box, not only in the email.
5. Diagnosis and repair. The workshop finds the root cause, replaces the failed components and usually also the parts that wear with age, such as capacitors and fans.
6. Testing. The repaired unit is tested, ideally under load or on a test rig that simulates the machine. Ask how the company tests your category of part.
7. Return and warranty. The part comes back with a repair report and a warranty period that starts on the return date.

The slowest step is usually not the repair itself but step 2: finding out who repairs your brand. That is the step Automa.Net repair services shortens, by filtering repair companies by category and brand and sending one request to as many as 100 of them.

What Decides the Cost of a Repair

Repair prices vary too much between parts and companies to quote one number, and any article that gives a fixed percentage is guessing. What you can know is what moves the price:

• Diagnosis. Many companies charge a fixed diagnosis fee, often credited against the repair if you go ahead. Ask whether you pay it when the part turns out to be beyond repair.
• Failed components. A blown fan or a set of capacitors costs little. A failed IGBT module in a large drive or a replacement touch screen for a 15-inch HMI costs more, and the price depends on whether the component is still in production.
• Express repair. Moving your part to the front of the queue costs extra. On a stopped line it is usually worth it.
• Repair or exchange. Some companies offer an exchange unit: they ship a repaired unit of the same part number straight away and repair yours afterwards. It is faster and sometimes cheaper than buying a replacement.
• Testing depth. A unit tested under load costs more to repair than one that was only powered up on a bench, and it is far less likely to come back.

Whether a repair is the right call at all is the subject of our repair or replace decision guide. To judge a quote, compare it with the alternatives you have: the price and lead time of a new part, and the price of a surplus or refurbished unit. We look at the refurbished option in whether refurbished industrial electronics are worth it, and at the cost of the machine standing still in unplanned downtime costs.

How Long a Repair Takes

Repair companies on Automa.Net state their usual repair time in fixed ranges: up to 3 days, up to 1 week, up to 2 weeks, up to 1 month, or more. The time for your part is confirmed in the reply to your request, after the company has seen the description and the photos. What makes a repair slower:

• Shipping both ways, especially across borders and customs.
• Waiting for a component that is itself hard to source.
• A fault that only appears under load or at temperature, which takes longer to find.

What makes it faster: a clear fault description with the error code, photos of the nameplate and the damage, and choosing a company that offers express repair or an exchange unit.

What a Repair Warranty Covers

A repair warranty covers the work done and the components replaced, for a stated number of months from the return date. It does not usually cover a new, unrelated fault, damage caused by the machine (for example a shorted motor cable that kills the repaired drive again) or a part that was opened by someone else after the repair. Before you approve a quote, check:

• The length. Repair warranties are stated in months and differ between companies; compare them alongside the price.
• What is excluded. Ask whether the warranty covers the whole unit or only the replaced components.
• The claim process. Who pays shipping on a warranty return, and how quickly it is handled.

If the same part fails twice, ask the repair company to look for the cause outside the part. Repeated drive failures often come from the motor, the cable or the supply, as we explain in our machine failure analysis guide.

How to Get an Accurate Repair Quote Faster

A repair company can only quote from what you send. The requests that get a fast, firm answer have the same five things:

• The full part number from the nameplate, including the version or hardware revision. Two units with the same family name can be different parts.
• The number of units. Repairing three identical drives at once is often cheaper per unit.
• The fault, in specific terms. "F30001 overcurrent right after start-up, motor and cable checked" is a quotable fault. "Drive broken" is not.
• What you have already checked, so the company does not quote for it again.
• Photos. The nameplate, the display with the error, and any visible damage such as burnt components or swollen capacitors.

On Automa.Net the repair request form asks for exactly this: repair category, brand, part number, units, a description of up to 1,000 characters and up to 10 attachments. One request covers one part number.

Repair Companies vs. the Manufacturer's Repair Service

Most large automation brands run their own repair service, and independent repair companies compete with them. Neither is better in every case, and our 10-point checklist for choosing a repair company covers what to ask either one.

For a machine that has run on the same drives for fifteen years, an independent repair company is often the only option left. Repair is also one of the most effective ways to extend the life of legacy equipment without a full retrofit.

Finding a Repair Company vs. Finding a Replacement Part

If the part can be bought quickly, search the part number in AutomaSEARCH first: new, surplus and refurbished stock may get the machine running before any repair would. If the part is discontinued, expensive or on a long lead time, or if you want to keep the exact hardware your machine was commissioned with, repair it. On the Automa.Net portal, a search that finds no stock offers to send a repair request for that part number straight away.

To compare repair companies on your own, the service providers in the business directory can be filtered by country.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does industrial electronics repair cost?

It depends on the part, the failed components, whether you need express repair and how thoroughly the unit is tested. Many companies charge a diagnosis fee first and then quote the repair. Compare the quote with the price and lead time of a new or refurbished part before you decide.

How long does it take to repair a drive or a PLC module?

Repair companies usually state a range, from up to 3 days to a month or more, and confirm the time for your part when they reply. Shipping, customs and hard-to-source components add time. Express repair and exchange units are the fastest options.

Is a repaired part as reliable as a new one?

A unit repaired by a specialist, with worn components replaced and tested under load, can be very reliable, and it comes with a repair warranty. Ask how the company tests your type of part and what the warranty covers.

What should I send with a repair request?

The full part number from the nameplate, the number of units, the fault code and a short description of what happens, what you have already checked, and photos of the nameplate and any damage.

Can discontinued automation parts be repaired?

Yes, and for discontinued parts repair is often the best option, because new units are no longer made and surplus stock becomes scarce and expensive. Independent repair companies keep repairing parts long after the manufacturer stops.

Does it cost anything to send a repair request on Automa.Net?

No. Sending repair requests is free and Automa.Net takes no commission. Price, shipping and the repair are agreed directly with the repair company, which replies to your email.