Highly Custom Fire Systems Can Create Obsolescence in Low-Volume Installations

When it comes to fire suppression, longevity is a hard requirement. Whether protecting municipal infrastructure, transportation hubs, or industrial facilities, fire monitoring and control systems are expected to function reliably for 10 to 20 years, sometimes even longer.

Unfortunately, the underlying technology is constantly evolving - and not always for the better.

Recently, a client working with explosion suppression systems described their challenge to one of our engineers, Bob. The client mentioned they had inherited a legacy system built on custom electronics. It was hardware and software developed by a third party with no internal programming team.

The results were all too predictable: incompatible replacements, obsolete components, skyrocketing engineering costs, and declining system performance over time.

This isn't a one-off story. It's a symptom of how the fire safety industry sometimes leans on short-term fixes that can't support long-term demands. Let's go into more detail about the client's experience, explain what hasn't worked, and then outline what a sustainable system actually looks like in 2025 and beyond.

Engineering Whiplash: How Obsolete Components Are Creating $100K+ Annual Maintenance Costs

The client's current system (referred to as a "smart system") is a custom-designed solution sourced from a third-party vendor. It was created to support explosion suppression systems and includes a controller, sensors, and multiple subsystems. While technically functional, it's become increasingly expensive to maintain.

The issue is that nearly every time they order new hardware, a key component has gone obsolete. Whether it's a chip or an entire circuit board, availability is never guaranteed. This forces their engineering team to design entirely new boards, which often introduce new compatibility problems with the existing software stack.

A small hardware change becomes a cascade of software revisions, testing cycles, and requalification. With no internal development resources to absorb these tasks, engineering costs climb past six figures each year, just to keep the system operational.

As the client summarized it:

"We're not doing maintenance engineering the way we should be. It feels like we're just trying to maintain and slowly lose functionality over time."

This cycle is unsustainable. And worse, it punishes companies operating at smaller volumes.

Low-Volume Systems Amplify the Risks of Custom Engineering

If the client were selling 1,000 units a month, they might be able to justify recurring engineering costs. But that's not the case.

Their smart system sells at a rate of about one large system per month, each one containing 30 to 40 components. These are complex deployments. They're substantial in size, but low in volume.

That creates a tough ROI problem that can block sales:

• High engineering costs spread across few units means extremely high per-unit pricing
• High pricing discourages adoption, which creates an even lower volume
• Low volume doesn't justify redesigns, which brings no relief from obsolescence

This cycle feeds on itself. And it's made worse by the fact that the company also has a legacy system that uses hardwired LED monitoring. It's simple, durable, and currently sells 10–12 systems per month, mostly because it's straightforward and dependable.

The client sees potential in bringing the new smart system up to that level, but only if it becomes stable, affordable, and supportable.

The lesson here is clear: Custom hardware becomes exponentially riskier and more expensive when your production volume is low. Unless the architecture is designed from the outset to be stable and maintainable, you'll spend far more time fixing than improving.

Build Inspection-Friendly Systems That Can Survive 20-Year Service Lifespans

What the client really wants isn't groundbreaking innovation. It's long-term viability.

They're not asking for plug-and-play, off-the-shelf systems. They understand their use case (explosion suppression) is highly specialized and requires integrated controllers, sensors, and distributed monitoring.

But they do want a system that will still work 10 to 20 years from now, with components that are still supported. They also want inspection workflows that aren't held hostage by software or firmware updates.

The current system is annually inspected, meaning it must pass functionality and safety checks on a routine basis. If one tiny component fails - or worse, if the system can't be inspected due to incompatibility - the entire deployment becomes a liability.

The client articulated a vision many fire system designers can relate to:

"If everybody's system used a similar setup - and it just worked - why wouldn't you want all of this information available at inspection time just by looking at an LED screen?"

That's not wishful thinking. It's a blueprint for responsible engineering: stability, visibility, and serviceability over a long lifecycle.

Create Modular Fire Monitoring with Long-Term Component Availability

What's missing from the client's system, and from many others in similar positions, is a stable foundation.

At Digitize, we've seen this scenario play out across multiple industries, including transportation agencies, military installations, and municipal buildings. The story is always the same:

• A system was custom-built for a small number of clients.
• Hardware components went obsolete or were discontinued.
• Firmware updates were needed, but were either unavailable or unaffordable.
• Inspections got harder.
• Replacements became impossible.

That's why platforms like the Prism LX are built to resist obsolescence from day one.

What makes Prism LX different?

• Modular architecture: Need to replace a sensor or control module? You don't have to rewrite your firmware or redesign your system. Prism LX is built with hot-swappable, easily serviceable modules.
• Industry-standard interfaces: The system supports open protocols like RS485, dry contact closures, and serial communication. This reduces reliance on proprietary or disappearing technologies.
• Backward and forward compatibility: Software updates are non-disruptive, and firmware updates are designed to extend existing installations.
• Field-upgradable hardware: We build platforms that can evolve with your needs while still maintaining historical functionality.
• Long-term product support: Since we control the full development stack, we can make sure that replacement components are available for decades - not just years.

In short, we engineer systems that can function well for 20+ years. We design every component, software layer, and inspection tool accordingly.

What This Means for Fire System Designers, Inspectors, and OEMs

If you're currently managing or designing low-volume fire systems - particularly ones built around custom hardware - you'll likely end up:

• Unable to find parts from your original supplier
• Failing inspections due to firmware or component changes
• Spending more money reengineering than improving
• With customers asking for something "simpler, but smarter"
• Feeling stuck between updating a fragile legacy system or building a new one from scratch

You're not alone. This is the reality for many OEMs and integrators in niche applications like explosion suppression, gas leak detection, or military-grade fire panels. The smaller the audience, the more difficult it becomes to justify constant updates.

That doesn't mean you have to accept the cycle of break-fix-redesign-repeat, though.

There are proven alternatives. Systems like the Prism LX are designed specifically to support applications where reliability matters more than flashy features. These are often situations where annual inspections are mandatory.

Ready to End this "Terrible Cycle"? Let's Talk.

The client who spoke with us said it best:

"The whole thing is just a terrible cycle."

It may be difficult now, but it doesn't have to be.

By choosing a platform built for modularity, longevity, and field serviceability, you can sidestep the traps of proprietary hardware, unexpected obsolescence, and spiraling support costs.

If you're still relying on a legacy system that requires full re-engineering for minor component updates, or if you're designing a new system from scratch, Digitize can help you build it right the first time.

We've helped other OEMs transition away from fragile third-party builds and into stable, supportable platforms built for multi-decade performance. Whether you need custom interface logic, LED annunciation, relay control, or just a monitoring backbone that won't disappear in three years, our team can support you with a full stack of engineering expertise.

Let's Build You a System That Lasts

Contact Digitize today to start the conversation about protecting your fire monitoring infrastructure:

Call: 1-800-523-7232
Email: info@digitize-inc.com