Corteva Agriscience

At Corteva Agriscience’s 1.5-million-square-foot global campus in Johnston, Iowa, the company sought to modernize its aging Schneider Electric AX controller system without disrupting critical lab and data center operations. They partnered with Baker Group, who developed a migration strategy to balance performance, stability, and cost-efficiency.  

By following a direct migration path from AX to N4, Baker Group:  

• Preserved decades of valuable data and configurations 

• Integrated existing controllers with the new supervisor 

• Reused code to avoid starting from scratch 

• Transferred licenses to reduce capital expenses 

This approach minimized downtime and ensured that research and IT operations remained uninterrupted throughout the transition. 

To further safeguard critical environments, Baker Group also completed controller vulnerability testing for office and high-demand spaces, proactively identifying and mitigating potential cybersecurity risks. These tests were designed to strengthen system reliability and reduce the likelihood of outages that could impact sensitive research and IT functions. 

The project came with a few complex challenges, including: 

• Maintaining operations in live labs 

• Managing AX license sunset issues 

• Upgrading dashboards to give Corteva teams real-time visibility into HVAC and facility performance 

Through close collaboration with Corteva’s facilities, research, and IT teams, Baker Group successfully delivered a future-ready automation system while keeping costs controlled. This effort reinforced Baker Group’s reputation for executing sensitive, high-demand projects and strengthened its long-standing partnership with Corteva, paving the way for continued collaboration in the future.