Our project buys machines in several batches over a few years, and later batches must be identical to earlier ones. How do we ensure that?

This is where industrial machines differ sharply from commercial PCs: commercial PCs change internal parts constantly under the same model name, while industrial machines have change management. What to do: 1. Choose a product line well away from end of production. Ask about the expected lifecycle of the model before committing. 2. Record the full order code and hardware revision in the project documentation, not just the product line name. 3. Use components with a fixed-BOM commitment, especially industrial SSDs and RAM. 4. Follow the vendor's product change notices (PCN) and end-of-life (EOL) notices. An EOL notice usually gives a last-time-buy window. 5. Build a standard system image and test it on each new batch before cloning. For long projects, consider ordering spare machines or boards as soon as an EOL notice appears, so replacements remain available throughout the system's life.