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Ways smart maintenance can reduce unplanned downtime
SOURCE: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION
Smart devices and other digital technologies can help technicians get in front of downtime events or avoid them altogether. These new device-level solutions are creating an opportunity to rethink maintenance strategies and to create a more connected, knowledge-driven workforce.
Smart maintenance can be customized and right sized to the specific needs of an individual business. UNPLANNED DOWNTIME IS BECOMING increasingly difficult for manufacturers to manage during a global industrial skills shortage. According to recent research, U.S. manufacturers say finding the right talent is 36% harder now than it was in 2018. And this is happening at a time when manufacturing is trying to meet higher demand. Earlier this year, the Institute for Supply Management reported that its index of national factory activity reached its highest level since 1983. If unplanned downtime is threatening your business goals, it may be time to think about how you can improve your maintenance strategy using smart technologies. Some companies have been hesitant to adopt a “smart maintenance” approach because they don’t want to invest in new technology, or they don’t understand the ROI of such investments. But with the right approach, you can realize fast ROI and protect uptime in your operations.
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Five opportunities
Smart maintenance can be customized and right sized to the specific needs of your business. It could be an overhaul of your current approach to adopt a predictive or condition-based maintenance strategy. Or it could mean simply adopting a new technology to reduce burdens on your maintenance staff. To understand what approach might work best for you, consider the opportunities that different technologies present:
1. Smart sensors
It’s difficult to protect uptime when you can’t see what’s happening in production. Smart sensors are now available to monitor every possible parameter in your operations. This can help you create a comprehensive, real-time view of your assets, processes, or entire production operation. What’s more, smart sensors can deliver insights about their health and communication status. For instance, they can tell you if
they’re detecting dust build-up before the issue causes the sensor to fail. Smart sensors can also alert you to specific problems like a cable break, misalignment, reduced signal strength, or component failure. This can help technicians either take timely preventative action or quickly resolve issues to protect uptime. You can also store multiple smart sensor profiles in a control system. Then, when you need to make a product changeover, you can simultaneously download all the relevant profiles needed for the next product run. This can significantly reduce changeover-related downtime.
2. Intelligent motor control devices
A motor failure can cause a major disruption and cost you anywhere from thousands to even hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour in lost production. This is why it’s crucial that your production staff have visibility into how motors are
in d u s t r ial et h er ne t b o o k
11.2021
