Why Machine Monitoring is the easiest way to improve Machine Performance and Uptime
One of the biggest challenges manufacturers face today is ensuring their machines and factory floor processes are working efficiently with maximum uptime. This is where machine and condition monitoring comes into play.
Machine and condition monitoring are both used to track the performance and health metrics of machines involved in manufacturing. This helps decision-makers refine their production processes and carry out maintenance work before costly failures occur. This article examines how machine and condition monitoring work and what manufacturers stand to gain from implementing this technology.
What is Machine Monitoring?
Machine monitoring uses IIoT technology to collect data from all the machines on the factory floor. Here are a few examples of the data a single machine can collect:
- Machine status: On/off, run rate, speed
- Downtime & utilization: Planned/unplanned stops
- Quality: Right part first time (RPFT), scrap rate
- Operator effectiveness: Labor productivity and efficiency
- Environmental status: Humidity, vibration, temperature
- Energy: Electricity use
This data is collected from machines, transferred to the internet, then monitored and analyzed. Fundamentally, it’s a very simple process.
Why is Machine Monitoring Important?
Machine monitoring allows organizations to measure manufacturing equipment efficiency. The collected data is displayed all in one place and managers use it to improve their processes, which in turn increases revenue and helps businesses gain competitive advantage.
Using machine monitoring solutions, manufacturers can identify:
- Machine Availability. When machines are either down or not running properly as well as the cause of the shutdown.
- Production Flow. The exact position and status of a product throughout the manufacturing process.
- Condition of Assets. The health and performance of factory equipment by tracking parameters like temperature, pressure, noise and vibrations.
- Resource Consumption. The consumption of resources like fuel, electricity, lubricant, and coolant.
- Operational Precision. Tool path, tool lifecycle, feed rate, etc., for increased machine accuracy.
Analyzing data collected on the above reduces machine downtime, improves delivery times, reduces waste, and optimizes program efficiency.
How Machine Monitoring Can Improve Asset Performance
Here’s how a machine monitoring solution can benefit your company:
Increased Efficiency. The goal for manufacturers is to achieve prompt delivery while maintaining maximum product quality. Machine monitoring improves fault identification. This enables faster repairs and reduces downtime, keeping the production process running smoothly. Performance metrics also provides insight into the working condition of machines. Manufacturers can use this data to identify production process weak points and work to improve efficiency and speed.
Waste Reduction. Monitoring resource consumption means manufacturers can maintain a record of resource wastage. Using this data, they can implement the necessary changes needed for reducing waste. Tracking machine health also contributes to waste reduction by minimizing pollution.
Improved Communication. Machine monitoring collects data from all machines on the shop floor and displays it in one place. This visualization provides manufacturers with a clear overview of all the different processes, allowing for better collaboration between different plant operators.
Redeploy Labor. Automating simple and repetitive tasks like downtime detection and noise identification frees the human workforce for more complicated work.
Real-Time Notifications. Manufacturers are notified of any faults or small obstacles like downtime by an alert module. Problems can be identified and fixed faster, and it saves employees time and allows them to take immediate situation-based action to avoid further machine damage.
Getting Started with Machine Monitoring Solutions
If you think your business would benefit from machine monitoring technology, AutomateIT’s cloud-based asset performance management (APM) solution offers all the benefits listed above and more. Implementing this software and aligning it with your goals will enable you to meet your financial and production targets.
You can make a successful start with machine monitoring solutions by following these six steps:
- Determine your business goals. Don’t get caught up in the hype of IIoT technology, focus on specific benefits like measuring machine health.
- Define success. Link your goals to specific machine monitoring metrics.
- Create a plan. Create a plan for implementation to reap the benefits of machine monitoring.
- Get organizational buy-in. Engage the right decision makers with the benefits of machine monitoring and secure approval.
- Implement. Transform your factories into connected plants with this technology.
- Rinse and repeat. Think of machine monitoring implementation as part of a company-wide digital transformation, not a one-off project.
If you’d like more information and understand how AutomateIT’s smart manufacturing consultants can help you achieve your goals, contact us today.