With nearly 3 out of 4 Americans in a state of lockdown, many companies are attempting to convert as much of their business to a remote operation as possible. For manufacturers this can be especially challenging. While some workforce can’t be sent home, predictive maintenance tools offer an incredible opportunity for manufacturers to minimize a significant size of their physical workforce.
IoT Enabled Devices Reduce In-Person Checkups
While IoT enabled devices are far from new in the manufacturing sector, their growth rate in recent years is undeniable. These smart gadgets allow for vital data such as vibration analysis, temperature information, and lubrication levels to be monitored from mobile devices, real-time, through an internet connection. Many of these programs provide failure alerts to give operators ample warning of potential equipment malfunctions far in advance of critical component damage. This allows manufacturers to monitor more machines with fewer staff and limit the amount of face-to-face interaction required.
Cloud Computing Makes Information Available Anywhere
Thanks to advances in cloud computing, companies with established predictive maintenance programs are able to access their machine-health information from nearly anywhere in the world. With the cloud storage market expected to grow nearly 25% annually, manufacturers can benefit from near unlimited online data storage. This means daily operators can not only better access machine health remotely, but management and reliability engineers can view consolidated data from nearly all their equipment across multiple production lines, and in multiple facilities.
Predictive Maintenance Programs Reduce Unnecessary Repairs
With unplanned downtime’s reputation as the most expensive burden in manufacturing, there has always been ample motivation for businesses to reduce unnecessary machine repairs. However, during the COVID19 pandemic, companies have an even greater motivation to reduce face-to-face interactions. In past decades, businesses had two choices when it came to machine maintenance–use overly conservative guidelines provided by OEM’s or utilize the run-it-till it breaks philosophy. By monitoring machine health real-time, manufacturers can more accurately anticipate machine failure to perform necessary repairs without going overboard–helping manufacturers find the “Goldilocks zone” and prevent unnecessary in-person labor.
Predictive Maintenance Data Can Improve Supply Chain Shortages
With many U.S. allies implementing substantial border restrictions, including shutting down ports and restricting exports, companies are scrambling to compensate for shortages. Whether it means finding alternative vendors or purchasing from more costly domestic manufacturers, businesses are rapidly changing their supply chain structure to keep up with demand. Companies with existing predictive maintenance data have a wealth of information available to give them a competitive advantage. The machine performance insights collected from a comprehensive predictive maintenance program can be leveraged to help manufacturers decide which materials and assets to prioritize.
Contact the professionals at VibePro today to add high-quality condition monitoring and machine health data to your predictive maintenance program that your team can access anywhere.
About VibePro
At VibePro, it is our mission to provide the best predictive tools on a single iPad platform with services to monitor nearly any asset. We strive to bring our customers the portability, connectivity, and affordability offered by the latest available technologies. Our product family combines wireless portable and online vibration data collection and analysis, balancing, shaft alignment, thermography, and ultrasound into an affordable and completely scalable solution on one simple to use platform. VibePro’s predictive technology apps feature many additions that have come directly from customers. Click here to learn more.