There are many moving parts to any large-scale industry. Plenty of things can go wrong with large-scale machinery. Overheating, misalignment or worn-out parts damage your machinery and hurt your business. These problems can lead to needing to replace expensive equipment, losing valuable time, or slowing down your business.
Whether you’re working with heavy-duty machinery or a large-scale production line, any small mishap can cause major damage. With the progress of technology, new ways have emerged to help businesses prevent large-scale disasters. One of these techniques that have proved most efficient is predictive maintenance.
What is predictive maintenance?
Predictive maintenance is a technique that is used to maintain and track the status, health, and performance of assets in real-time. These assets can be anything from small instruments to huge room-sized machinery. This technique is a great tool that can help prevent future losses and malfunctions ahead of time. Predictive maintenance saves both you and your manufacturing line time and money.
How does predictive maintenance work?
Predictive maintenance applies many different analysis techniques to detect issues before they arise. Predictive maintenance uses many different techniques such as vibration, infrared, or sonic analysis. Predictive maintenance technicians can detect problems with machinery by using these techniques. Problems such as defects in machinery, worn-out components, or overheating get detected and dealt with ahead of time. The technique uses AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) to gather data from IIoT sensors in real-time.
By accurately detecting these issues, predictive maintenance can reduce the likelihood of damage. Through monitoring and collecting data, this technique can save your business. If you work in any kind of manufacturing plant, then using predictive maintenance as a service might be a good idea for your business. Here are all the ways in which predictive maintenance can directly benefit your manufacturing company.
Decreased downtime
If you’re able to expect a problem and stop it before it arises and becomes an issue, you can cut down on the necessary downtime. With predictive maintenance, you can do just that. You can detect machinery issues in advance and resolve these small issues before they snowball into bigger ones. You can schedule maintenance services ahead of time and schedule many appointments at once. You can cut down your downtime by 30% with the use of predictive maintenance. This is also a great way to ensure that your business is following the laws and regulations.
Reduced maintenance costs
Accidents happen in the workplace all the time, the trick is to make them as inexpensive as possible. Predictive maintenance reduces your chances of a massive and expensive PR disaster by reducing your chances of an accident. With predictive maintenance, you can cut down on maintenance costs by detecting them ahead of schedule. By scheduling your maintenance appointments ahead of time, you can avoid those costly last-minute calls. Earlier detected defects are less expensive, as the problem hasn’t grown into a full-blown issue yet. This minimizes issues that will break the bank of your company. By using predictive maintenance, you can also save money with constant smaller checkups. Smaller check-ups, when compared to bigger, more time-consuming maintenance check-ups, are cheaper.
Increased equipment lifespan
Small defects and malfunctions can lead to dangerous meltdowns in any manufacturing plant. Predictive maintenance is much like modern medicine. It helps detect problems early before they result in unusable or destroyed assets. Smaller, regular maintenance is much easier to solve than larger more sporadic ones. Industrial equipment is expensive. As a responsible business owner, making the machines run and last as long as possible is of the utmost importance. As you would service your car, so should you service your industrial manufacturing plant. Predictive maintenance is a great technique to keep tabs on your industrial upkeep.
Safer working conditions
Predictive maintenance is not only good for the livelihood of your machinery, but for the livelihood of your workers too. The safety and security of your workers can be improved with the help of predictive maintenance. Many horrific and life-threatening manufacturing accidents have small beginnings. Small problems that evade detection or remain unchecked can cause major problems down the line. They can snowball into disasters that can injure and cost the lives of many. Predictive maintenance works to keep these catastrophic accidents at bay and keeps your workers safe. The technique ensures that workers are nowhere near defective equipment and that repairs can be done safely and securely.
Increase in worker productivity
Safer and happier workers work harder and better than unhappy ones. Increased productivity will be felt from top to bottom in the manufacturing plant. From the workers at the weighbridges to the workers on the ground manning the production lines. Increased productivity comes from both safe and happy employees and well-oiled machinery. With longer functioning machines, workers can do their jobs with less time wasted on waiting and repairs. The equipment and other assets can be used to their full potential with predictive maintenance. Machines and equipment are less idle because of repairs so work-life can continue on smoothly. With predictive maintenance, time is used wisely and effectively and service time to resolution can be up to 83% faster.
Improved product design
The last benefit of predictive maintenance on this list is improved product design. Product designers can examine and study the IIoT collected data. They can then harness this information to create better products. Detecting defects in design or problems earlier leads to designing newer, better models of the products sooner. This will bode well for the future of your company. You will have safer, stronger, and more efficient machinery quicker. The longevity and durability of your equipment will also be improved with the use of predictive maintenance.
The future of the manufacturing industry lies in the hands of data collecting and AI. This new technology combined with careful real-time monitoring of machinery is key. The benefits of predictive maintenance are many and start with the longevity of your equipment. The lifespan and durability of your equipment improve along with the product design. Predictive maintenance reduces the cost of repairs, maintenance, and checkups. Implementing this technique into your manufacturing plant puts the safety of your workers and others first. Accidents that can damage the bank, your reputation, and the environment are minimized as defects are resolved quicker. Productivity is higher with predictive maintenance and will save your company time, money, and the livelihoods of many.