5 Reasons to Embrace Better Maintenance

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated the need for remote monitoring and diagnostics of operations and assets.  As it turns out, many of the things we thought were impossible a few years ago are now not only possible, but required.

Because of the urgency to facilitate remote work and keep production levels moving, smart maintenance solutions are being adopted at an accelerated rate. This post explores today’s top business challenges that can be addressed with better maintenance technology. 

By making smart use of available maintenance, IoT and external open data, applications are possible that we didn’t even dare to dream of 5 years ago. Based on the combined and edited data, it can then be predicted when the device will be ready for maintenance, and also how this process can be further optimized.

The reasons to explore this are much broader than merely predicting equipment failures. We’ll start by exploring these five: 

1.  Reducing downtime

Smart maintenance algorithms allow you to predict whether a part or even an entire machine will soon produce less effectively. This way you can repair, replace or adjust the process on time. This reduces the downtime of your machines. In addition, you can delete regular maintenance from your schedule and only put time into the machine when there is a good data-driven reason for maintenance. 

2. Optimizing equipment life and availability

Suppose an important machine in your production line has a high risk of wear and is therefore more maintenance sensitive. With the help of smart maintenance, you detect this even before the planned maintenance interval and limit wear, optimize the service life and therefore the availability of your machine. 

3. Reducing safety risks

Technical installations with an increased risk of safety need extra attention and care during maintenance. Think, for example, of installations with a higher risk of fire. A recognizable example are the technical installations in stables of intensive livestock farming. Unfortunately, barn fires still occur and the impact on business operations and animal suffering is enormous. By using IoT sensors,  overheating can be detected at an early stage. And a serious barn fire can be prevented by timely maintenance.

4. Increasing customer satisfaction

Machines that always run optimally through a careful maintenance process support the entire process within your company. Ultimately, your customers benefit. They get what they are promised on time, resulting in high customer satisfaction. 

5. Working more efficiently

Smart Maintenance  enables your organization to ensure that you assign the right person to the right problem at the right time. This is important in the deployment of both own staff and external staff. Specialists can be scheduled to have multiple machines looked directly at when they are at your location. Unplanned production stops become a thing of the past. 

In addition, smart maintenance can prevent unexpectedly high energy consumption. You detect in a timely manner when energy consumption increases and gain insight into the factors responsible for this. With less labor and operating costs as a result. 

Want to learn more about Smart Maintenance? 

Join Microsoft and HSO industry experts as we discuss the key drivers and maintenance metrics your organization should be watching in a post-pandemic era. We’ll cover the top maintenance models used by leading manufacturers today, when to use them, and how to solve your toughest maintenance challenges with best-in-breed solutions.

Register for the webinar