The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has allowed for increased productivity and operational efficiency across manufacturing and industrial sectors, but until now maintenance has often been overlooked.
According to a 2014 report from market researcher Frost & Sullivan, the IIoT and big data analytics will enable industrial maintenance to shift from corrective to more preventative and predictive in the next five years. Preventative and predictive industrial maintenance can lead to optimized costs and a decrease in unplanned downtime.
Below are just a few ways the IIoT is making this possible.
Risk analysis
Using predictive analytics, industrial maintenance workers can assess potential equipment vulnerabilities, and model the lifetime and potential reliability of equipment. To support this advanced technology, the skillset of the maintenance worker has to be adjusted and workers need to be trained to use an IIoT-based platform. IT and communication infrastructures also need to be overhauled or improved prior to using predictive IIoT models. Once the maintenance staff is trained and new technology is implemented, the risk analysis can be easily completed on user-friendly data management platforms.
Failure detection
The last thing any maintenance worker wants is an equipment failure, as it can either immensely slow down or completely halt the manufacturing process altogether. IIoT and predictive analytics provide accurate predictions of equipment or component failure, reduce unplanned equipment downtime and enable preventative service and maintenance. Rather than waiting for equipment to fail, dynamic maintenance schedules can be built based on real-time data from IIoT sensors. With these processes in place, it also opens the door for increased scalability without concerns surrounding equipment failures as a result of growth.
Compliance
The IIoT also enables maintenance workers to increasingly meet business and regulatory compliance standards. As manufacturing processes increasingly move online, IIoT-based platforms promote a shift toward encryption methods and also include features for automatic compliance identification. From aviation, to electronic components and every manufacturing industry in between, there are countless compliance requirements maintenance staff must keep in mind. Predictive analytics ensure all equipment and systems stay as up-to-date as possible on all compliance policies.
Not only do preventative and predictive industrial maintenance lead to decreased downtime and an uptick in efficiency, but other key benefits include long-term planning of product and equipment updates or refurbishments, easier visibility and monitoring, and the ability to detect any potential problems at the earliest stage possible.