How to out-smart your facility

Intangible task

If you are responsible for a building, manufacturing plant or heavy industry facility, you will be well aware of how IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) can change the way your facility is maintained. However, it is also fair to say that facilities built, even within the last 10 years, are already considered to have old technology, with systems that can be too simple, and in some cases, already out of date. Therefore, it must seem intangible that you could adopt a smart approach and reap the energy savings and cost benefits that this regime can bring - but we have the solution.

Here is how you can out-smart your facility, no matter what its age.

Retrofit smart technology

There is nothing new with the term ‘retrofit smart technology’ and there are a number of reasons why Facility and Maintenance Managers may say that it would not work for their premises or industry. Here we look at some of those valid objections:

Our equipment/systems are too old

In recent years the huge advancements in technology has meant that even, what can be perceived as new equipment, is fast becoming out of date. The ‘relatively new’ is the new ‘old’!

We work with a number of technology partners who can produce a ‘fit-all’ sensor which can be retrofitted to practically any piece of machinery, equipment or system, no matter what it’s age, location or current sensor capability.

We don’t have the infrastructure to power retrofitted sensors

Traditionally, retrofitting sensors would mean the need for a power source and cables. This is not always possible, or practical. A retro-fitted sensor provides wireless connectivity with an innovative energy harvesting circuit which can generate its own energy. Therefore, there is no need for an independent power supply to each of the sensors.

They are also maintenance free, so operating costs are very low with no battery replacement required and software updates are completed through the cloud.

The conditions are not suitable for sensors

Many sensors can be too sensitive! If located in a damp or noisy environment, this can lead to inaccurate data being fed back. Our sensor solution is extremely robust in these unfriendly environments. They can be immune to environmental noise, immune to ambient light and can be equipped with more rugged casing that can support temperatures up to 140 °C.

Unable to attach sensors to equipment

If it is not possible to physically attach a sensor to a piece of equipment, we have the solution for this also via a special application, with a contactless sensor. These contactless sensors are easily retrofitted and do not touch the machinery. This can solve challenging situations where there are small or blocked targets, moving components, wet and hot surfaces, or even through glass. If required, it is possible to deploy many sensors on a single machine.

By utilising contactless sensors, you will not require the approval of the equipment manufacturer, certified technician or a certificate for use on sensitive equipment such as power transfers or within explosive environments.

We don’t have compatible software

The retrofit sensors collect the physical parameters of the asset such as acceleration, temperature, magnetic field, current etc. With a special patented robust radio communication protocol, communication is assured from the sensors to a Gateway, with a typical range of 80-120m in harsh environments and up to 500m if in line of sight. The Gateway collects the sensor data from all the remote units and software on the Gateway can analyse the data. The physical parameters, state changes or trends are reported to the Cloud Monitoring Portal or can easily be integrated with a third party back-end or CMMS system.

We don’t have in house know-how

Whether you need to set up a new IIoT infrastructure or require one that integrates with an existing system, we can help, no matter how far along the IIoT jouney you are. Our retrofit sensors are easily fitted and once on-boarding has taken place, easily monitored. Through the IIoT monitoring portal the data can be managed, dashboards created as well as rules set for event specific actions which can raise alarms and be reported on. Security is key and is provided to IEC/ISO 270001 standards.

We use the ‘run to failure’ strategy

Less important assets may be suitable for a Run to Failure strategy. However, most critical assets will require at least a planned maintenance schedule which, in itself, can equate to over maintaining and unnecessary expense. A predictive, or even prescriptive maintenance regime is essential for your critical assets, this is where IIoT excels.

We don’t have the budget

Historically, retrofitting sensors has been an expensive business, especially if the ROI is an unknown quantity. Utilising sensors to assist in asset maintenance is proven to reap rewards with improved efficiency and the reduction of downtime through predictive analytics.

Our retrofit sensor solution may not be as costly as you might expect and with no power required or ongoing maintenance, this means that they have very low ongoing costs also.

The question is - can you afford not to embrace IIoT technology within your facility while your competitors are, and already seeing the benefits to their bottom line?

let’s start to out-smart

There will always be objections by those who are reluctant to embrace the benefits of IIoT but the arguments in favour of going smart are far outweighing the reasons to continue your traditional maintenance strategy.

To find out more about how our technology solutions can out-smart your facility, get in touch with us for an initial discussion.