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T E C H N O L O G Y
Machinery & Equipment MRO
December 2021
TECHNOLOGY AND MODERN MAINTENANCE
Modern maintenance tools and technologies that will make life easier for maintenance professionals. BY BRYAN CHRISTIANSEN
M
Emerging technology trends are continually revolutionizing maintenance management. Let’s review predominant technologies, their relevance in maintenance operations and their effects on maintenance professionals.
IoT, cloud technology and condition monitoring
Stiff competition dictates that companies should keep operations running. To avert breakdowns, companies are implementing condition monitoring technologies, which consist of sensors and communication networks. Sensors continuously monitor the health and the working conditions of equipment. They collect vast amounts of
data and transmit them to internal or cloud-based servers. The industrial internet of things (IIoT) allows maintenance professionals to collect and analyse data in real-time. It enables them to proactively identify underlying problems and resolve them before they cripple processes. Professionals leverage periodic equipment operating data to develop predictive algorithms and models for evaluating the reliability of different facilities. Traditionally, to perform failure mode, cause, and effect analysis, it was necessary to sift through physical maintenance records. It was a time-consuming and error-prone process. However, as cloud technology advances, maintenance professionals can remotely access, summarize and visualize thousands of maintenance records in a matter of seconds. That way, professionals spend less time evaluating and troubleshooting equipment defects. IoT and cloud technology will continue to support a shift from reactive maintenance to data-driven predictive
maintenance (PdM). Unlike reactive maintenance, PdM allows maintenance professionals to develop effective maintenance schedules. Aside from reducing the overall maintenance cost, PdM ensures an even distribution of maintenance workloads.
Remote inspection
Inspections form a part of preventive maintenance interventions across industries. Even so, some components of equipment or facilities are difficult to access. Visual inspections allow maintenance professionals to identify signs of wear that may escalate to failures. Inspecting some sections of facilities like chemical processing plants exposes maintenance professionals to health risks. Remote inspection allows companies to monitor the structural integrity of components without disassembling equipment or risking the lives of professionals. Companies conduct remote inspections using videoscopes, borescopes or fiberscopes. They rely on high-definition
Photo: Michael Traitov / Adobe Stock
odern production facilities incorporate several technologies to improve the autonomy and efficiency of processes. These advancements continue revolutionizing maintenance strategies, with companies aiming to eliminate downtime and streamline workflows. A modern maintenance professional requires technical knowledge on a variety of equipment and sufficient digital knowledge to facilitate proactive detection, diagnosis, and correction of equipment errors before they result in costly breakdowns. With the advent of technology, maintenance ceases to be the responsibility of technicians alone. Proper maintenance is vital for improving the reliability and availability of production assets. It has significant impacts on the bottom line of a company. Modern maintenance technologies and tools transform the operations of organizations by: • Improving communications at all levels • Enhancing the transparency of routine operations • Streamlining (lessening) maintenance workloads • Enhancing compliance • Controlling maintenance budgets • Standardizing maintenance operations.
