Efficient Plant March 2022 - 17

feature | predictive maintenance
Move PdM
To the Front Burner
View IIOT-based PdM
as a way to start
maximizing resources
now, not as a
long-range project.
Maureen Gribble
UE Systems
IN THE FACE of predictable and unpredictable
challenges, the best response is to
address those you can control and prepare (as
best you can) for those you cannot. We can't
say when the supply chain will break down
next, and we don't know how long it will
take to fi nd the next candidate for that open
position. Now, more than ever, it is important
for operations to escape the cycle of reactive
maintenance and move to a more predictive
approach.
You've heard it before: Th e answer to
today's problems is the latest technology.
While it's common to hear that a predictive
maintenance (PdM) approach, empowered
by Industrial Internet of Th ings (IIoT)
technology, is the answer to your reliability
or maintenance woes, the practical reality of
implementing PdM strategies and technology
is oſt en not so simple.
No amount of encouraging words about
the theoretical effi ciency of a PdM approach
is going to loosen your schedule so you can
MARCH 2022
Implementing an IIoT-based PdM program can help you make better use of your limited maintenance
resources by cutting down on functions such as greasing bearings.
make the metrics, reporting, alarm limits,
and other program-level decisions that take
time and focus to get right. Compared to
just reacting as break downs occur, it's easy
to see why predicting and preventing failure
would be more effi cient. If understanding
this concept is all it takes, why isn't everyone
already using the most cutting-edge methods
available?
REMOTE MONITORING
Traditional maintenance schedules are timerather
than condition-based. Although this
approach may be simpler from a planning
and scheduling perspective, it is far from optimal
in terms of machine health.
A machine or component's decline
toward a failure condition is rarely linear.
Remote condition-monitoring tools provide
accurate data on machine health and
transform maintenance schedules, so teams
are spending valuable time on work that is
actually needed, not just because it's on the
schedule.
By installing monitoring sensors of various
kinds (ultrasound, vibration, motion, fl uid),
assets can provide an operator or technician
with a constant fl ow of data. Whether the
data is complex or simple to understand, a
good IIoT solution will notify technicians of
problems in a clear and timely manner, give
them insight, and suggest how to prevent
failure from happening.
If an IIoT solution requires months of
training or years of experience to properly
implement, it may be diffi cult to fi nd or retain
workers who have acquired such valuable
skills. Instead, talk to your supplier about
ways to simplify alert and alarm interpretation,
making it easier to train or cross-train
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Efficient Plant March 2022

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