New Asset Performance Monitoring system allows a 30% improvement in shop floor efficiency

A large manufacturer examined several Asset Performance Monitoring (APM) solutions with the goal of improving productivity and resolving bottlenecks in operations. The company has around 100 critical production assets, spread across 4 organizational units, manufactured by multiple vendors and varying in age. They employed a new APM technology that helps manufacturers digitalize their machines to become an industry 4.0 “factory of the future”. The solution generates visibility and actionable insights within hours, using a range of highly accurate, non-invasive sensors and a cloud-based APM platform. The edge devices and sensors were installed in stages on more than 100 assets. Machine availability, real-time status, and historic reports are now being shared on the shop floor. The newfound transparency creates a company-wide commitment to goals and builds motivation to improve. Prior to the introduction of the APM solution, the assets were monitored by traditional tower lights, as well as handwritten logs and departmental whiteboards. In order to improve, the company needed a unified and consistent method of data collection and analysis. The company assessed this new APM solution versus a common APM solution that uses 24V controls and tower lights. After an 8-week trial period, this AI-powered solution was selected, and the company became a design partner. Using the new solution, the company now has automated and reliable visibility into the production floor, providing an accurate and real-time status of machine availability, and has enabled improved processes by facilitating data-driven decision making. The new APM solution improved machine productivity in some of the production floors by more than 30% within months. Comprehensive reports generated from the data is shared with shop floor staff, creating new transparency, trust and continuous operational improvement.